The Story of Zahra

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1986

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Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Part 1, Chapters 1-3

Part 1, Chapters 4-5

Part 2, Pages 123-171

Part 2, Pages 171-215

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Tools

Discussion Questions

Essay Topics

The novel never names the African country in which Zahra, Hashem, and Majed live. How does this choice reflect the characters’ relationship to their adoptive homeland?

Examine the ending of The Story of Zahra. How does the novel’s ending tie into larger themes of violence? Hopelessness? Powerlessness?

How does abandonment function throughout the narrative? What might it say about Lebanon’s leaders during the Civil War?