The Golem and the Jinni

Throughout the novel, the various stages of Ahmad and Chava’s character development are traced through the imagery of birds. Their identities, humanity, and sense of freedom are often implicitly conveyed by the ways in which they perceive, identify with, and interact with birds. At the beginning, Chava has yet to meet Avram and has no name or sense of self. In fact, she defines herself only as a Golem without a master, and when she sits unmoving on a stoop, a bird lands on her just as it would on a statue. Because the way the bird interacts with her as if she is an inanimate object, this moment emphasizes her lack of humanity. However, her response to the bird humanizes her, for the excitement and curiosity she feels is almost childlike in nature. As she and the bird look at each other, the bird recognizes her as a real living being, and as she feels its heartbeat and perceives its fragile life, thus beginning the slow shift of seeing herself as a living being rather than simply a Golem.

Ahmad’s experience also reflects this avian trend, for in his natural state, he can fly on the winds just like a bird, and this imagery connotes the freedom he once enjoyed.