Motif of tragic love
The novel ‘The Alexandria Quartet’ is characterized by tragic love stories that keep occurring as the novel progresses. First in the book Justine is the story of Melissa who is a mistress to an old furrier dates and lives with the narrator Darley. Since she is cheating on the old furrier with Darley, he is followed around by the old furrier with a gun albeit it is unloaded. Then is the story between the narrator and Justine, this relationship is tragic too since Justine is married to Nessim. This relationship angers Nessim and this leads to him shooting someone while he is out fishing with Darley.
The author Arnuati whose book is cited in the book Justine also explains how when he and Justine were married, Justine would have other affairs that she would be terribly ashamed of she would be hysterical from her shame but she would keep cheating on him.
Justine’s Diary is a symbol of hope to the narrator and the reader
When Nessim allowed the narrator of Justine to take he diary, it opened up some hope of knowing Justine to both the narrator and the reader. Since the first chapter of the novel, the narrator indicated that no one knew Justine really well. Mnejiam the barber did not also know Justine albeit he was considered the archives of the city for he knew everything about everyone. The narrator therefore convinced Justine to write the diary so that he could be able to understand her. He later says that he understood her better as a writer than a lover. As the narrator keeps telling the story of Justine, he looks into her diary to get insight on her life.
The ugly cheap scent bottle as a symbol the relationship between Melissa and the narrator
In page 25 of the novel, the author says regarding the cheap scent bottle,” I saw among the litter of odds and ends a small empty scent-bottle of the cheap kind that Melissa used; and I took it back to the flat where it stayed on the mantelpiece for some months before it was thrown away by Hamid in the course of a spring-clean. I never told Melissa of this; but often when I was alone at night while she was dancing, perhaps of necessity sleeping with her admirers, I studied this small bottle, sadly and passionately reflecting on this horrible old man’s love and measuring it against my own; and tasting too, vicariously, the desperation which makes one clutch at some small discarded object which is still impregnated with the betrayer’s memory.”
The bottle represents their relationship for it was small which is a shows that Melissa and the narrator were never really in love for living together was a means to an end for them. They were poor and being together was more manageable in finances. The bottle was thrown away by Hamid which is a representation of the death of Melissa.
A sad painting as a symbol of Melissa
The narrator describes a sad painting and says that the painting was from a winter landscape contained in a dark sky, a window box with a few flowering geraniums lying on the windowsill lying forgotten on a cement factory. The sad painting symbolizes Melissa because she was always melancholy and lonely. She sis not have many friends. The narrator overlooked his intimate relationship with Melissa and went ahead to date Justine.
Allegory of the killing of a camel by the street
The narrator tells the story of how a camel was killed on the streets. It did not protest and was incredibly exhausted. Its blood was on the streets and everyone stepped on it as they went their way. This story is an allegory of character Melissa. She was a dancer who was also a prostitute. Melissa as a character followed the Alexandrian way and did not once try to object to it. The narrator previously said about Alexandria that this is the city that people come to it was the wine press of love and those that emerged from it were sick men. She therefore gave herself up to the ways of the city. She had a child with Justine’s husband and later succumbed to tuberculosis.
