From our discussion in class I could see that there was some issues with the relationship with the camel. The way I see it, the relationship goes much deeper than just “a boy and his camel”. The camel is not simply a pet or mode of transportation to him, the camel represents his livelihood and to Ukhayyad, the camel is family, quite possibly the only “true” family he has. I also noticed that many people had a problem with him divorcing his wife or abandoning his family for the camel. However, as I interpreted the book, he didn't have a very good or close relationship with any of his family members and thus the camel was the only family that he had (at least in his eyes).
There is another way to look at it also. Imagine that you a blind and maybe your family is not always around or maybe they aren’t very close with you. In order to help you function you own a Seeing Eye dog. Is the dog just a tool that helps you live your life? I would say no, the dog represents freedom and a sense of independence. The dog will become more than just a tool as you and the dog almost become one. He cannot function without you and you ‘’cannot function” without him (at least not easily). Your dog will slowly become closer to you than almost anything in the world. That is how Ukhayyad felt about his camel. It was not just a camel. It was his freedom, his independence and his family.
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