Violation & Helplessness

One of the events in Wild Thorns that struck me the most was when the girl at customs was found with codes inside her wig and subsequently was physically abused and violated in public. Even through her ordeal, she continually swears at the officers by calling them ‘swines’. While I was reading, one of the biggest comparisons I made was with the female officer who for some reason had to search the girl’s body and African-American NYPD officers. Many times both of the people in these positions feel a need to be cruel to show they are not weak as they are the minority in their work. For the female officer, although one would think she would be more understanding and gentle with the girl, she is just as rough as the men would be and in a way, does more damage to the girl than a male officer would. Perhaps the girl felt more vulnerable because she is now definitely alone with no one to feel any type of sympathy to help her. Usama cringes at her screams and watches her, however he goes on to the next section of interrogation. 
This moment is significant because it gives a glimpse into the treatment of women during this time and what life was like for Sahar Khalifeh. Khalifeh's struggle with finding her voice in a Palestinian culture as a woman and as a writer portrays itself in Wild Thorns.