The presence of European thought could be observed in most societies throughout the world's history. Therefore, from a historical aspect, European culture has affected the Islamic society, although not as intensely as it was in the case with other non-Western cultures. In the novel Palace Walk, Naguib Mahfouz helps to understand how the people of Egypt were affected by the country's status as a British protectorate. In the novel, Mahfouz presents a portrait of the …showed first 75 words of 1210 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1210 total…him, since he was the only source of news. Because of the lack of information they stayed isolated. One of the daughters became married to escape her father's severe teachings, one son became a debauchee like his father, and another died like a hero. Things changed in the Abd al-Jawad family, but one aspect did not - their faith and appreciation of their culture, and that had shaped the ground for isolation from the West.