Stone of Laughter, Research Paper Example

Hoda Barakat’s “Stone of Laughter” is a heart-wrenching and sometimes darkly comedic novel of love and loss set against the bloody and unstable backdrop of Beirut in the middle of the Lebanese Civil War.  The protagonist’s name is Khalil and in the opening scene of the book, while he talks with his friend Naji about the possibility of Naji leaving the country for the more stable Saudi Arabia, the reader becomes aware of Khalil’s romantic attraction to his friend. The book states that, as they are walking, Khalil “panted after him” (Barakat 1) and once in the apartment, “let the warm waters of his [Naji’s] voice wash over him until he feels drowsy, while his eyes follow the smooth line of Naji’s leg” (Barakat 9).

Thus, Khalil’s homosexual tendencies are in the forefront right from the beginning of the novel; also apparent are his feelings of struggle with his own identity, and the sense of loneliness that he feels.  Barakat compares it to “the way a mother might feel towards her child when she sees he has not more part to play in children’s games” (12).  The fact that Khalil compares himself to a mother in this analogy again underlines the gender confusion he feels throughout the novel, especially in a culture where homosexuality is such an anathema and gender roles so sharply – even harshly – defined.  So perhaps one of the most refreshing things about this book is how sympathetically Barakat seems to treat Khalil’s character despite the taboo of his sexual orientation.

“The Stone of Laughter” is also a war novel and the war looms large in the course of this book. One of the most poignant scenes that illustrates the human cost of war and of people’s attempt to cope with it is Khalil scrubbing down his apartment after another escalation of violence: “whenever a battle draws to an end, Khalil feels the need for order and cleanliness and the feeling grows, spreads til it becomes almost an obsession. After every battle, his room is clean and fresh again, like new” (43).

Overall, then, this novel is a story of both love and war and of everyday people trying to cope with impossible.  This coping is in response to external factors like war, but also internal factors like the struggle with gender identity and isolation.

Works Cited

Barakat, H. “The Stone of Laughter”.  New York: Interlink Books. 1995. 1-213. Print