The Sky and Abu Qais

The Sky and Abu Qais

The opening passages of Men In The Sun prompted discussions on the relationship between nature and Abu Qais’ subjective condition. The idea that Abu Qais’ surroundings influence his memories of homeland was established. In my opinion, the term ‘nature’ was used rather too loosely to include both earth and sky and assume a uniform effect of both. Even when the specific emotional effect of the earth was discussed, the idea that the sky represents something completely separate was ignored. This distinction will be the primarily concern of this blog post.

Central to making this distinction is paying specific attention to the tiny visual details provided to us by Kanafani. At the very beginning, Abu Qais lies chest-down on the soil. He thinks of his homeland, he thinks of his wife and most of all he thinks of it as an extension of himself. I’m not going to go too much into the details of what the earth represents for him as this was already done in class – it represents tenderness, home and memory. It provides him a conduit through which he feels at one with his past in his native land. While lying face-down on the damp earth, he begins to think of rain and his thoughts begin to shift from the earth to the sky. This almost disturbing reminder of the sky leads him to shift temporally from the past to the present – and with it comes a series of questions that shows a troubled mind – ‘’Have you forgotten where you are? Have you forgotten?’’ [21]. As compared to the damp, fertile and promising earth; the sky is perceived as dysfunctional and barren – ‘‘The sky now could rain nothing but scorching heat and dust.’’  It is at this moment that Abu Qais physically turns to face the sky. Previously, the narrator had informed us that Abu Qais had been ‘’rest[ing]’’ [21] on the earth while now that he turns over and faces the sky there is a need to console himself  - ‘‘cradling his head in his hands.’’ [21]. It is obvious, then, that the sky represents something that is completely different from the earth. He turns to the sky when he is disillusioned and thinking of the present, while he turns to the earth when he wants to think of the past.   

Another way of thinking about the distinction between the earth and sky is looking at Kanafani’s treatment of the symbol of the bird. While he lies face-down on the earth, Abu Qais thinks of ‘’carrying a small bird tenderly in your hands’’ [21]. The bird is small and accessible to Abu Qais, who forges a relationship with it based on feelings of warmth and care. While he lies facing the sky, Abu Qais actually sees a ‘’black bird circling high up, alone and aimless’’ [22]. This bird is neither small, nor is it approachable. Instead, this bird represents something severely miserable. The ultimate symbol of freedom – the bird in the sky – is then transformed into something that has misused its independence and the sky becomes that phenomenon which in a sense fails to grant it its deserved freedom.

Of course, this is not the first time the sky motif has gained prominence during this course and our discussions. In A Passage to India, we established that the sky represented something of mystical as well as universal significance. Here, it is the earth and not the sky that plays that role.