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Chapter 3
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
The explosion in Tayaran Square woke Mahmoud al-Sawadi early in the morning, but the journalist stayed in bed for a couple more hours, exhausted and suffering from a headache. He got up a couple of hours later, when his editor at the magazine al-Haqiqa called him, telling him to head to the scene of the attack immediately. After leaving the Orouba Hotel, Mahmoud reached the square. There, he saw the large, black hole left by the explosion, and imagined the death it has caused.
On the one hand, Mahmoud’s job as a journalist is presented in a trivial light: like any other worker, Mahmoud does not want to sacrifice his sleep and well-being to go to work early. On the other hand, the importance of Mahmoud’s profession is made all the more poignant by the scene of destruction he witnesses: he has the power to report on serious events and share the truth to the population, thus contributing to noble ideals of truth and democracy.
Themes
Mahmoud turned on his digital recorder and began to curse his friend Hazem Abboud, who took him out partying the night before. The two of them got drunk in a brothel. Two girls took Mahmoud, who had never been so close to a woman before, to a room. Afterwards, the two men returned to the Orouba Hotel and Hazem angrily told his friend never to talk about Nawal al-Wazir to him again. Mahmoud agreed.
Mahmoud’s digital recorder plays a crucial role throughout the story, as it preserves the journalist’s version of events and thus contributes to unmasking the truth of different episodes. Mahmoud and Hazem’s night of partying depicts them as men who do not observe traditional Muslim prohibitions, such as not drinking alcohol and not engaging in premarital sex. This illustrates the variety of religious and non-religious attitudes that coexist in Baghdad.
Themes
Nawal al-Wazir is, according to Mahmoud, a beautiful, 40-year-old woman who claims to be a film director. She is known as the lover of his editor, Ali Baher al-Saidi, a famous writer with many connections to politicians. However, Mahmoud, who is obsessed with Nawal, prefers to believe the two of them are simply friends.
The ambiguity of Nawal and Saidi’s relationship renders both characters mysterious. It highlights the difficulty of ascertaining people’s true motives in a context marked by political manipulation, in which social contacts can serve a political and economic function.
Themes
Mahmoud started working as a journalist in 2003 in his hometown of Amara, before suddenly moving to Baghdad for reasons he has kept secret. Mahmoud admires Saidi, who is about 20 years older than him. He finds that his editor is always perfectly dressed and has a contagious positive energy, encouraging others to be just as dynamic as him. Although Mahmoud is constantly tired, due to how much he works, he trusts that his boss is turning him into a better journalist.
Saidi’s enthusiasm contrasts with the gloomy atmosphere in Baghdad. Saidi’s buoyant personality suggests that not everyone is affected by fear and violence in the same way: some people, like Saidi, are able to maintain a cheerful outlook. It is unclear whether this attitude suggests naïve optimism or, on the other hand, if it reflects Saidi’s ability to take advantage of this difficult situation for his own interests (mirroring the economic ambitions of people such as Faraj the realtor).
Themes
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On the scene of the explosion in Tayaran Square, Mahmoud recalled Saidi’s instruction to always dress elegantly, so that people would respect him, and felt ashamed about his current, disheveled state. Therefore, before heading to his office, Mahmoud quickly washed his face and shaved at a restaurant. When he reached the building, the editor called him into his office.
Saidi’s focus on outward appearance could suggest one of two things: that his elegance mirrors his internally cheerful attitude, or that he believes appearances are just as important as what lies behind them. In either case, this suggests that appearances are capable of influencing people’s opinions, whether or not they actually reflect someone’s moral worth.
Themes
In the editor’s office, Saidi told Mahmoud that his colleagues had performed poorly and that he planned on firing three of them. He told Mahmoud to warn Farid Shawwaf to work harder. Then, he surprised Mahmoud by telling him that he was working too much but that, as a result, he had been promoted to the position of editor in chief.
Mahmoud’s trust in Saidi seems justified, given that Saidi rewards the young journalist’s work by giving him a promotion. This event suggests that, despite Saidi’s air of mystery, he is worthy of trust (at least from Mahmoud’s perspective), because he is committed to helping Mahmoud succeed professionally.
Themes
After work, Mahmoud chatted with his colleagues in a small tavern. He did not know how to tell them about his promotion. When Farid began to share his ideas for a book project, Mahmoud tried to convince him to adapt them so that they could be published in the magazine first. Mahmoud’s colleagues laughed at him, telling him that he was working too hard.
Mahmoud’s colleagues’ laughter emphasizes the new division between the journalists: although his colleagues do not know this yet, Mahmoud is now in a position of authority over them. This gives him additional responsibility—in this case, making sure that his friend Farid is not fired.
Themes
When the four of them left the bar, Farid was still talking excitedly about his book project. At the same moment, a garbage truck exploded in front of the hotel nearby, causing everyone in the group to fall down, impacted by the blast. Mahmoud ran to help a man who hit by the explosion, whom he recognized as Hadi the junk dealer or “Hadi the liar,” as people tend to call him. The group did not see anyone else and believed there were no casualties apart from the suicide bomber himself.
Despite the mention of “Hadi the liar,” this scene proves that Hadi does not always tell lies: Mahmoud and his friends, too, were present to witness one aspect of the Whatsitsname’s story, namely the explosion in front of the Sadeer Novotel hotel. The group’s conclusion that no one else was harmed underlines the hotel guard Hasib’s tragic fate: his body was so severely destroyed that no trace of him was left.
Themes
On their way back, Mahmoud told Farid that his storytelling saved him, since it kept him from crossing the street to catch his bus home at the moment of the explosion. Farid looked at Mahmoud with a stunned expression, realizing that Mahmoud might be right. Mahmoud then returned to his hotel and obsessively repeated, in his digital recorder, that being “a positive force” would allow him to survive. However, he soon realized that the batteries in his recorder were dead.
Unlike other situations in which telling stories creates psychological healing, in this case, storytelling serves as a life-saving force, for motives that are purely circumstantial. Mahmoud’s obsession with positivity mirrors his boss Saidi’s beliefs. This demonstrates Mahmoud’s attachment to following his editor’s mindset, but also his desperation at holding on to a stable belief—positivity will allow for survival—in the midst of so much chaos.
Themes
