Men in the Sun

I am not sure if we are supposed to blog on this or not so what the hell. I read the book and was surprised to see how fast it went. The first story was the longest but I am not sure you could classify it as the most moving or depressing as the other stories in the book are no more cheerful. I was appalled at the thought of three men standing in a sweltering tank of some sort waiting and hoping for a chance, not even freedom, but a chance to work and help their families. Standing in this tank slowly dieing from heat stroke, suffocation, or whatever. Three men of different ages all hoping for the same thing and all pushed to the point of desperation that they silently die in a tank. The silence is striking also. As Abul Khaizuran remarks at the end "why didn't you knock on the sides of the tank? why?" The introduction to book actually comments on the silence but I still can't imagine standing in the sweltering heat and dieing without a hope of rescue. Had they knocked on the sides of the tank though, would there have been any other outcome than death. They would have been caught by the authorities so perhaps death in the tank was the better option. Perhaps there was more hope in the silence than in fighting for air. I don't know but the extreme risk that people are forced to take makes me slightly sickened by humanity in general.
The story about The Land of Sad Oranges leaves a strong impression also. The father of this family driven to such desperation that he contemplates suicide and leaves the gun that he will use to kill himself on his nightstand next to a shriveled orange which seems to be symbolic of his dead past life and all the death of all his hopes.
The final story the letter from Gaza reminded me a little of what we heard at the Mosque. The person in the letter, who moved to California is one who worried only about his day to day life and himself. The person who stays in Gaza realizes that he has a duty to his family and his people and stays despite it meaning giving up a more comfortable life. The poor little girl who sits in the hospital with an amputated leg is a reminder of the importance of self-sacrifice.
Overall the impression in all of the stories is one of desperation and grief. The pain inflicted upon these people does not seem to be justifiable. One would think there could have been a better solution to the problem.