Several themes in this chapter are reoccurring themes in previous chapters. These include the themes of justice and fate which are apparent in the following quotations accompanied by a few brief comments:
Justice- “That you’d be killed in error but Ilish, Nabawiyya, and Rauf would not be killed in justice” (212).
Said’s desire for revenge ended up in the murder of an innocent, there was no act of justice accomplished.
Fate- “God presents His gifts as His will alone decides” (209).
God decides and controls certain actions, it is fate.
In addition to these, the themes of understanding and a man’s relationship with God also take on a central focus:
Understanding- “Not even Sheikh Ali al-Jumaydi himself can understand anything. I’ve tried to solve part of the riddle, but have only succeeded in unearthing an even greater one” (212).
Said is confused about the predicament he’s in; understanding as a theme is also important in future chapters.
Man’s relationship with God- “If it is true that man can be poor in God, so is it true man can be rich in Him” (210).
Religion is an important concept with regards to the characters of Said and Sheikh, they use God as a means to find answers.
Tags: fate, God, justice, themes, understanding
February 27, 2009 at 12:41 am
Also, there is this sense of law being a theme. This is seen in the dream where the Sheikh keeps asking for Said’s ID card (pg. 208)