By SUNSHINEGIRL
The prologue was interesting, to say the least. It had references to religion intertwined within the story. The prologue showcases the different types of relationships between the characters that interact with each other. For example, Shahrazad is relieved that his brother has been through worse than him. Is this a commentary on how people are filled with the misfortune of others? Sexuality is a common theme in the novel. Women are always presented as evil and the root of all men’s problems. Most of the female characters aren’t given a backstory and are ultimately created for the men’s backstory. The only one who is given some type of backstory is Shahrazad, and she only gets three sentences. What was puzzling for me was the fact that although the foreword praises God and his teaching, the book enables violence against women. For me, it is confusing how the author of this book preaches on God’s principles but his writing encourages violence against women. The race is also involved in the prologue. And how the author portrays slaves is also something that should be taken note of. The tale of the ox and donkey and the tale of the merchant and his wife seem to be cautionary tales. This section was definitely confusing and made me uncomfortable.
