Tyranny

Palpable enough to be considered a setting or a character on its own is the theme of tyranny. The regime that is in power has declared a martial law that is so oppressive that the people struggle to go about their daily lives. This way of life has been consistent, the reader learns, for many generations, as evidenced by Pasha's father's experiences when he was in the military and was framed for a crime he didn't commit.

Tyranny is demonstrated in the way that Doctor is arrested, tortured, then executed while in jail and that there is a restriction on how many people can mourn him. Many are afraid of paying their respects, initially, because they don't want to be implicated or suspected of subversion. This type of living in a paranoid situation finally, after so many generations, breeds rebellion, and Pasha, Ahmed, Zari, and Fahreed...