True Sight

Throughout the novel the same message is repeated: the ability to see the truth is not a function of the eyes but of the heart. Both Maju and Shahrazad are literally blind to emphasize the idea that one does not need vision to see reality: through their fictitious parables these women reveal more truths about the world around them then if they simply observed and recapped the events they witnessed. Both the water bearer's daughter in Shahrazad's tale and Shahrayar close their eyes at key moments in order to see what lies beneath the surface of the thing they think they desire. In this way the novel advocates intuition over logic and emotion over reason.

Another way of phrasing this theme, or a corollary theme, might be "Don't judge a book by its cover." Characters incorrectly attribute virtue to physical appearance: both Shahrayar and Shazaman marry their...