A Hope More Powerful Than the Sea

Nonfiction | Biography | Adult | Published in 2017

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Summary

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-3

Chapters 4-7

Chapters 8-Epilogue

Key Figures

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

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Discussion Questions

Themes

The Interconnected World

While the narrative focuses on the story of one girl’s horrifying journey from Syria to Sweden, an important theme throughout the text is the way in which small and seemingly insignificant events connect the entire world. For example, the story begins in Daraa. An agricultural city in the southwest of Syria, Daraa is likely to be an unfamiliar setting to many readers. But Daraa is not an isolated place. News from around the world begins to seep into the small city. Protests in Tunisia develop into an uprising, a popular protest movement which soon spreads across the Middle East. Though thousands of miles separate Doaa from Mohamed Bouazizi, the latter’s self-immolation reverberates around the world. Doaa’s urge to join the protests traces back directly to one man’s suicide.

As a result, there is the sense that Doaa’s life is interfacing with a wider cultural moment. Commonly known as the Arab Spring, this cultural moment crosses borders and brings disenfranchised populations into conflict with authoritarian leaders. The fact that it is a multi-national movement is important; Doaa needs to feel as though she is a part of something, as though her actions are having an effect. That she sees such success in Egypt, for example, inspires Doaa and her fellow protestors. By its very nature, their uprising is both a hyper-local and global concern. For all of the protestors anger at the torture of the local boys, they are as equally furious about the authoritarian government and the global sense of disenfranchisement felt in many other countries. To the protesters, the entire world connects, and they are feeding off the same energy as their fellow protestors around the world.

In the text, this theme of an interconnected world arises most readily through the occasional editorial asides. Facts and figures provide background information about how the Syrian civil war has turned into a refugee crisis. Political moods in Egypt, the actions of the American Secretary of State, and the emotive posts all across social media show that even though Doaa’s story is unique and tragic, it is part of a larger narrative. Doaa becomes the focal point for a global issue, the embodiment of the idea of how the entire world connects and comes together.

The Power of Humanity

Given the theme outlined above, in which the conflicts experienced by Doaa exemplify a global and almost unavoidable issue, it seems difficult for a single individual to fight back against the violence. This is where another of the novel’s themes becomes clear: The power of humanity. The ability to retain one’s humanity during the most testing moments is recurrent throughout the text—Doaa and others face many of the most difficult situations imaginable but do not forsake their essential human natures.

The first instance of this power is during the protests. Doaa joins the uprising against the authoritarian Assad regime in Syria. The government forces are well-equipped, violent, and ever-present. They have snipers and tanks, as well as no concerns about killing protestors. But the protests do not stop. Indeed, faced with violence, the protests only intensify. Doaa joins in and the protests become a demonstration of the power of humanity in the face of an oppressive regime. However, they do not succeed. Many people die, many flee, and the Free Syrian Army becomes lost in an intense battle between jihadi militias. Even by the end of the novel, the civil war is not over. Thus, it falls on people to survive. They flee to other countries, such as Egypt, but often find that the conditions in the new countries are just as trying. Doaa and her family try to rebuild their lives but the political climate in Egypt turns against the refugees. Though they try to retain their humanity, to endure the terrible conditions, it is still a struggle.

This leads to the best example of humanity’s power. The shipwreck presents a problem which is not political or material but elemental. Doaa and her fellow survivors are not battling against human forces but against nature. They cling together, offering spiritual support and sharing food. Even though they seem certain to die (and many do), the survivors of the shipwreck do not forsake their humanity. They demonstrate an incredible ability to endure even the toughest conditions. Doaa becomes the embodiment of this theme, giving every ounce of her strength to save the two babies balanced on her chest. This theme is clear: Humanity has the power to endure even the most terrible of hardships, whether they are political, material, violent, or elemental.

Finding a Sense of Purpose

As well as the grander themes which touch upon the plight of humanity, the book also focuses on Doaa as a character. For Doaa, the central theme of the narrative is the importance of finding a purpose. She spends her life searching for meaning and searching for ways in which she can give her life a purpose. But given the situations in which she finds herself, this can often be very difficult.

The first example of Doaa finding a purpose is the protests. Still a teenager, she feels as though she has had her eyes opened to the reality of the world around her. She joins a movement, a common uprising against an oppressive regime. Doaa feels as though she is battling on the right side of history and feels as though her actions (from washing the tear gas from people’s eyes to making rebellion-themed jewelry) are having an effect on the world. This justifies her actions and gives her a tremendous sense of satisfaction. But it cannot last. She must step back from the protests, worried that she might bring harm to her family. Doaa has to learn that purpose does not only come from helping one’s country but from protecting one’s family.

Another example of the theme arises when the family is in Egypt. With her father sick, it falls on Doaa to support the family. She works to the point of exhaustion, hospitalizing herself after working long hours. But she barely notices the damage that she is doing to herself because she believes so fervently in the importance of serving her purpose and sacrificing herself in order to help her loved ones. Indeed, when Bassem offers to help financially, it infuriates Doaa. Bassem does not realize that it is not the money that is the reward for the long hours Doaa works but the sense of purpose that it provides. The money is a side effect.

In the final chapters of the novel, Doaa’s sense of purpose comes from keeping the babies alive. She has lost her reason to live; she has lost Bassem. But if she can at least save Malak and Masa, then her life will have meaning once more. It is only when Masa reunites with her family that Doaa can begin to heal from her ordeal. This experience teaches her a valuable lesson and she strives to become a lawyer, finally discovering that her purpose in life is to help those like her.