The fact that the prisoner is not given a name is important in the story. A name personalizes us, singling us out as individuals. Since the prisoner is not given a name, he assumes more importance in the story than that of an individual. He becomes a symbol of something larger than himself.
The story is set during the period in Algeria when political revolution is at hand; Arab demands for independence and their opposition to French colonial rule are growing. The unnamed prisoner functions in the story as a...
(The entire section contains 2 answers and 272 words.)
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