Escapism

The escapism demonstrated by the characters within the novel shows the boundaries of what the human spirit and an individual family may withstand. Although Aziz must principally contend with the danger of the journey from Morocco to Spain and the potential consequences of his risk, he must also contend with the void that opens in his life when he must leave his family behind, and the internal questioning he will experience until he returns as to whether he is doing enough to take care of those he left behind. He must also grapple, upon his return, with the realization that he does not see a place for his wife within his new life. The characters must maintain some façade of family life and sanity, contributing all the more to individual delusions of escape and return to an easier way of life or dependence on another...