I wanted to respond to a couple of the ideas that have been broached thus far. First, however, I would like to thank Claire Tristram for participating in our discussion, hearing her insight regarding our analyses has been very interesting.
First, I want to go into more detail regarding the Muslim re-enactment of the death of the widow's husband. I think there are a lot of interesting theories regarding the purpose for this scene. It could be part of an act of catharsis for the widow, or a way for the Muslim to empathize and understand her, or a way for the widow to mourn her lost husband. I think that Jenna posed an interesting question regarding the purpose of this re-creation. What is its point? Does it provide for catharsis, the ability to empathize, or the ability to mourn? I think that I am most interested with the author's point of view – that the re-creation could potentially allow for the reliving of the past, or for the ability to forget and move on. I think that in the case of this novel it could be a combination of the two - that only through the reliving of the past is the widow able to move on, especially since she feels so guilty about not engaging her husband the last time that she saw him.
Secondly, I wanted to respond to Justine's comment that the widow's relationship with the Muslim may be part of a mourning process where she finds a substitute for her husband. While I think that this is an interesting application, I don't think that the Muslim really fits the role of a substitute. In fact, from her descriptions it seems as though he is as different from her late husband as was possible. I think that this might be even more appropriate than just finding a substitute, because rather than seeking to replace her husband she is seeking something different.