Metaphor for Illusiveness of Dreams and Ambitions
For Alan especially the KAEC is a metaphor for the illusiveness of his dreams and ambitions. The KAEC promises to be a center of modernity, not just in the technology and architecture that will be woven into its structures but also in the prevailing mindset of the area, promising a degree of gender equality unheard of in other Middle-Eastern cities of its age as well as an unprecedented degree economic freedom—at least that’s what it promises. The truth however is that it is just that: a nice plan written on paper that never fully comes into fruition, much like Alan’s hopes of regaining his former corporate glory.
Metaphor for Hope
King Abdullah is an enigmatic, almost deified figure in the novel. His goals, despite having some hints are largely inscrutable and is accountable only to himself; unfortunately for Alan, his success—or failure—hinge upon the decision of this elderly monarch. In that regard, he is a metaphor for hope for the desperate Alan, but more than that he is also metaphorical of hope for the women of his nation. The KAEC promises a measure of freedom and equality for women unheard of, and although he hasn’t really put any social changes into action just yet the mere promise of change, the mere presence of hope is enough for the womenfolk of his nation to put their trust in their king.
Metaphor for Defeat
Alan is caught in a bad time of changing trends in the US where manufacturing hard, tangible items has given way to the creation of disruptive technology and ideas. Having lost his job he now looks to selling the idea of using holographic conferencing technology to King Abdullah to use in his ambitious KAEC project as his means of redemption but when the King is unimpressed by Alan’s presentation and gives the contract instead to the Chinese it signals a death knell to his already dying career. Even before the Chinese competitors overtake him in his sales pitch however the truth is this: they have already defeated Alan well before he even set foot in the desert. The disruptive technologies that the Chinese develop and their massive but cheap labor force have already put American manufacturers and businesses into the grave as they outsource to keep production costs low and keep production running.
Metaphor for Identity
There was no such thing as “work-life” balance for Alan, he has always been about his work nothing more and nothing less. In a stroke of massive shortsightedness he engineers a cost-cutting plan for his company which ends up saving them millions of dollars but ends up with him getting being put out to pasture by his company. His professional failures cause him to question his value to the people in his life and his value, ultimately, as a person as all his life Alan has only been identified with one thing: his work. This makes the loss of his work all the more tragic because his work has always defined him and given him identity. Now that he is unemployed he struggles to find the meaning and identity that his work had once given him.
Metaphor for the Difficulty of Alan’s Life
Alan’s life has been a terrible roller coaster ride of varied personal failures: a failed marriage, stressful work, the tragic suicide of his friend, and the diminishing respect of his daughter Kit. He takes a gamble on the KAEC project but when he arrives there his hopes are dashed as he and his team are forced to live in poverty in the middle of an unfinished city project that is in the middle of the Arabian desert. The harshness of the desert mirrors all of the failures that Alan has had to endure and facing the severity of the desert causes all of his frustrations to come to a head.
