Jan 6, 2010

A Map of Tripoli, 1967 | Wetzel's Story in Relation to the Middle Eastern Conflict

In this essay, Johnson
considers Wetzel’s story in relation to the longstanding
Middle Eastern conflict.

Marlene Reed Wetzel’s ‘‘A Map of Tripoli, 1967’’ is the story of a woman coping with a dying marriage and a budding love affair set in a politically unstable region.

The discord of the region is reflected in the triangle of Carla, Mantini, and Ben. Just as Arabs and Jews struggle over property, Ben and Mantini struggle for its human counterpart, Carla. Woman as a commodity is nothing new in literature, and is clearly seen in ‘‘A Map of Tripoli, 1967’’ on the night Mantini and Ben first meet. Ben manages to move his chair close to Lucia Mantini and engages her in...