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Chapter 18
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Frankenstein in Baghdad, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Truth, Lies, and Storytelling
Good vs. Evil
Power, Authority, and Social Divisions
Family, Friendship, and Home
Superstition and Religion
Summary
Analysis
One day, in Amara, Mahmoud’s brother Abdullah suddenly announces that the Mantis has been murdered. Mahmoud has spent the past two and a half months in his mother’s house, avoiding going outdoors in order to keep the Mantis from noticing him. Although the Mantis’s assassination reminds Mahmoud of his theory concerning the three types of justice, he no longer considers this theory relevant: the only reality, he concludes, is the absurdity of senseless violence.
Although the situation in Amara is not necessarily less dangerous for Mahmoud than it was in Baghdad, the journalist does benefit from the protection of his home, which brings him a degree of stability. Mahmoud’s resignation to the senselessness of violence reflects the shock of living in such a chaotic environment as Baghdad, where terrorist attacks kill so many innocent people every day.
Themes
Relieved by the Mantis’s death, Mahmoud finally leaves the house and checks his e-mail at an internet café. There, he finds a message from his friend Hazem Abboud, who has been taking pictures with the U.S. military and will be granted a green card for his sensitive activities, which could lead to retaliations in Iraq. Mahmoud does not believe that his friend is truly in danger but concludes that Hazem is fulfilling his long-standing desire to move to the U.S.
Hazem Abboud’s situation mirrors Mahmoud’s previous problems in Amara: both reporters face possible retaliation for simply relaying truthful information about what is taking place around them. These considerations reveal journalism’s far-reaching political power: something as seemingly benign as a true story can threaten those in power, who rely on a carefully crafted version of events to ensure their domination.
Themes
Mahmoud then sees a message from Nawal al-Wazir, in which she tells him to call her. Although Mahmoud intends to do so, he soon becomes engrossed in an elegantly crafted message from Saidi. In this e-mail, Mahmoud’s former boss says that he is worried about Mahmoud and swears that he was not involved in any theft. He argues that his enemies have launched a conspiracy against him because they knew that he, unlike other politicians who bow to foreign powers, has great ambitions for Iraq.
In a chaotic political context marked by fear and greed, it is possible that Saidi is telling the truth: he might actually be the victim of an external conspiracy. At the same time, Saidi’s secrets and lack of transparency suggest that he could be inventing this story for his own benefit, in order to manipulate Mahmoud into trusting him again.
Themes
Saidi admits that he knows Mahmoud might doubt his words, but that he also admires Mahmoud greatly. Mahmoud’s opinion, he claims, is more important than any other. Saidi then tells Mahmoud that the true reason for their visit to Brigadier Majid’s office was to investigate Mahmoud’s future. On this occasion, the senior astrologer revealed that, after effective training, the young journalist would become prime minister of Iraq in 15 years. This, Saidi argues, is why he took Mahmoud under his wing. Saidi promises to return to Baghdad soon and to prove that all the claims against him are wrong.
Saidi seeks to regain Mahmoud’s trust through flattery—a technique that might be sincere, but might also be aimed at tricking Mahmoud once more. Saidi’s comments about Mahmoud’s supposedly bright future helps explain a previous event: Saidi’s professed admiration for Mahmoud in a nightclub, where Saidi told the journalist he wished he were in his employee’s shoes. Out of context, this statement made little sense, given Saidi’s own authority. However, it becomes more appropriate if Saidi actually believes that his employee will one day become more powerful than him.
Themes
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This e-mail reminds Mahmoud of Saidi’s eloquence and persuasiveness. Deeply conflicted, Mahmoud knows that he owes much of his experience and knowledge to his former editor. As he is about to send an apologetic message to his former boss, he suddenly remembers being interrogated and having to argue convincingly that he was not involved in stealing millions of dollars with Saidi. This traumatic event leads him to realize that Saidi has contradicted himself many times.
Although it is unclear which aspects of Saidi’s story might be true, Mahmoud’s final reaction relies on one event he knows is absolutely true, since he experienced it himself: his interrogation. This indisputable fact helps Mahmoud focus on the ethical aspects of this situation: Saidi has treated him poorly, letting him bear the brunt of his editor’s problems. This reveals Saidi’s callousness, even if some aspects of his story are true.
Themes
Ultimately, Mahmoud realizes that he cannot form a coherent mental image of his former editor. He concludes that Saidi is manipulating him once more. Although Mahmoud wants to send Saidi an insulting message, in the end he decides to send neither an apologetic e-mail nor an insult. Instead, he forwards Saidi’s message to the writer and leaves the internet café.
Mahmoud’s inability to piece together different aspects of his editor’s personality shows that Saidi’s motives still remain opaque: it is unclear whether his intentions are noble or self-interested. Mahmoud’s decision not to answer reveals self-control: he is detaching himself from Saidi’s influence.
Themes
Mahmoud later tells the writer that he decided not to answer Saidi because it was possible that Saidi’s message was full of lies, but it was also possible that part of it was true. Using Saidi’s own methods of ambiguity, Mahmoud decided not to answer, in order to sustain this uncertainty.
Mahmoud’s decision not to answer Saidi is also a form of domination. In the same way that Saidi’s silences played a role in building Mahmoud’s fascination for his editor, Mahmoud now wants to keep some of his reactions secret, in order to be less easy to manipulate. This uncertainty is also more honest, to a certain extent, since Mahmoud is not actually sure how he feels after reading his former boss’s message.
Themes
In February 2006, the security forces in Baghdad claim to have arrested Criminal X, known by the people as the Whatsitsname. They show his picture on television and announce him as Hadi Hassani Aidros. Hadi, they claim, has confessed to all of his accusations, from the explosion at the Sadeer Novotel, to the car bombing in Bataween, along with a variety of other killings.
This series of events suggests that stories, however fictional or deformed, have political power because of who believes them, not necessarily because of their truth value. Indeed, Hadi’s resemblance to the Whatsitsname—the result or arbitrary circumstances, namely the burning of his house—is now used against him, seemingly confirming the authorities’ previous suspicions of Hadi’s complicity with this creature.
Themes
Aziz and members of the Bataween neighborhood do not recognize Hadi’s face on TV, although they do find that the voice confessing to these crimes resembles Hadi’s. No one understands how Hadi could be a killer. Mahmoud concludes that this is yet another mistake, promoted by a government that has not succeeding in catching the actual Whatsitsname. He believes that Hadi is not intelligent enough to compose a story as complex as the Whatsitsname’s original recordings.
This surprising turn of events adds yet another layer of complexity and confusion in the Whatsitsname’s story, making it unlikely for people to ever discover the truth about the Whatsitsname’s identity. Rather, the government seeks to use this operation for its own purposes: not to actually uncover the truth, but to reassure the population by catching a notorious criminal. In this sense, truth serves the government less than a strategic manipulation of possibly incorrect facts.
Themes
Despite this uncertainty, when the news of this arrest is announced, everyone in Baghdad erupts in joyful celebrations in the street. Although Aziz does not believe that Hadi is truly guilty, he still celebrates this event alongside the others. In the meantime, a mysterious creature observes these celebrations from a window in the Orouba Hotel, left in ruins from the explosion. Faraj did not have enough money to repair the building and left it as it was, moving on to other activities. Accompanied by Nabu, the mysterious man observes the party in the streets. When it begins to rain and people return home, the man bows to pet the cat, which has now become his close friend.
Aziz’s celebration of Hadi’s arrest is not a sign of disloyalty toward his friend but, rather, a signal that Aziz, like everyone else, is desperate for positivity and joy—the kind of euphoria that collective celebrations can bring. Given the mysterious being’s ominous presence in the dilapidated hotel—a being whom the reader is encouraged to identify with the Whatsitsname—it is unlikely these celebrations will lead to long-term progress in people’s lives. However, it highlights the population’s desire to hold on to a glimmer of hope in the midst of such bleak political conditions, a heavy burden they have been bearing for so long.
Themes
