Essay Prompts for That Can Be Arranged by Huda Fahmy

These 12 prompts are designed for close analysis of Huda Fahmy’s graphic memoir That Can Be Arranged. Each prompt includes a defensible thesis direction and 3–5 specific chapter/scene evidence leads drawn from the book. Use the linked character and theme pages to deepen your argument.

1. From Validation to Self-Love: Huda’s Internal Arc

Why it matters: This prompt traces Huda’s central psychological transformation—from anchoring her worth in male approval to asserting her own value. It reveals how the memoir’s emotional core lies in learning to say no.

Sample thesis direction: Huda’s journey from craving proposals to turning one down marks a shift from external validation to self-love, showing that the real “arrangement” is between the self and its own worth.

Evidence leads:

Chapter 6: Huda ties her worth to the coworker’s proposal, feels “broken” without one.
Chapter 6: After rejection, she feels “self-worth” for the first time.
Chapter 7: She stops asking “what’s wrong with me?” and focuses on self-improvement.
Chapter 8: Her conversation with Sheikh Z reveals fear of being a burden—weight lifted.
Chapter 11: At the walima, she dances with confidence, no longer needing aunty approval.

2. Cause and Consequence: How One Rejection Leads to Qadr

Why it matters: This prompt examines causality in the memoir—how a painful no creates the conditions for a meaningful yes. It tests Huda’s claim that trusting destiny (qadr) pays off.

Sample thesis direction: By rejecting her first proposal, Huda clears emotional and spiritual space for the man meant for her, transforming a moment of loss into a foundation for qadr.

Evidence leads:

Chapter 6: Huda turns down the coworker despite fear of being alone.
Chapter 7: She chooses trust in God over secret dating; four years pass.
Chapter 7: She signs up for the conference—explicitly not looking for a partner.
Chapter 7: Sees Gehad on day one and calls it qadr.
Chapter 8: Sheikh Z’s advice about spiritual compatibility aligns with her self-work.

3. Father and Mother: Two Forms of Protection

Why it matters: Huda’s parents play contrasting roles. Her father acts as a “master interrogator” while her mother is pessimistic yet behind-the-scenes. This prompt uncovers how each parent protects Huda in a different way.

Sample thesis direction: Huda’s father protects through rigorous vetting, while her mother protects through cautious realism; together they model the community’s dual concern for safety and outcome.

Evidence leads:

Chapter 6: Dad cross-examines the first suitor, refuses to be impressed.
Chapter 6: Mom likes the suitor initially, but dad’s skepticism proves correct.
Chapter 9: Dad’s tough interview with Gehad—Huda says “as I’d come to expect (and want).”
Chapter 9: Mom is “positive it wouldn’t work out” with Gehad—pessimism as protective buffer.
Chapter 10: Mom assigns sister as email reader to monitor the courtship.

4. Contrasting Courtships: The Five-Year-Old Crush vs. the Chaperoned Date

Why it matters: This prompt uses the memoir’s earliest and latest romantic scenes to show how Huda’s understanding of love matures. The contrast highlights the move from fantasy to reality, from childish rules to adult agency.

Sample thesis direction: The doll-breaking first crush (age 5) and the chaperoned first date (age 25) bookend Huda’s development from a passive reactor to an active participant in her own courtship.

Evidence leads:

Chapter 3: Boy breaks Penny’s voice box; Huda learns rules (no touching, no dating).
Chapter 3: She panics about never marrying but decides single is better than miserable.
Chapter 9: First ever date at home, chaperoned; Huda takes initiative.
Chapter 10: She and Gehad exchange long love letters, a conscious choice.
Chapter 11: At the kitab, she makes her own zaghrouta—defying demure expectations.

5. Self-Worth Beyond Marriage: The Memoir’s Central Theme

Why it matters: Huda explicitly states that marriage is not the “end-all be-all.” This prompt asks how the book supports that claim through structure and event.

Sample thesis direction: Through rejections, self-study, and the decision to say no, That Can Be Arranged argues that a woman’s value is independent of marital status—even within a community that prizes early marriage.

Evidence leads:

Chapter 4: Community pressure marks unmarried 21-year-olds as “old news,” 25 as “broken.”
Chapter 6: Turning down the proposal gives Huda a “freeing thought” about self-worth.
Chapter 7: She takes religious studies classes about love and family.
Chapter 8: Sheikh Z tells her to seek someone at her own spiritual level, not above.
Chapter 11: The walima celebration is about Huda defying “aunty odds,” not about being married.

6. The Zaghrouta as a Symbol of Agency

Why it matters: This prompt focuses on a specific symbol—the ululation (zaghrouta)—as a marker of Huda’s reclaimed voice. It’s a small but powerful gesture of defying expectations.

Sample thesis direction: Huda’s self-made zaghrouta at the kitab transforms a traditional celebratory sound into an act of personal agency, rejecting the performance of a “shy, demure bride.”

Evidence leads:

Chapter 2: Glossary defines zaghrouta as “ululations, usually high-pitched and shrill.”
Chapter 11: Huda notes the “shy, demure bride” usually enters to zagharit—but she does her own.
Chapter 11: Her mother is embarrassed, but Huda persists.
Chapter 11: The sound accompanies the signing of the marriage contract.
(Contrast) Chapter 5: At weddings earlier, she just dodged nosy mothers—now she makes noise.

7. Humor as a Structural Frame for Heavy Topics

Why it matters: Fahmy uses comedy (glossaries, exaggerated suitor types) to address serious issues like rejection, pressure, and faith. This prompt examines how structure controls tone.

Sample thesis direction: By interspersing humorous chapter glossaries and asides into a story of self-doubt, Fahmy creates a structure that allows readers to absorb difficult emotional truths without being overwhelmed.

Evidence leads:

Chapter 2: “Helpful Terms” defines aunties with comedic bite.
Chapter 4: Suitor types (Visa, Dude-Bro, etc.) make community pressure feel manageable.
Chapter 6: Huda notes her coworker’s stalking “felt kinda creepy”—but she still jokes.
Chapter 7: She calls herself a “super ripe future cat lady” while describing four lonely years.
Chapter 10: CC now means “Chaperone’s Copy” – pun as coping mechanism.

8. Foreshadowing the Parents’ Divorce

Why it matters: Huda’s parents divorce between her proposal and meeting Gehad. This prompt explores how earlier chapters hint at marital strain and how divorce reshapes Huda’s expectations.

Sample thesis direction: The parents’ divorce, revealed almost casually in chapter 7, is foreshadowed by Huda’s mother’s pessimism and the separate spheres of father and mother, complicating the memoir’s happy ending.

Evidence leads:

Chapter 4: Parents married after one week—no dating; Huda initially rejects that model.
Chapter 4: Huda’s mother browses wedding gowns but father is absent from that scene.
Chapter 6: Huda’s father is harsh with suitors; mother likes the first suitor—disagreement.
Chapter 7: “My parents got divorced” stated flatly after listing other marriages and divorces.
Chapter 9: Mom is “positive [the match] wouldn’t work out”—could reflect her own experience.

9. The Ending as an Act of Trust in Destiny

Why it matters: The memoir closes with the walima and Huda’s line about “a man who was worth waiting for.” This prompt evaluates whether the ending earns its optimism by showing trust in qadr as active choice.

Sample thesis direction: The book’s ending—the joyful walima after years of waiting—validates Huda’s earlier trust in God, but only because that trust was paired with concrete self-work and rejection of unworthy matches.

Evidence leads:

Chapter 7: Huda chose trust in God rather than secret dating.
Chapter 7: She takes classes and learns to love herself during the waiting period.
Chapter 8: Sheikh Z’s advice reinforces trusting the process.
Chapter 10: She feels “undeniable” soul recognition with Gehad.
Chapter 11: The walima is described as “defying all aunty odds”—her waiting paid off.

10. Huda vs. Her Early-Married Friend: Two Paths at Sixteen

Why it matters: The memoir contrasts Huda’s delayed marriage with a friend who married at 16. This prompt examines how the book challenges the community pressure to marry young.

Sample thesis direction: By juxtaposing her own panic at sixteen with her friend’s engagement, Huda exposes the unrealistic timeline imposed on Muslim women and ultimately argues for readiness over haste.

Evidence leads:

Chapter 4: Friend (age 16) announces wedding; Huda is still worrying about AP Lit.
Chapter 4: Huda panics and begs parents to arrange suitors.
Chapter 4: Parents say she isn’t ready; first suitor doesn’t call back; Huda admits they were right.
Chapter 6: At 21, graduating with no prospects, but she turns down a proposal—chooses readiness.
Chapter 9: At 25, she takes initiative with Gehad—feels ready this time.

11. Arranged vs. Forced Marriage: The Book’s Clear Distinction

Why it matters: Huda begins by differentiating arranged from forced marriage. This prompt asks how the memoir lives up to that distinction and whether it complicates it.

Sample thesis direction: Throughout the memoir, Huda actively chooses whom to meet and whom to reject, demonstrating that arranged marriage in her experience is a voluntary, family-supported process—never force.

Evidence leads:

Chapter 1: “Forced marriages are not allowed in Islam” – explicit boundary.
Chapter 4: She begs parents for suitors; they refuse when she’s not ready.
Chapter 6: She turns down a proposal despite pressure—choice is real.
Chapter 8: She deliberately does not mention Gehad to Sheikh Z to protect herself from rejection.
Chapter 10: She calls the final step “THE date” – her agency in scheduling.

12. Sheikh Z’s Advice: The Turning Point of Spiritual Realism

Why it matters: The conversation with Sheikh Z in chapter 8 is the memoir’s thematic hinge. This prompt explores how one piece of advice changes Huda’s entire approach to marriage and self-worth.

Sample thesis direction: Sheikh Z’s counsel to seek spiritual compatibility rather than an idealized figure forces Huda to confront her fear of inadequacy, making the conversation the moment she stops performing for others.

Evidence leads:

Chapter 8: Huda goes to Sheikh Z, nervous, not mentioning Gehad.
Chapter 8: Sheikh Z says she should marry someone at a similar spiritual level.
Chapter 8: Huda realizes she feared being a “burden” or “failure.”
Chapter 8: A “weight I never even knew I carried had been lifted.”
Chapter 10: With Gehad, she feels soul recognition—not because he’s perfect, but because they match.

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