Season of Migration to the North Characters

Mustafa Sa’eed is the mysterious and charismatic protagonist of the novel. Born in the early 20th century in Sudan during British colonization, Sa’eed’s is raised by a single mother after his father dies before Sa’eed’s… read analysis of Mustafa Sa’eed

The narrator is from the small village of Wad Hamid in northern Sudan. He goes abroad to England, where he spends seven years pursuing doctoral studies. After his studies he returns to the village on… read analysis of The Narrator

Jean Morris is the first wife of Mustafa Sa’eed. He meets and marries her in London. She is violent, rebellious, and provocative, resisting all of Sa’eed’s attempts to control and subjugate her. She makes… read analysis of Jean Morris

Hosna bint Mahmoud is the second wife of Mustafa Sa’eed. She is a young, beautiful Sudanese woman from the small village of Wad Hamid, located along the banks of the Nile river in northern… read analysis of Hosna bint Mahmoud

Ann Hammond is a young English woman, a student, whom Sa’eed meets after giving a lecture at the University of Oxford. Hammond is completely taken by Sa’eed’s exotic background and she immediately enters into a… read analysis of Ann Hammond

Sheila Greenwood is a young English woman from a humble background in northern England. Greenwood worked as a waitress in a café in Soho, London, where Sa’eed first met her. Like Isabella Seymour and Ann… read analysis of Sheila Greenwood

Wad Rayyes is an elderly man nearing 70 and a citizen of the small Sudanese village of Wad Hamid. He is good friends with the narrator’s grandfather, Bint Majzoub, and Bakri. Handsome… read analysis of Wad Rayyes

Mahjoub is the narrator’s oldest and closest friend. He is a resident of Wad Hamid, the village where the narrator has roots. Mahmoud and the narrator attended elementary school together. However, while the narrator… read analysis of Mahjoub

The narrator’s grandfather is a man nearing 90. He is a role model for the narrator, who looks up to him as a pillar of strength and endurance and as an example of how… read analysis of The narrator’s grandfather

Bint Majzoub is an elderly citizen of the village of Wad Hamid. Bint Majzoub is an example of an outspoken, independent woman in a deeply patriarchal and conservative community. She has had several husbands, and… read analysis of Bint Majzoub

Mustafa Sa’eed’s mother raises her son Mustafa Sa’eed alone, after his father’s death while she was still pregnant. The relationship between herself and her son is rather cold and distant: she never expresses much emotion… read analysis of Mustafa Sa’eed’s mother

Mrs. Robinson is the wife of Mr. Robinson, the principal of the school in Cairo to which Mustafa Sa’eed is sent to study on scholarship. Sa’eed has his first experience of sexual arousal when… read analysis of Mrs. Robinson

Mr. Robinson is the husband of Mrs. Robinson. He is the principal of the school in Cairo to which Mustafa Sa’eed is sent to study on scholarship. He, along with his wife, acts as… read analysis of Mr. Robinson

The Mamur is a government official whom the narrator encounters one day on a train ride in Sudan. The Mamur had been in the same class as Mustafa Sa’eed in school, during the period of… read analysis of The Mamur

Wad Baseer is a traditional “village engineer” in the village of Wad Hamid in Sudan. He has never attended school. Before the arrival of water pumps, he was charged with constructing water wheels along the… read analysis of Wad Baseer

Mahmoud is eight years old. He is the eldest son to Mustafa Sa’eed and Hosna bint Mahmoud, and is also the older brother to Sa’eed. He is named after his maternal grandfather. Right… read analysis of Mahmoud

Sa’eed is seven years old. He is the youngest son to Mustafa Sa’eed and Hosna bint Mahmoud, and the younger brother to Mahmoud. He is named after his paternal grandfather. Right before his death… read analysis of Sa’eed (junior)