Chraibi, Driss. Heirs to the Past

Chraibi, Driss. Heirs to the Past

Reactions to Hearing Haj Ferdi’s Voice during the Reading of the Will

In Heirs to the Past, Haj Ferdi, or the Seigneur, was the central

figure in his community. Not only the patriarch to his family, but is

in a position where most of the people in the surrounding town look up

to him not only as a role model, but also out of necessity for life.

“My mother emptied the food into a bowl and told one of my nephews to

go and distribute it to the poor. He had not far to go; he had only

to open the front door and there the poor were.” (Chraibi, 50) The

poor depended upon the Seigneur for food and distant family members

depended upon his charity to avoid becoming impoverished. “All were

members of our family, or our wife’s family, either cast aside by fate

at whose door all ills are placed…” (Chraibi, 70) The Seigneur’s

death brought great sadness to his family members and those that he

was close to, but it also brought up the question of how exactly would

his estate be distributed. If one hears a dead person’s voice,

especially someone close to them, a feeling is created as if the

person has come back and is truly speaking to them, which is much more

emotionally charged than hearing a will read by a lawyer. When the

plethora of family members heard the voice of the Seigneur on the tape

recorder, it caught them off guard and created a greater effect

imprinting his advice on them.

Because the Seigneur was a customary, devout Muslim, everyone expected

him to write a will on paper. “We thought he [the solicitor] was

going to his safe to put back the tape that the devil must have left

there to tempt him, and would produce a sensible old envelope sealed

in the traditional manner...

... middle of paper ...

...r on his own, showing

that the greatest effect of the Seigneur’s voice in the will was

indeed used on Driss.

The effects of Haj Ferdi’s, or the Seigneur’s, voice upon his family

members was great. He left a lasting impression on his family members

along with his last wishes that he requested that they carry out. The

calm and commanding tone of his voice could relieve the family of

sorrow only ten days after his death, and convince them to put aside

any bickering about personal matters. He helped them see the value in

each other, and was able to fit what they received from the will to

their personalities. Even death could not stop him from affecting the

people closest to him, and offering advice that would stay with them

for a long time after his death.

Works Cited

Chraibi, Driss. Heirs to the Past. Trans. Lee Ortzen. London:

Heinemann Books, 1972.