Laila's Books

In Sunlight on a Broken Column, Laila’s books serve as a symbol for her exposure to Western ideologies. In the same manner that her family derides her for keeping her nose in her books, they condemn her foray into revolutionary politics. Inside the family home, Laila is both surrounded by her family and her academic texts, the physical presence of both serves to mirror her simultaneous desire to honor the family traditions and embrace modern ideologies.

The Car

The car that Ameer and Laila drive in when they are meeting clandestinely is a symbol for Laila’s desire to escape her family’s rigid views of marriage and femininity. When she is physically driving with Ameer, she wants to metaphorically leave the traditions of her elders and escape into an alternative future that is not dictated by rigid customs. However, in the same manner...