Ali
A local boy who brings Michel his meals at Sidi B. M. and becomes the focus of the troubling final passage in Michel’s confession.
The novel never states Ali’s goal or explains his feelings. It shows only that he chooses to stay away after finding Michel with his sister and later returns.
The book
At a glance
- Sidi B. M., Algeria
- A local Kabyle child
- An unnamed sister who works in Constantine during winter
- Brings Michel food every morning and evening
- Not stated
Who they are in the book
Spoiler-freeAli is a local Kabyle boy who appears near Michel’s house at Sidi B. M. in Algeria. The novel calls him a child and later calls him ‘little Ali,’ but it never gives his exact age or a physical description. He runs away when Michel’s three friends arrive.
A local innkeeper prepares Michel’s food, and Ali brings it to him every morning and evening. Michel pays him a few coins and gives him affectionate attention. The innkeeper is not identified as Ali’s father or relative. Everything readers learn about Ali comes through Michel, who describes the boy’s behavior but never gives him a voice of his own.
Ali has an unnamed sister whom the novel identifies as Ouled Naïl. Michel says that she travels to Constantine in winter and earns money through sex work. When Ali finds Michel in bed with her, he becomes visibly upset and refuses to return for five days. Michel guesses that Ali may be jealous, but the boy never explains his reaction.
How the book draws them
- Called a childThe novel refers to Ali as a child and as ‘little Ali.’ It provides no exact age, height, clothing, or facial features.
- Shy with strangersWhen Michel’s friends approach the house, Ali immediately runs away and climbs over the garden wall.
- Michel’s meal carrierAli brings Michel food from the local innkeeper twice a day in exchange for a few coins and affectionate attention.
- Withdraws without explainingAfter seeing Michel with his sister, Ali stays away for five days. His silence leaves Michel—and the reader—uncertain about what upset him.
Ali appears in the novel’s final scene, after Michel has finished describing Marceline’s death. Michel says the boy brings his meals and receives coins and caresses in return. He describes Ali as unusually affectionate with him. The passage suggests that Michel’s attachment may include desire, but the novel never states that any sexual act occurs between Michel and Ali.
After Ali finds Michel in bed with his sister, he stays away for five days. Michel stops sleeping with her partly because he is afraid of losing Ali. The sister later jokes that Michel prefers her brother and that Ali is the reason Michel remains in Sidi B. M. Michel says she may be right. The implication is troubling, but Ali’s age, feelings, and understanding are never explained.
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