Caravans
Ellen Jaspar states that the people of Afghanistan will "go back to the ancient freedom of the caravans," and resist the strict laws and influence of mullahs. Mark responds by saying that: "Afghanistan will never gain a single freedom by reverting to the caravan. It will save itself by generating true freedom in the villages". The caravan becomes a running motif in the book for the country's connection to its biblical past and the clash between tradition and modernity.
Kabul
Mark describes Kabul in the late 1940s as being similar to "what Palestine was like at the time of Jesus". Here he is referring to the strict laws and rules, such as death by stoning, which makes the place seem like it is stuck in the past. His depiction of Kabul is characterized by the fact it is very different from what he is used to in the United States. He also describes Kabul as a place of awe-inspiring beauty, with beautiful mountains and landscapes.
Fashion
The fashion of people living in Kabul strikes Mark as being different and "striking." He describes how some men wore “the national costume: sandals which allowed toes to drag in the snow, baggy white pants of Arab derivation." He also describes the women's dress: "They were women, obliged by Afghan custom never to appear in public without a chaderi, the Muslim covering that provides only a tiny rectangle of embroidered lace through which the wearer can see but cannot be seen." He says that "at the age of thirteen all females were driven into this seclusion, from which they never escape", thereby depicting religious covering as being oppressive. In this novel, dress is depicted as a key part of the country's culture and way of life and is also a key part of Mark's learning in the text.
Mullahs
In this text, Mark repeatedly refers to the mullahs, who are described as "tall, gaunt, unkept men with flowing bears and fierce eyes." He describes three mullahs at the beginning of the text as "guarding the holy place and condemning me, a non-Muslim, for passing so near." They represent strict authority in Afghanistan at the time and are presented as being the source of many societal problems. In one scene, he describes when some mullahs see a woman who isn't wearing her covering. They "had swarmed upon her and were beating her with their fists."
