The Forty Rules of Love Part 2, Chapter 6 Summary & Analysis

Desert Rose the Harlot. Konya, October 17, 1244. Desert Rose, a “harlot” at the Konya brothel, goes to see Rumi preach. She is only allowed to leave the brothel if Sesame, a large man with a child’s mind, comes with her, but Desert Rose doesn’t mind. Desert Rose disguises herself as a man and promises to buy Sesame halva if he keeps it a secret where they are going.

Rumi sees himself as a person of the common people, but Desert Rose’s experience of having to disguise herself as a man to enter the sermon shows how Rumi is not as inclusive as he thinks. Sesame’s intellectual disability similarly makes him an outcast, even though it is less obvious from his external appearance.

Active Themes

Desert Rose grew up in a village near Nicaea with Christian parents. Her mother became pregnant with triplets, but she and two of the triplets died in childbirth, leaving Desert Rose with just one new brother. Her father became bitter and remarried a cruel woman. One day, they both ended up dead to rat poison, and the whole village suspected Desert Rose’s brother. He ran away, and Desert Rose was alone. Desert Rose moved to Constantinople, where she got her new name and learned about sex work.

Desert Rose’s background shows how a diverse group of people from different religions have all ended up in Konya—but how some of them like Desert Rose have been pushed to the margins. Desert Rose’s past shows that she ended up engaged in sex work not out of sinfulness but out of feeling that she didn’t have any other options to survive.

Active Themes

Now, when Desert Rose and Sesame reach the mosque, they are amazed at the size of Rumi’s crowd. As she listens, Desert Rose begins to sense that things in life happen for a reason and that the tragedies of her past may have been leading her to this present moment.

Active Themes

The Forty Rules of Love: Part 2, Chapter 6 Summary & Analysis