The Book of Khalid · Chapter
II: Subtranscendental explained
Khalid, while in prison, experiences a spiritual and psychological crisis, rejecting the help and money of his friend Shakib.
What happens
Khalid, while in prison, experiences a spiritual and psychological crisis, rejecting the help and money of his friend Shakib. Upon release, despite poor health, he refuses to return to Syria and instead starts a pushcart business in New York. He moves from the Syrian Quarter to the Jewish Quarter and finally to the Bronx, where he finds a more peaceful existence. Throughout, he burns his books and medicine, choosing a life of open-air labor and self-reliance over dependence on others.
Themes in this chapter
Alienation and Identity
Khalid's rejection of his compatriots' sympathy and his move from the Syrian Quarter to the Bronx illustrate his alienation from his own community and his search for a new identity.
Suffering and Transcendence
Khalid's prison visions and his physical illness are portrayed as a form of spiritual suffering that leads to a 'revolution' of the spirit and a determination to live on his own terms.
Individual vs. Institution
Khalid's conflict with the police, who force him to 'move on' due to his reputation, and his rejection of the doctor's advice and medicine, highlight his struggle against institutional authority.
Characters to notice
- Khalid
Experiences a spiritual crisis in prison, rejecting Shakib's help. He starts a pushcart business, moves to the Bronx, and burns his books and medicine, choosing self-reliance.
- Shakib
Visits Khalid in prison, is rejected by him, and later lends him money for the pushcart business. He also takes Khalid to a physician and buys his medicine.
Key passages
“Deficiencies in individuals, as in States, have their value and import.”
Flaws in people and nations are meaningful and important.
The narrator opens the chapter with a philosophical reflection on the value of imperfection.
“What a difference, I thought, between Khalid of yesterday and Khalid of today. What a transformation!”
I was struck by how much Khalid had changed from one day to the next.
Shakib observes a profound change in Khalid's behavior and demeanor.
“And I shall stand before my Maker in a shroud, at least, which I can call my own.”
I will at least have paid for my own burial.
Khalid expresses his determination to be self-sufficient, even in death.