Chapters 29-32 Summary

Alwan sells his entire tea stock at a profit when he can no longer bear the strain of the black market. There seems to be a curse on everything in his life. His nerves are devouring him and he thinks only about death. He has forgotten the comforts of faith, and wishes God would let him die swiftly like many heart attack victims. Instead, like his father and grandfather, he will linger in agony. He is so terrified that he analyzes all of death's aspects. People say the dead still see family peering down at them, and Alwan can feel the eerie darkness, loneliness, and suffocation of the tomb. He knows God passes judgment and takes retribution before admitting anyone to paradise. Alwan clings to the fringe of life, even though it gives him no pleasure. He has consulted a variety...