There are certain standards, codes, ethics and values by which people live their lives. It is these standards and codes that determine what is right and wrong. In other words, they create a boundary that draws a line between what is considered unethical or immoral. These standards or codes in certain people's lives are set by their respective religions. On the other hand, the groups, communities or tribes in one's life set these standards. In eastern societies these standards are set mainly by one's faith or religious beliefs. In Palace Walk that is set in a typical eastern Islamic country, values and codes of life were carved out purely by religion. Acts were considered strange or unethical based on one's faith, which accepted or rejected them because they were forbidden. These codes and values play an important role in the lives of the characters of the novel. These characters could be placed at the top level of a hierarchy of ethics or at the bottom of it.
Sayyid Ahmad was a man whose behavior can be characterized as being ethical and moral at home and family gatherings and different with friends. In other words he could be termed a hypocrite. He sets a standard at home, which every member of the family h
One of the consequences of these codes and values was the change in Yasin's life.
Yasin was a man who was lost between his mother and Sayyid Ahmad. He was looking for love and affection and would often try to create an atmosphere of humor and joy. He was like a thirsty animal looking for a pool of love and affection. Sayyid Ahmad's codes and strict values did not provide him with what he wanted at this crucial moment of his life. In order to find love he wanders around the streets where he comes across a company of bad people and gets involved in illicit relations with a singer. Sayyid Ahmad's rules made Yasin think twice before doing anything, and make him fear the consequences. As the novel proceeds, we come to know that he no longer cares about the values and codes when he sees his father's true character at Zubayda's dwelling, singing and participating in unethical acts. He starts to think that he can be just like his father and can do as he wished. He fulfilled his desires of making love with anyone as long as she is a woman. His standards fell to the extent that he even try to rape the family servant and a black slave. Sayyid Ahmad was the one who had indirectly given him a permit to act this way. If his father had been a good role model as he was at home, he would not have been responsible for Yasin's unethical behavior. Instead Sayyid Ahmad would have tried to correct Yasin of his wrongdoing.
No matter where we live, there are certain codes and values we base our lives upon. We try our best to stay in our limits and follow the codes th
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