"The father thought that one daughter would have been enough. Seven was too many; tragic, even."
Here, the storyteller tells us about Ahmed's father's attitudes towards gender. Before the birth of Ahmed, he is hoping that the baby will be a boy. This is due to a societal preference towards men, and also due to issues of inheritance. Feeling ashamed at the prospect of having another girl, Ahmed's father decides to raise his daughter as a boy.
"To be born a boy is the lesser of two evils. To be born a girl is a calamity, a misfortune that is left at the roadside where death passes by at the end of the day."
Here, we see the societal preference towards sons in Morrocan society. While the birth of a son is celebrated, the birth of a daughter is seen as a "calamity." The author also describes the birth of a daughter as "a misfortune that is left at the roadside where death passes by at the end of the day." This tragic quote shows how extreme the preference towards sons was, and how it might have made women feel ashamed, miserable and inferior.
"I have lived in the illusion of another body, with someone else's clothes and emotions. I deceived everybody right up to the day when I realized that I was deceiving myself."
Here, Ahmed is describing the psychological and emotional impact of being raised as a boy. She describes her life as being an "illusion" as she has always had to pretend to be someone she wasn't." However, she also suggests a moment of realization, where she decides to stop living a lie. It is suggested that this is the reason for Ahmed's seclusion.
