This study guide will help you analyze the short story “The Rain Missed My Face and Fell Straight to My Shoes” by Saeed Taji Farouky. You can also find a summary of the text, as well as inspiration for interpreting it and putting it into perspective.
Presentation of the text
Title: “The Rain Missed My Face and Fell Straight to My Shoes” (2020)
Author: Saeed Taji Farouky
Genre: Short story
Saeed Taji Farouky is a Palestinian-British filmmaker, director, and writer. Most of his works deal with human rights or postcolonialist themes. He has worked for news agencies such as The Guardian, The Observer, Reuters, and Al-Jazeera.
Extract
Here, you can read an extract from our study guide:
Symbols
The song that Samir imagines he hears symbolizes hope: “You can see hope in everything” (p. 40, ll. 12-13). While many people believe the song is about abandonment, Samir sees it as a symbol of hope, of things that can help one go on when nothing goes right.
Paris symbolizes the unknown and Samir’s fear of loneliness, while London is a symbol of safety and familiarity. Samir knows London, which makes him feel safe and comfortable: “I’m used to where things are in London” (p. 39, ll. 19-20). In contrast, the idea of moving to Paris frightens him.
Samir’s mother’s death is an event which symbolizes Samir’s despair and fear. At the beginning, Samir talks about his mother’s death in a detached way (p. 33, ll. 13-15). However, her death seems to haunt him, an idea that is suggested several times in the story. For example, when Samir thinks about the familiarity of London, he talks about “mothers coming over because they have ...
