The Harem Summary

This chapter begins with a serial romance that Allende read before the advent of television, although her grandfather disapproved of such stories. In the story, a woman is stolen by pirates and sold into the sultan's harem. The hero of the story makes plans to rescue her, with the help of a Jewish merchant, who had access to the inner courtyard of the palace in order to sell rich cloth. The hero shaved his beard and dressed like a harem chambermaid and was able to deceive the eunuch who stood guard, thereby gaining entry to the harem. The hero found his sweetheart just in the nick of time, saved her from becoming the sultan's love slave, and both escaped by jumping walls and eluding the palace guards. Though these feats would have been impossible in real life, they spark the imagination...