Essay Questions

What is the significance of the novel’s title?

An arabesque is an ornamental pattern typically found in Moorish/Arabic decor and the title of the novel is a reference to the hybrid nature of the narrative that seems at many points a combination of disparate stories told from many vantage points but manage to flow together into a seamless whole. The author is effectively saying that despite the odd mishmash of myth, memoir, and fiction, the story he has created, like its namesake that is composed of several highly intricate strokes, all comes together to form a beautiful pattern.

How is the theme of identity discussed in the novel?

The novel takes an unconventional approach to tackling the theme of identity. First, the author features a protagonist whose actual identity was in flux because he defied a number of cultural conventions. Second, he introduces another character who is actually a doppelgänger of the protagonist. In doing this he effectively causes the reader to ask “who is actually narrating the novel?” In doing these the author also causes the reader to ask the rather complex question: “is my identity tied to my system of beliefs/race/citizenship, and what happens to my identity if a person does not meet any of those socio-cultural expectations?”

Would you consider the novel as a form of political protest? Explain your answer.

One of the themes in the novel is a social commentary, particularly of the nature of religious persecution/extremism. The author does not vilify anyone or any group in particular but the author makes it clear that he condemns these atrocities committed in the name of religious beliefs. In presenting a neutral stance and yet criticizes extremism the author makes it known that the novel, although primarily a combination of memoir and fiction, is also a vilification of violence and not expressly to censure political activities.