The Stolen Rights “God's creatures who cried themselves to sleep stirred to cry again,” (88 Harris). Most nights, people close their swollen eyes over their damp pillows hoping for a better tomorrow. However, through time, they come to realizes how utterly hopeless and helpless they are. Thus, hope dwindles leaving only the tears behind. One cries and cries simply because it is the only thing that can be done if one wishes to retain his/her dignity. A change can always be made if one is willing to cross the line of honour. On the other hand, if one decides to stay put, he/she will soon be submerged drowning their loved ones with them. This is the predicament that the refugee Abo-Al-Abed faces in The Stolen Shirt by Ghassan Kanafani. A father, …show more content…
He spends his days looking for a job but with no avail. When he finally comes home, he has to face the accusation in his spouse's eyes and the deprivation of his son. In the cold dark night, he starts to ponder about sneaking a few sacks of flour from The nearby United Nations Relief and Works Agency storage. He is unable to go through with it though. Accordingly, through this character of Abo-Al-Abed, we are told of the suffering of the refugees and how they cannot help but find themselves thrust into this struggle. They struggle to live with honour and dignity. However, those values they are clenching to seem to be pulling them down. We see Abo-Al-Abed unable to step forward nor backwards. He is unable to let go of his dreams nor to lose his honour. He refuses to live at the expense of the suffering of the others. As a result, torn and helpless, he falls down crying. Abo-Al-Abed represents the moral refugees and the difficult choices they have to …show more content…
We meet another character by the name of Abo-Samir. Abo-Samir crossed the line long ago it seems. He is one of the refugees, but he is not living in destitute as much as Abo-Al-Abed is. He sneaks sacks of flour into the right buyer. Consequently, the other refugees are forced to wait for about another fifteen days before they get their share of the flour. Without their share of flour, they cannot bake bread. Abo-Samir fills his pockets at the expense of his own friends' suffering. He represents those who put themselves first come what may. On a larger scale, he represents those who would sell the sons of their own country and their country itself for that matter to fill their bellies. In other words, he is a