The prologue of The Arabian Nights is littered with controversial topics and disturbing imagery. Reading it feels like going on a rollercoaster blindfolded with people screaming random words in your ears. There is so much going on that focusing on one lesson or topic can feel incredibly overwhelming. Despite the assault on my senses which I experienced while reading this section, one lesson really stuck out to me.

When the first brother is feeling really sad and depressed over his wife’s infidelity, the only thing which can make him feel better is seeing the misfortune of his own brother. Then when that brother is feeling sad and depressed he only feels better by seeing the misfortune of a literal demon. I feel like this concept is mirrored in many pieces of contemporary media. The idea that we should never get too down about our personal circumstances because somebody else has it worse. It is probably something that you have heard said to you since childhood. I think that this concept can be really damaging and can cause children to form habits of hoping for other people’s downfalls. I find it very interesting that this is a prominent theme in this section of this crazy story as it feels so normal and yet also so out of place against the landscape of racist and sexist depictions that is the prologue of The Arabian Nights.