In a Time of Deep Divisions, "The Blind Man's Garden" Teaches Compassion for the 'Enemy'

 

“History is the third parent.” This bold declaration is the opening statement of Nadeem Aslam’s novel, The Blind Man’s Garden and serves the purpose of reminding readers that no matter how seemingly righteous the fight, history declares no ultimate winners.

 

Among the first signs of human evolution was when one autonomous group of pre-literate beings organized enough to wreak ferocious havoc upon another group of beings. In other words, the declaration and act of war. Whether war is waged in defense of livelihood, perpetuation of religion, or revenge for a wrong, history teaches us that the costs of war are high. Aslam’s novel, The Blind Man's Garden, places human faces upon the American enemy during the War Against Terrorism, an uncomfortable but necessary feeling for many American readers.

The plot of this book is one completely relatable to any culture: two men, raised as brothers, fall in love with the same girl. They run off during the war with a hero complex and dreams of saving the lives of their fellow man. Meanwhile, the girl of their dreams is left behind, along with a father, to deal with increasingly intolerant fundamentalist organization that has growing military and political power. One of the protagonists dies and the other is left to suffer through terrible trials while attempting to get back to the woman he loves. The very humanness of the storyline creates connections between reader and those living in Afghanistan in the early days of the American invasion. It makes the Afghan “enemy” visibly human and not just a faceless mass that inhabits a country that just delivered a devastating blow to American citizens on American soil. This is the first step of creating compassion for those labeled enemy.

Jeo and Mikal, the foster brother protagonists of the novel, are the embodiment of every young adult seeking to make a mark upon the world by doing something good. History teaches us that these types of young men are the finders of continents and the discoverers of world wonders. These two are no different. Supposedly leaving their native Afghanistan for Pakistan, the men are heading to treat casualties of a war about which they know very little. They only know there are not enough people to provide aid to the wounded.  However, they decide to go to the front lines of the war instead, hoping to be more help in a more desperate situation. You can feel the desire of these young men to do good for others in need as well as the typical male attraction for grand adventure supposedly found at ground zero of every romanticized war. Soon, Jeo is dead, leaving behind his wife, Naheed, and Mikal is sold as a fake “terrorist” to the American soldiers by an Afghani woman seeking revenge against Jeo’s and Mikal’s father. With an underlying message of blind hate and blundering military occupation, Mikal suffers mightily at the hands of American military members who assume every young male in Afghanistan is guilty of terroristic activity. Most of us know many American men of the same age as Mikal and Jeo, with the same desires, and suddenly the atrocities inflicted upon Mikal and Jeo are less anonymous and more someone’s brother, uncle, son. This is step two of Aslam’s ability to generate kindness from readers whose families might be on the opposite side as his characters.

Another character, Naheed, sheds light on the marginalization of women within Afghanistan and surrounding countries during this time period. Historically, women of all cultures have been members of a lesser class at some point or another, particularly in Islamic cultures. Aslam presents his characters as enlightened practioners of Islam (mostly) and this is seen clearly as Naheed transforms herself from a woman who married a man (Jeo), not for love but because of societal expectations to a woman who seeks out the man she desires (Mikal) despite intense disapproval. Additionally, she denounces cultural superstitions and discriminations against women, and goes on to have both a relationship and a child with Mikal. In fact, we see Naheed, and Jeo’s sister Basie (interestingly named after the famous American musician, Count Basie) bond together in determination to become more than what they are told they should be. This fierceness to prevail over decades of persecution and suppression is part of the history and foundation of America. By creating a character so easily relatable to western ideologies, Aslam opens the minds of readers who might not otherwise be so willing to see Afghani women as more than shunned and beaten wives of barbaric fundamentalists. To be clear, Aslam is not trying to Westernize Afghanistan but only wants to showcase the commonalities between the peoples of different countries. Here is step three of Aslam’s model of compassion for the enemy.

Even the descriptions of Afghanistan are written in such a way that literary analysts find themselves comparing the rugged, mountainous terrain of Mikal’s and Jeo’s homeland to that of the American West. Without eliminating what makes the Afghan mountains and villages unique and using rich, descriptive language, Aslam draws connections from this country to the lands of North America. For readers, this is yet another subtle hint that citizens of American and citizens of Afghanistan have more in common that initially believed. While there is no denying that a terrorist group from Afghanistan delivered the first blow of the war, both sides of the war experienced atrocities for which they did nothing to deserve.

A final thought about Aslam’s novel. Aslam’s family moved from Pakistan to Britain when he was 14. His father was a communist and the governing body of Pakistan at the time was pro-American and anti-communist. He became an immigrant due to forced migration, and as such, Aslam was exposed to many of the difficulties that migrants face: displacement, discrimination, lack of inclusion, no sense of true identity, and marginalization. These experiences no doubt contributed to Aslam’s ability to describe similar scenarios genuinely and intuitively within his novel. His status as an immigrant created both advantages and disadvantages that are reflected in his characters and in his desire to expose his readers to this reality.

History has exposed the detriment of miscommunications and misunderstandings. These human fallacies have caused wars for centuries. History has equally shown that understanding breeds compassion and compassion for others can prevent atrocities. And there is little doubt that America could use a bit more understanding and compassion for those on the other side of any war.