In the story Khat, Theodore Dreiser evokes a very real image of Arabia through wonderful imagery. Yet the point here is that Dreiser, in these two tales, Khat and The Prince Who Was a Thief, writes not of Arabia, whatever of the setting he may use, but of the wonderland that some writers create, the land wherein a casual wayfarer may come upon the Sire de Maletroit's door, or again upon the four directions of O. Henry's roads of destiny.
In both tales, his protagonist is essentially the same, the professional beggar and story-teller who is too old to be of any use. In "Khat," the old entertainer finds every gate closed to him, the world walled up, barred, and shut off, a cynical, colorful world, yet somehow not so different from our own.
Vintage painting of Arabian culture
Adapted from Drieserworks blog
Adapted from Drieserworks blog
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