Season of Migration to the North

by

Tayeb Salih

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 Sa’eed pursue her for three years before she agrees to marry him, and once she does marry him, she torments him by carrying on flirtations with other men, as well as mocking and belittling him. Of all the women whom Sa’eed has relationships with, she is the one who most challenges him. She destroys many of his valuable possessions, including expensive and exotic artifacts that he keeps in his London apartment. She seems to play a part in provoking her own murder by constantly taunting Sa’eed and telling him that he is incapable of carrying out such a violent act. Indeed, on the night on which Sa’eed does murder her, she seems to welcome the dagger that Sa’eed plunges into her chest as he makes love to her. It seems that Jean Morris exhibits a certain affinity and desire for death and destruction—both towards herself and towards others.

Jean Morris Quotes in Season of Migration to the North

The Season of Migration to the North quotes below are all either spoken by Jean Morris or refer to Jean Morris. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Gender and Violence Theme Icon
).
Chapter 9 Quotes

“The moments of ecstasy were in fact rare; the rest of the time we spent in a murderous war in which no quarter was given. The war invariably ended in my defeat. When I slapped her, she would slap me back and dig her nails into my face...”

Related Characters: Mustafa Sa’eed (speaker), The Narrator, Jean Morris
Related Symbols: Sa’eed’s Secret Room in Sudan
Page Number: Book Page 133
Explanation and Analysis:

“I pressed down the dagger with my chest until it had all disappeared between her breasts. I could feel the hot blood gushing from her chest. I began crushing my chest against her as she called out imploringly: ‘Come with me.””

Related Characters: Mustafa Sa’eed (speaker), The Narrator, Jean Morris
Related Symbols: Sa’eed’s London Apartment
Page Number: Book Page 136
Explanation and Analysis:
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Jean Morris Quotes in Season of Migration to the North

The Season of Migration to the North quotes below are all either spoken by Jean Morris or refer to Jean Morris. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Gender and Violence Theme Icon
).
Chapter 9 Quotes

“The moments of ecstasy were in fact rare; the rest of the time we spent in a murderous war in which no quarter was given. The war invariably ended in my defeat. When I slapped her, she would slap me back and dig her nails into my face...”

Related Characters: Mustafa Sa’eed (speaker), The Narrator, Jean Morris
Related Symbols: Sa’eed’s Secret Room in Sudan
Page Number: Book Page 133
Explanation and Analysis:

“I pressed down the dagger with my chest until it had all disappeared between her breasts. I could feel the hot blood gushing from her chest. I began crushing my chest against her as she called out imploringly: ‘Come with me.””

Related Characters: Mustafa Sa’eed (speaker), The Narrator, Jean Morris
Related Symbols: Sa’eed’s London Apartment
Page Number: Book Page 136
Explanation and Analysis: