Massud’s Father’s Book

Massud’s father’s book symbolizes the necessity of mutual peace and respect between people and cultures. The book is entitled That They Might Know Each Other, and it records and implicitly celebrates exchanges of culture over much of human history. The book also catalogues times in history when much violence and suffering was incurred due to tensions between peoples and cultures.

Imran’s Arm

Imran’s arm symbolizes both the literal and metaphorical scars of violence. When Imran’s mother was nine months pregnant with Imran, she was badly beaten by Indian soldiers, and Imran was thusly born with a broken arm. Imran’s arm never healed fully. Imran’s army thusly bears a thematic parallel with the other instances of violence in the book, all of which inflict physical, emotional, and social scars.

Religion

Religion symbolizes arbitrary and unnecessary tensions...