In the Tale of Ala-al din and the wonderful lamp we see this aspect of gender/Power
dynamic.
Women are rarely given voices and are only to be desired by men. We are introduced to
this
character named Ala-al-din even is considered the protagonist is actually a character
that
is filled with greed. When Ala-al-din first meets with the genie and turns ala-al-din
who is
...considered a
'low-life'
into a well-respected man only for his riches. When Ala-al din was transformed into
this
"new man" we see his undeniable greed as he only wanted to flaunt with what he
wanted.
His main desire was getting the sultan's daughter despite her already being married
he
makes a plan to her. This idea shows one of the framings of women in the thousand
and
one nights as in this case we see the daughter acting as a desirable object. At the
end
of the story we are given this closing which states ""Aladdin had won the hearts of
the
people by his gentle bearing. He was made captain of the Sultan's armies, and won
several battles for him, but remained as courteous as before, and lived thus in
peace
and content for several years." When reading this quote readers get a sense of this
feeling of greed. The theme of Aladdin seems to focus on this idea that the whole
rag to
riches theme can be only achieved by the feeling of greed. That if you want a better
life for yourself you will have to be greedy. Ala Al-Din also shows his power by
outsmarting the genie Before meeting the genie Ala al din is seen as a low life as
he is
very poor but we see this quickly turn around when he meets the genie and is then
transformed into a wealthy respectable man. We see this interesting connection also
within "The fisherman and the Jinni" how a person with low status is able to
outsmart a
being who is considered powerful. This shows how this idea of status is imaginary
and
means nothing. Ala-al din is actually powerful in his own terms and doesn't need
society
labelling him of such low status.
Conclusively The thousand and one nights in a larger frame actually shows us the
power
and value that women possess regardless of the fact that the stories were labelled
as
misogynistic by many and the morals and virtues believed when the stories were
made..
Women possess this power of intelligence that helps them retain their power which is
clearly seen in numerous stories in the thousand and one nights. The thousand and
one
nights clearly act as a symbol of feministic literature pieces from many years to
come.
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