Abu Salim Character Analysis in Frankenstein in Baghdad

This elderly neighbor of Elishva and Hadi’s is Umm Salim’s husband. He spends his days on his balcony, observing other people’s lives. This gives him a privileged position to identify suspicious events, such as when a strange figure—the Whatsitsname, whom he assumes to be a criminal—enters Elishva’s apartment. He also witnesses the departure of the officers who savagely beat up Hadi and stole his belongings. This leads him to take part in an action of solidarity toward the junk dealer: he calls out to various men in the neighborhood and, together, they bring medicine and supplies to Hadi, helping him recover from his beating. This demonstrates the links of friendship and generosity in the neighborhood of Bataween. Although the “writer” later recognizes Abu Salim’s voice as the voice of the Whatsitsname on Mahmoud’s digital recorder, the novel presents no additional information to give credibility to this link, thus suggesting that the resemblance between the two voices might be nothing more than a coincidence.

Abu Salim Character Timeline in Frankenstein in Baghdad

The timeline below shows where the character Abu Salim appears in Frankenstein in Baghdad. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

...house at night. Umm Salim declares that she knows the truth about Elishva. Her husband, Abu Salim , who spends his days sitting by the window, has seen a visitor enter Elishva’s... (full context)

...blinded by flashlights and believes his interrogators have returned. However, these are friendly faces: after Abu Salim saw officers leave Hadi’s house with stolen objects, he called people in the neighborhood to... (full context)

After accepting medicine from Abu Salim , Hadi lies in bed, wondering if the officers will return. He also wonders who... (full context)

...carried the wounded man onto his bed and quickly left the house when he heard Abu Salim and his helpers approach. Then, he climbed to Elishva’s house. The old woman welcomed him... (full context)

...military were surrounding the car of a suspected car bomber parked next to Elishva’s house. Abu Salim was watching the scene and Faraj the realtor was observing his new hotel when the... (full context)

...in the face. Although Umm Salim’s house was severely damaged, her entire family survived, including Abu Salim , who fell from his balcony. (full context)

Abu Salim spent the next days in the hospital telling everyone about all the scenes he had... (full context)

...recognized the voice of the Frankenstein’s confessions—which he listened to on the recorder—when he met Abu Salim . The writer was not certain the voices were exactly the same, but he remained... (full context)

If Abu Salim soon left the hospital, Hadi, heavily burned in the fire caused by the explosion, stayed... (full context)