What does the Roc represent in the novel, The Map of Salt and Stars?

The Roc has a different representations in both Rawiya and Nour’s stories. For Rawiya, the Roc is a permanent and looming threat that she must overcome. He is her greatest challenge and the only enemy that she can truly defeat. In Nour’s story, the Roc is a representation of the bombs that dropped on Nour’s house. While Nour and her family initially escape the violence, they, just like Rawiya, cannot escape the Roc. His return in Rawiya’s story is matched with the rocket that destroy the ferry Nour is on. However, both girls overcome these hurdles, and the Roc is defeated.