In most instances, the life of an immigrant comes with a great deal of struggles and objectives to overcome. Tea in the Harem, written by Mehdi Charef, shows these struggles through the perspective of Arab immigrants in the suburbs of Paris, France. Charef displays their struggles through the symbolism of concrete. In various ways Charef portrays his idea by showing many different struggles of these children and how they decide to respond to said struggles. Charef uses the media of concrete throughout the suburbs of Paris to support his reasoning. Because of Arab descent are a minority , they may not feel at “home” in France which can have negative effects on their lives. Groups of those with similar race and similar life problems form in part due to one another’s understanding of each other’s struggles. Majid is the main example of this idea; born of two separate worlds, “caught between two cultures, two histories, two languages, and two colours of skin…” (Charef 13). Charef focuses on Majid and his group of friends throughout the novel. It is clear that they develop characteristics similar to those of concrete due to expressing themselves on said walls, and not being able to change their place within society.
The first way in which Charef compares the children to the concrete is through the neighborhood that is surrounded by concrete walls. These walls help keep the families together but yet also create a separation from the rest of the world, which makes them feel unwanted with little sense of belonging. “Concrete walls, covered with slogans…cries from the heart…anti-racist graffiti in the form of raised fists”. (Charef 20) These are the walls that these children grew up with and therefore throughout the novel you can see the similarities that these walls have with the children. The walls are often a main media for the children to fully express themselves. The children however can be disrespectful in how they use the wall. “That way you feel yourself superior even though you’re in the same shit as everyone else” (Charef 20). This shows that the rude nature of the children with they way the use the writings and graffiti to get reactions from others. Often times these walls are used in a way to challenge and protest against French culture. Since many of these kids are not of any French descent they can be outsiders and may feel left behind. These concrete walls are meant to keep the immigrant kids out of main society, therefore by not drawing attention to themselves but instead their graffitti , they will not be left behind.
Another way in which Charef draws similarities between the children and concrete is by giving them the same characteristics . Concrete is a tough material that is rough around the edges. We see throughout Tea in the Harem that the children are almost identical to this description. There are many instances within the book that show this type of behavior from these kids. Whether it be with something as small as a threat from Bibiche when Bengtson takes his cassette player; “You break that and I’ll do you!” (Charef 27). Or even when Pat steals Majid’s dad’s hat and outruns him just to prove a point about his dominance and his superiority towards others. Another example of this behavior is Majid’s actions and behavior towards his mother. In many instances in the novel he makes excuses as to why he cannot help and even lashes out at her stating “I never asked to come here. If you hadn’t decided to come to France, I wouldn’t be “finished”, would I eh? So leave me alone, will you? (Charef 13). This shows Majid's temper and how he feels about life in France. Although concrete can be strong we often miss the hidden cracks that are within it. This is no different from the novel as many of the cracks within society are related to family. Majid’s father is an example of a crack within the concrete. After an accident that gave his father brain damage he has never been the same. Now instead of being the hard working and loving father that he was before the incident he now drinks constantly and abuses the family. “And sometimes blinded by the alcohol, he just lashes out at anyone in reach” (Charef 15). These fights start to break the family apart more and more every single day just as concrete starts to break slowly over time.
The final way that Charef shows Majird and his friends growing up as part of the concrete society is showing their struggle to change their current position within society. Variables such as immigration and poverty create challenges for all immigrants to obtain and maintain employment. In the novel Majid has a job in which he performs well whereas his friend Pat does not and ends up getting fired. Because of Pat’s firing, Majid decides to quit his job. Their actions show that the two of them do not have a strong knowledge about the workforce. Rather than becoming independent, Majid decides to leave his job because he wants to be with Pat. This lack of knowledge can be accredited to the lack of help they have received because of their current status. In the case of Majird he does and will have trouble fitting in with society due to his unique background. One way that this is shown is through the scene in which an immigrant pickpockets a stranger on the train. Even though the act was committed but this immigrant the victim blamed the immigrant because of how he looked. This is built off of the stereotypes that the children have to deal with. Stereotyping is something that all people who are the minority of individuals within their social class or country have to deal with. Because of this negative stereotype this diminishes their ability to create a positive first impression on those and can lead to further stereotyping and racism. Because of this incident on the train it creates a negative stereotype towards people of that same look, in this case of Arab descendant. This negative stereotype can also impact the social as well as financial stability of a person and their family. With the added stressor of stereotyping it creates a domino effect on Majid’s family as well as the others creating more stress because of their lack of ability to escape poverty. Another example of racism is towards the end of the book when Majid and Pat get arrested. “So where do you and your pals come from?” (Charef 156). This single line along with the entire novel displays the stereotypes that are prevalent throughout the novel. Because of Majid’s background and family heritage he also feels limited sexually. There is a girl in his school who Majid is attracted too, however he feels hesitant due to her father and his stereotyping. “Majird fancied her, and she fancied him, but old man Pelletier keeps a watchful eye on her boyfriends. An Arab boyfriend? No chance!” (Charef 19). Because of the stereotype, Majid is stuck in the concrete and is unable to interact the way someone his age would be able to.
Throughout the novel Charef gives the reader many different ways in which to examine how concrete is similar to the life of these children. The many instances in which these struggles are shown through the neighborhood walls, concrete characteristics and their societal position gives the reader an idea of how these characters are truly stuck in place just like concrete. Charef implements these ideas to show the readers the struggle that these immigrants have, of breaking stereotypes, changing their current societal status and how to change their lives for the better.