Analysis of Keeper of the Virgins Short Story by Hanan Al-shakth - Essay Example

This story ostensibly follows the life of a dwarf who makes a daily four-hour trek to sit in front of a monastery. While the story does not explicitly state the dwarf’s reason for traveling to the monastery, his strong motivation is established. Eventually the dwarf is admitted to the monastery, never to return to his family.

One of the early considerations in the story is the nature of the dwarf. The author spends a modicum of time establishing character elements for the dwarf. In this way, the text writes, “he had broadened his interests to taking in the whole planet” and “He wrote poetry and prose, and sent it to newspapers, even though a word of it had never been published” (Al-shaky, p. 9). In addition to establishing the dwarf’s characterization, these notions extend the dwarf’s struggle to one not simply unique to his situation, but to that of many individuals.

In this way, the dwarf is partially positioned as an individual struggling to achieve recognition or a place in society. This metaphor is extendable to the dwarf’s very position as a dwarf. Just as many members of society feel they are small compared to more powerful people, so does the dwarf metaphorically symbolize this feeling of much humanity. As the story progresses there is the recognition that one of the central components of the plot is the dwarf’s daily journey to the covenant and his waiting outside.

It is difficult to determine the dwarf’s exact intentions for making this journey and simply sitting outside the covenant. The dwarf’s family postulates that he simply is looking for an adventure. The nuns think his presence is slightly odd and make jokes about him. It seems, however, that the story’s intentions in exploring this notion are to establish meditative and spiritual elements. Consider when the story states, “He would sit in the generous shade of the sycamore tree, or lie on a blanket he had brought with him beneath its spreading branches, staring at the convent walls” (Al-shaky, p. 9). While the story is Lebanese, there is seemingly an in-direct reference to the Buddhist myth of the Bodhisattva sitting under a tree and reaching enlightenment.

In this situation, the dwarf seemingly has sought the convent as a means of achieving enlightenment and a heightened state of purity or essence. One additionally considers the frequent reference to states of purity. For instance, the story title ‘Keeper of the Virgins’ speaks to the nature of purity. The nurses are also frequently characterized as pure and holy. Ultimately, then the dwarf’s visit outside the convent is a central metaphor for a similar seeking of purity and enlightenment among all members of humanity.

A final consideration within the text is the dwarf’s final entrance into the convent. There are a number of metaphorical considerations within this occurrence. While the dwarf is depicted as deeply wanting to enter the convent his intention is kept partially vague. In this way, it seems to a degree the dwarf’s entrance into the convent is a metaphor for a significant transition period in his life. One considers that the dwarf’s family is upset about his entrance into the convent and his refusal to leave. The story states, “The one night the dwarf failed to return home. His mother wept loudly” (Al-shaky, p. 11).