A Summary & Possible Answers

The Broken Wings is a novel by Khalil Gibran, a Lebanese-American poet and artist. It is a tale of tragic love, set at the turn of the 20th century in Beirut. Here is a brief summary of the story:

The narrator is a young man who falls in love with Selma Karamy, the daughter of a wealthy and respected merchant. Selma is beautiful, intelligent, and kind, and the narrator feels a deep connection with her soul. However, their love is doomed by the social and religious norms of their time. Selma is betrothed to Mansour Bey Galib, the nephew of the powerful bishop Bulos Galib, who arranged the marriage for his own interests. The narrator and Selma try to resist their feelings, but they cannot help meeting secretly in an old temple, where they share their thoughts and dreams.

Their romance is discovered by Karim, Selma’s brother, who informs the bishop. The bishop confronts Selma and threatens to ruin her reputation and her father’s business if she does not marry Mansour. Selma reluctantly agrees to the marriage, hoping to save her family from disgrace. The narrator is heartbroken and decides to leave Beirut for a while.

After a year, he returns to find out that Selma has given birth to a son, but she is unhappy and ill. He visits her at her father’s house, where she tells him that Mansour is a cruel and abusive husband, who only married her for her money and beauty. She also reveals that her son is not Mansour’s, but the result of a rape by an unknown assailant. She says that she still loves the narrator and asks him to be her friend and brother.

They resume their secret meetings at the temple, but they know that their time is running out. Selma’s health deteriorates, and she feels that death is approaching. She tells the narrator that she wants to die with him, but he refuses to join her in suicide. He says that they will meet again in heaven, where their love will be free.

One night, Selma dies in her sleep, holding her son in her arms. The narrator rushes to see her for the last time, but he is stopped by Mansour and Karim, who accuse him of being the father of Selma’s child. They beat him and throw him out of the house. The narrator wanders in the streets, mourning his lost love. He sees a vision of Selma’s spirit flying away with her son’s spirit. He cries out to them, asking them to wait for him.

The novel ends with the narrator saying that he will soon follow them to the other world, where they will be reunited in eternal bliss.

The Meaning of The Title

The title The Broken Wings has different meanings depending on the context and the interpretation.

• In the novel by Khalil Gibran, the title refers to the love between the narrator and Selma, which is broken by the social and religious barriers that prevent them from being together. Their wings are also their souls, which are wounded by the pain and suffering they endure. The title suggests that their love is pure and noble, but also fragile and doomed.

About the Life and Works of Khalil Gibran

Kahlil Gibran was a Lebanese-American writer, poet, and artist who was born in 1883 in Bsharri, a village in the Mount Lebanon region of the Ottoman Empire. He immigrated to the United States with his mother and siblings in 1895, where he received his education and began his literary and artistic career. He wrote in both Arabic and English, and was influenced by various religious and philosophical traditions, such as Christianity, Islam, Sufism, and Romanticism. He is best known for his book The Prophet, which is a collection of 26 prose poems that offer wisdom and guidance on various aspects of life, such as love, marriage, children, work, joy, sorrow, freedom, pain, beauty, and death. The book was first published in 1923 and has since become one of the most popular and influential books of all time, having been translated into more than 100 languages. 

Gibran also wrote many other books, such as The Madman, The Forerunner, Sand and Foam, Jesus the Son of Man, The Earth Gods, The Wanderer, and The Garden of the Prophet. He also produced many paintings and drawings that reflect his symbolic and mystical vision of the world. He died in 1931 in New York City at the age of 48. His body was taken back to Lebanon and buried in his hometown of Bsharri.

Khalil Gibran’s use of Symbolism.

Gibran was a writer, poet, and artist who used his visual and literary skills to express his spiritual and philosophical views. He was influenced by various traditions, such as Christianity, Islam, Sufism, Romanticism, and Symbolism. He often used symbols and metaphors to convey deeper meanings and messages in his artworks.

Some of the common symbols and themes that Gibran used in his art are:

•  Wings: Wings represent the soul’s desire to transcend the physical and material world and reach the divine source of life. They also symbolize freedom, creativity, and inspiration. Gibran often depicted winged creatures or human figures with wings in his drawings and paintings, such as angels, birds, fairies, or prophets. For example, in his sketch for “Jesus the Son of Man”, he portrayed Jesus as a winged figure rising from the earth.

•  Nature: Nature represents the beauty, harmony, and mystery of creation. It also reflects the emotions, moods, and states of the human soul. Gibran often used natural elements and landscapes as backgrounds or motifs in his artworks, such as trees, flowers, mountains, rivers, or stars. For example, in his drawing “The Poet”, he depicted a man sitting under a tree with a book and a lyre.

• Faces: Faces represent the individuality, personality, and expression of the human spirit. They also reveal the inner thoughts, feelings, and secrets of the human mind. Gibran often drew or painted portraits or faces of people he admired or imagined, such as friends, family members, historical figures, or fictional characters. For example, in his painting “The Beloved”, he portrayed his muse and benefactress Mary Haskell as a radiant woman with a halo.
• Main Characters of The Broken Wings by Khalil Gibran.

The Broken Wings by Khalil Gibran is a novel that tells the story of a tragic love affair between two young people in Beirut at the turn of the 20th century. The main characters of the novel are:

•  The narrator: He is a young man who is a poet and a painter. He is the son of a friend of Fares Effendi, a wealthy and respected merchant. He falls in love with Selma, Fares Effendi’s daughter, at first sight. He is a sensitive, romantic, and idealistic person who values love, beauty, and freedom. He suffers from the social and religious barriers that prevent him from being with Selma. He tries to be her friend and brother after she marries Mansour Bey, but he cannot forget his love for her. He is devastated by her death and hopes to join her in the afterlife.

• Selma Karamy: She is a young woman who is the daughter of Fares Effendi. She is beautiful, intelligent, and kind. She shares a deep connection with the narrator’s soul. She is forced to marry Mansour Bey, the nephew of the bishop, who arranged the marriage for his own interests. 

• She is unhappy and ill in her marriage, as Mansour Bey is a cruel and abusive husband who only cares about her money and beauty. She also reveals that her son is not Mansour Bey’s, but the result of a rape by an unknown assailant. She still loves the narrator and meets him secretly in an old temple. She dies in her sleep, holding her son in her arms.

•  Fares Effendi: He is a rich and respected merchant who is the father of Selma and Karim. He is a friend of the narrator’s father and invites him to his house. He loves his daughter and wants her happiness, but he is pressured by the bishop to marry her to Mansour Bey. He dies shortly after Selma’s marriage, leaving his fortune to his son Karim.

•  Mansour Bey Galib: He is the nephew of the bishop and the husband of Selma. He is a greedy, selfish, and violent person who only marries Selma for her money and beauty. He treats her badly and neglects her needs. He does not love her or respect her feelings. He suspects that she has an affair with the narrator and accuses him of being the father of Selma’s child.

•  Bulos Galib: He is the bishop of Beirut and the uncle of Mansour Bey. He is a corrupt and hypocritical religious leader who uses his power and influence for his own benefit. He arranges the marriage between Selma and Mansour Bey without consulting them or their families. He threatens to ruin Selma’s reputation and Fares Effendi’s business if they do not agree to the marriage. He also opposes the narrator’s love for Selma and tries to separate them.

•  Karim Karamy: He is the brother of Selma and the son of Fares Effendi. He inherits his father’s wealth and business after his death. He is loyal to his sister and cares about her welfare, but he also respects the bishop’s authority and follows his orders. He discovers Selma’s secret meetings with the narrator and informs the bishop. He also helps Mansour Bey to confront the narrator and throw him out of the house.

*************************

The historical and cultural context of The Broken Wings?

The Broken Wings is a novel by Kahlil Gibran, a Lebanese-American poet and artist. It is a tale of tragic love, set at the turn of the 20th century in Beirut. The historical and cultural context of the novel are as follows:

•  The novel is based on Gibran’s own personal experience of falling in love with his teacher’s daughter, Hala, when he was studying in Beirut. However, Hala’s father refused to let them marry and arranged her marriage with another man. Gibran was heartbroken and never forgot his first love. He wrote the novel as a tribute to her and as a way of expressing his feelings.

•  The novel reflects the social and religious conditions of Lebanon at that time, which was under the rule of the Ottoman Empire. Lebanon was divided into different sects and communities, such as Christians, Muslims, Druze, and Maronites. The Ottoman authorities often exploited these divisions and imposed taxes and restrictions on the people. The novel criticizes the corruption and hypocrisy of the Ottoman officials and the clergy, who abused their power and oppressed the people.

• The novel also represents the cultural and literary influences of Gibran, who was exposed to various traditions and movements, such as Christianity, Islam, Sufism, Romanticism, and Symbolism. 

• He was inspired by the works of poets and writers such as William Blake, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Walt Whitman, Rumi, and Omar Khayyam. He used poetic and lyrical language, rich imagery and symbolism, and philosophical and spiritual themes in his novel.

These are some of the aspects of the historical and cultural context of The Broken Wings by Kahlil Gibran.

*********************

How did Kahlil Gibran’s personal life influence his writing?

Kahlil Gibran’s personal life influenced his writing in many ways. Some of the examples are:

• His childhood in Lebanon, where he witnessed the poverty, oppression, and violence of the Ottoman rule, inspired him to write about the themes of freedom, justice, and human dignity. He also developed a love for nature and spirituality, which are reflected in his poetic and symbolic language.

• For instance, in his book The Prophet, he wrote: “And forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair.

• His immigration to the United States, where he faced the challenges of adapting to a new culture and language, motivated him to write about the issues of identity, belonging, and diversity. 

• He also learned from various literary and artistic influences, such as William Blake, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Walt Whitman, and Auguste Rodin. He wrote in both Arabic and English, and was a leader of the Mahjar movement, which was a group of Arab-American writers who contributed to the modernisation of Arabic literature. 
• For example, in his book The Madman, he wrote: “You ask me how I became a madman. It happened thus: One day, long before many gods were born, I woke from a deep sleep and found all my masks were stolen—the seven masks I have fashioned and worn in seven lives—I ran maskless through the crowded streets shouting, ‘Thieves, thieves, the cursed thieves.

• His love affairs with different women, such as Hala, Mary Haskell, and May Ziadeh, influenced him to write about the themes of love, passion, and sorrow. He also expressed his admiration and respect for women’s rights and roles in society. He wrote many letters and poems to his lovers, some of which were published after his death.

• He also based some of his characters on his lovers, such as Selma in The Broken Wings and Almitra in The Prophet. For instance, in his book The Garden of the Prophet, he wrote: “And he said to Almitra: ‘The wind that blows from my garden carries unto you my love; it is not a wind that breathes upon your face only; it is a wind that breathes upon your heart.

These are some of the ways that Kahlil Gibran’s personal life influenced his writing.

1. Image created with Bing ↩︎