Memoir Journal # 3

As the story of Carmen Bin Ladin's life unfolds, it gets more and more intense, in each new chapter I read. Disaster is happening all around her. In Iran, there had been more freedom there for women, but traditionalists attacked, and chaos began there, which affected Saudi Arabia in many ways. Carmen Bin Ladin even describes her country moving backwards, when just recently, the country had been moving forward in a modern way. People in Saudi Arabia (including herself), have become fearful of what might happen to them, and so the princes take charge, and inforce more religious rules then ever on the people of Saudi Arabia. This bothers Carmen, because throughtout the book, you can tell she become somewhat of a feminist, and tried to help change some of the strict rules for women in Saudi Arabia. She tries to teach her own children (who are girls), that they do have their own minds, and don't have to conform. Carmen symbolizes modernism in her children's lives, while Saudi Arabia is a symbol of backwardness and old ways. Carmen has a character struggle with herself, because she tries to figure out what is the best way to raise her children in such a conformed society. She knows if she brings them up in western ways, she is teaching them to rebel against the society they live in. But if she continues to let them be influenced by their school and Saudi Arabians, they will grow up to having inequality, no justice, being materialistic, and other harsh things. She is trying to be the strong one in her family, since she believes her husband to be this changed, childish stranger, who once use to have all the strength and drive in the world.

One chapter that really struck me, was one about Carmen Bin Ladin's sister-in-law, who has just recently got married, and her husband dies in a car accident, a few years later. At the mourning of her sister-in-laws husband named Majid, the only thing her sister-in-law can say about the tragedy is, "It's God"s will. May be it's all for the best. Perhaps if he had lived he would have divorced me and taken my chilfren." It showed she had no remorse for her husband and i found that kind of shocking. I couldn't believe that she was not even sad about her husband dying and having no emotions. Later on, on another day, Carmen Bin Ladin decides to go visit Majid's mother to be supportive, and her sister-in-law comes out of her house, right before she is living and asks her to give something to his mother. Inside this note is a bill for their cook's salary. I couldn't believe how selfish she was to give that to someone, when their son has just died. It shows no respect in my opinion to the death of her own husband. It made me very upset to see someone with as little emotion and carelessness as that. Basically as I read more and more, I become more emotionally attached to the book, and feel the author's pain.