The Representation of the Grandmother in Arab American Fiction: Alia Younis’s the Night Counter as a Case Study

The increasing phenomenon of long-living grandparents and their novel roles and positions within both family and society in today’s world has inspired authors to produce literary works that address this subject. This article, in turn, aims to offer a clear representation of the grandmother’s character in Alia Younis’s The Night Counter (2009) by analyzing the various roles that the grandmother’s character plays in the lives of her grandchildren. As an Arab-American, Younis has an extensive background in the structure, norms, and values of the Arab Lebanese family, which are reflected in the novel. By choosing the grandmother as a central character, Younis highlights the vital role that the Arab grandmother plays in the lives of her American-born grandchildren. To achieve this, the article examines the multifaceted roles Fatima assumes as a surrogate mother and as a transmitter of native culture, as demonstrated in her relationships with her grandson Amir and her granddaughter Decimal. The analysis of these intergenerational relationships confirms the grandmother’s role as a reservoir of cultural heritage in The Night Counter (2009), portrayed as someone who persistently intervenes to re-educate and redirect her grandchildren towards native culture and away from American culture, sometimes leading to tensions and conflicts between the two generations.