Chapter Two: The Thursday Gate

The Thursday Gate is the first gate of our story. It is the day that male children are born, everyone knows that. It is also a day of exchange, market day (8). The Thursday Gate is crucial because it is the day of the week our protagonist, Ahmed was born. Because he was born on a Thursday, his parents would either be gifted with a son or would have to make a choice, an exchange. Ahmed’s parents experience the latter as they decide their child will be a male, regardless of what science may say (12). For this reason, Ahmed never truly experiences a single identity throughout his life.