The Swallows Of Kabul Themes

Love can be found in the darkest places. Well not everyone can handle the oppression of the Taliban control, or simply being unable to find something worth loving. In The Swallows Of Kabul written by Yasmina Khadra, a character named Atiq finds himself going through the same things. Living a depressing life married to his sick wife Musarrat, he lays eyes on a recent widow named Zunaira and fall madly in love. In a turn of bad events he ends up losing Zunaira and Musarrat. Unable to handle such trauma he loses control and dies. In The Swallows Of Kabul, author Yasmina Khadra presents the idea that Love give people a reason to live. This theme has a large impact on on Atiq and can be shown in his life before, during and after he loses Zuniera. Eventually leading to Atiq to a mental breakdown and his death.

In the beginning of the story Atiq is late to work to unlock the prisoner so she can be handed over to the executioner. Yasmina writes in the story “The prison world is getting Atiq down. This realization has put him in a state of constant rage.”(Khadra 18). Here Yasmina tells the reader directly how Atiq feels about his life. This shows that he doesn't enjoy what he does for a living, in fact it angers him. Later in the story Atiq talk again about how he dislikes his life. While walking in the streets he say ‘I can't tolerate old people or children, I hate when anybody looks or touches me. In fact I can hardly stand myself.’(Khadra 46). He continues to downplay the world and the sight of it annoys him. He goes as far to include himself in the category of things that displeases him. Truly his character is at a point in his life were he can find a reason to continuously bear the burden placed upon his