Betrayed by Latifa Ali and ‘The Arrival’ by Shaun Tan explore the issue of alienation within a foreign country and culture.
Betrayed is Ali’s real life experience of been forced, by her Parents, into the Muslamic culture in Kurdistan; after she has grown up as a westerner in Australian society, with absolutely no association with the Muslim lifestyle. The book explores the idea of alienation in a foreign country and culture through the sub ideas of: the oppression of women within the traditional Muslamic culture and the hardships she experienced as a result of differences in cultural context.
The hardships experienced by Ali show the alienation she experienced because of her differences. Ali maintained a different belief system to those around her. Her behaviours, beliefs and opinions made her alienated. There is a point in the book where she attempts to escape to the Turkish border, the enforcement of the Muslim culture had become too much for her; she wanted to the freedom to express her western lifestyle.
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The arrival however is about: a—man, who is protecting his—family. This story did not resonate as much with me because I am not a man and I do not have a family, there is generational gaps between us that results in different values, ideas, opinions and beliefs, the main character of the story was not as relatable as Ali in Betrayed. Betrayed resonates with me because of our similar up bringing’s and lifestyles, I am able to relate more to her hardships because of that connection in our ages, gender and sociological background. These reasons are why I found Betrayed more effective in displaying the issue of alienation in a foreign