Canebrake, by Mohammed Mrabet Presents a Story

Canebrake," by Mohammed Mrabet presents a story of Tangier where a woman suffers the insult of being ignored by her drunken husband Kacem day in and day out as she stays cooped up in the house and slaves away cooking for him and his friend Stito. She was never allowed to go out to the hammam (Turkish bath) to bathe as she wished. It is the opinion of this author that she confronts him boldly with evidence of her infidelity with Stito and this causes him to sober up and pay attention to lovemaking with his wife. This is a covert tale of feminine boldness from the Maghreb (Mrabet 142-144).

In the story, the mortal sin of drinking is fought boldly with the visual evidence of Kacem friend Stito's infidelity. He had a bachelor and had no problems because he smoked only kif (a mild hashish blend). It kept his mind clear and caused him no problems. This was graphically compared with Kacem's drinking, which like his wife's infidelity was a mortal sin. However, he was the first sinner. His indulgence in the forbidden liquid caused him to not just neglect his wife in bed, but to keep her a prisoner in her own hose. She could not go out to the hammam (Turkish bath) where no doubt she could not just go to a spa-like location, but could also get out and meet her old friends and new friends as well.

One certainly feels pity for the young woman who has hardly had any lovemaking since her wedding night due to her husband's drunkenness. This would make her desperate enough to do anything, even as far as transgressing the sacredness of marriage in order to get her husband's attention. Certainly, she took an extreme chance in confronting him in this way. However, it sobered him up suddenly and made him vow to himself and his friend Stito that he would use the legal bachelor's intoxicant (kif) that would keep his attentions fresh and concentrated upon pleasing his wife. In this way, he brought newness and spice to his marriage everyday that he pleasured his wife. Now, everyday was like a wedding night and every night made her feel like a princess. While Stito transgressed his friends marital sanctity, Kacem had it coming. Stito was a real friend who by helping the wife out actually insured many years to come of marital bliss for the married couple. Now that the sinfulness of alcohol was out of the way, Kacem could be sure that the infidelity was also out of the way forever and would only happen that one time.

Conclusion

To sum up, it is this authors opinion that Kacem's wife confronts him boldly with evidence of her infidelity with Stito and this causes him to sober up and pay attention to lovemaking with his wife.