In The Country Of Men Analysis

The book In the Country of Men by Hisham Matar is one that explores many themes. Suleiman, who is one of the main characters of the book, is a nine-year-old boy who witnesses Libya under the dictatorship of Qaddafi. As a young boy, Suleiman is quite observant and ignorant about many things occurring during that time. He witnesses his father and others rebelling, while under Qaddafi’s regime. His father Faraj along with others like Ustath Rashid and Moosa are part of the rebellion against the government. One of the many themes the book explores is showing the effect of a totalitarian government has on its people. It is shown through the relationship between Bahloul and Suleiman. Suleiman’s power over a weak person such as Bahloul reflects the relationship between the totalitarian government and its people, and it is where Suleiman’s negative influence and

This image of kicking someone affected Suleiman’s understanding of power. In a scene of Bahloul and Suleiman by the beach, Bahloul being frightened, ran away from Suleiman towards the water and started to drown because he couldn’t swim. Suleiman lost his patient and became angry and started kicking Bahloul in the face where he started to bleed and continued to push him down so that he would drown. This violent scene could be a mirror of the execution that Suleiman had witnessed on television of Ustath Rashid. Thinking that it was okay to do something like that over the weak if you were the one in power. Furthermore, in the same scene, Suleiman recalls his mother’s words,” A drowning person is so hungry for a life they can easily take you down with them,”. This idea could be that Suleiman not wanting to be dragged down to the level of a beggar like Bahloul. He enjoyed his position of power, standing over Bahloul and having the choice to help him or let him