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Part 4, Chapter 11
Themes
and Colors
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Forty Rules of Love, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Love and Spirituality
Connections Across Distance and Time
Appearances vs. Reality
Storytelling and Truth
Summary
Analysis
Aladdin. Konya, June 1246. Aladdin complains that he has never felt so embarrassed after what Rumi and Shams did in public, particularly the insult to Kaykhusraw. He felt compelled to leave with the others in protest. He returns home the next day, hoping to have a one-on-one conversation with Shams.
Once again, Aladdin is more concerned with external appearances and reputation than with spiritual substance. His abandonment of his father to side with Kaykhusraw marks a turning point in his character from which there’s no going back.
Active
Themes
When Aladdin finds Shams the next day, Shams asks him if he enjoyed the performance. Aladdin starts laying out his complaints. He wants Shams to leave him and Rumi alone. Shams refuses, telling a story to illustrate the point that Shams and Rumi are linked and that if Aladdin tries to banish or destroy Shams, he’ll also end up hurting his father, Rumi. Aladdin angrily disagrees, saying that Rumi and Shams are nothing alike.
Active
Themes
