Meaningful Messages in "Men in the Sun," by Cassandra Roberts

“Men in the Sun” has some predominant themes, which Kanafani uses to transmit a number of moral messages to the reader. One theme is community. Abu Qais, Assad, and Marwan unify, learning to trust each other and work together in order to accomplish their dangerous journey. Although they are of different generations, they have a common goal: to get to Kuwait to earn some money to support themselves and/or their family. We learn from this that it is better to work as a team in the same direction instead of against each other in order to make decisions, and to support each other during harsh, challenging times.

Another important theme is opportunity. The characters seek opportunities in Kuwait, which is the land of promise and hope. Iraq is unstable and tense, and it is very difficult to earn money for food. The desperate need for a new opportunity is what leads the men to take drastic measures and decide to be smuggled into Kuwait. Kanafani tries to teach us that sometimes life presents us with tempting opportunities, but some can be too extreme.

A further theme is greed. All Abul Khaizuran wants is money as he feels it is the only way for him to be content in life because he has gone through tough, traumatic experiences. He knows he will not get married, so he tries to find fulfillment and happiness in money instead of in love. He cannot seem to make enough money lawfully, so he decides to smuggle refugees into Kuwait. This greed for wealth leads to the tragic death of three innocent men. Abul even says, “Money comes first, and then morals” in one point of the novella.

The last major theme is ‘the road.’ It represents the journey that will allegedly lead the men to their dreams. They are desperate to transform their lives and the road offers them this chance. The road is broad and traveled, yet at times narrow and risky, and it presents adventure, a new experience and prospect. The road is something that we confront every day; we make decisions and choose certain paths, which may lead us to accomplishing a dream, or may be the wrong one and have negative consequences.