The Madman Book Review

The Madman by Kahlil Gibran
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

thus i became a madman
And I have found both freedom of loneliness and the safety from being understood, for those who understand us enslave something in us.

this book is one of these too dear to my heart , this is another of Gibran books that is labeled as one of my all time favorites , i was writing the quote above and the Arabic form of "for those who understand us enslave something in us" "لأن الذين يُدركون كياننا إنما يستعبدون بعض ما فينا" was playing in my head like an old mantra from years ago , its one of these quotes that shock you when you first read them , then they are unforgettable , a frozen fraction of time , they are suddenly in your mind pockets till forever .
this book is a collection of short parables written with a sardonic tone which is both introspective and easily accessible . its fascinating in how wealthy the book is with meaning that's just hidden beneath the text . take this one as an example :

Once I said to a scarecrow, “You must be tired of standing in this lonely field.”
And he said, “The joy of scaring is a deep and lasting one, and I never tire of it.”
Said I, after a minute of thought, “It is true; for I too have known that joy.”
Said he, “Only those who are stuffed with straw can know it.”
Then I left him, not knowing whether he had complimented or belittled me.
A year passed, during which the scarecrow turned philosopher.
And when I passed by him again I saw two crows building a nest under .

i remember the first time i read this , i didnt get it . i had to re-read it several times to get the hidden meaning and Uncovering it was like figuring out a puzzle . which its solution , if you are curious , is that the scarecrow was feeling power and pride in being something to be feared , but then only those whom inside is stuffed with straw no more would feel this way , and when wisdom filled him years after he figured out that this empty isolation and resentment are the misrepresentation of things . so he made friends with those who he used to scare away , he found company in a lonely field ..
and what a beautiful message it is to be delivered in few word in a simple story as that .

through out the book there's a subject he repeats under several titles , the different perspectives of people and putting one's self in the others shoes , we can see that in The eye , Said a blade of grass and The three ants .
all in all this one book , its words are not to be analysed but rather to be deeply felt in its communication and its inner loneliness .

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