Clair. In patriarchal societies men are the superior beings and the struggles the two characters face show the amount of power men have over women. For Ying-ying, her first marriage is arranged, so she had no say in who she married. Just like Muhammad, Ying-ying's first husband committed adultery without consequences for his actions. Both left their wives as if they had become useless, and even in his absence in Ying-ying's life, her first husband claimed he had power over her. She cannot marry until her first husband dies and even after his death he still holds her close because their marriage left a lasting mark on her. He carried his passivity into his second marriage and passed it on to his daughter. Zahra's husband's ability to divorce her also enabled him to have a lasting impact on her life. Now she must struggle to find her place in a human-scaled society, which is difficult because she does not have the education needed to get a job that will allow her to earn “an honorable living” (Abouzeid 77). The lack of education of women living in Moroccan society makes them trustworthy and inferior to men, socially and economically. With these disadvantages, the two women find a way to deal with their loss in their patriarchal societies. Ying-ying decides it's time to tell Lena about her first marriage and her life mistakes