Qindil

Finishing the last pages of this chapter, I was surprised at the fact that the chapter was so short. I did not like how Mahfouz does not elaborate more on the experiences of Gebel and the aftermath of his journey. Prior to this chapter, I was expecting the chronicles of his adventure to Gebel, returning to his family, and then writing a book about the land. I am a little perplexed that the author did not include these details. If I were the author, I would continue off his ending and write about Qindil’s adventure home and have him happily meet up with his wife and children. Also, Qindil explicitly states his plan was with his family. He would return home and then take his family to his original Islamic homeland. Overall, I did expect some …show more content…
Although I thought the end was a cliffhanger, the themes of this book are very meaningful. For example, the characteristics of Qindil as being optimistic, motivated, and hardworking all made his dream of visiting Gebel come true. Motivation towards a specific goal is very important to his success because his perseverance allows him to not turn back to his homeland and proceed to one place to the next. His hard work and optimism are very much like Shin escaping from Camp 14; in order to get what one desire, these characteristics are needed to have success because one who does not work towards the goal will not achieve it. In addition, at the end, I would have liked to know about Halina and the rest of his family in his homeland. If Mahfouz would have mentioned it, I would have expected him returning to his homeland with his mother and tutor still alive. I believe that I would have enjoyed it better because the glory of the long-lost unification might have showed his care and his regard for his family. In summary, I recommend this book to other readers because it allows people to learn the messages of hard work, optimism, and motivation and to embody these traits to achieve their life