Introduction

“Once we arrive at the seventh gate, we may truly be people of the Good” (8).

The Sand Child by Tahar Ben Jelloun follows the life of a young man, Ahmed, who harbors a deep secret: “he” is really a “she”. This decision was made by Ahmed’s parents before he was born because the couple had given birth to seven daughters prior to Ahmed, which does not provide high status for Ahmed’s parents. After the death of his father, Ahmed decides he wishes to live out the rest of his life as a woman. However, as Ahmed is stuck between being a man and a woman, he can never truly be happy.

Throughout the book, there are seven gates representing different stages in Ahmed's life. In this blog, I will illuminate these gates and what they represent.