Road to Chlifa

The unicorn, first encountered by Maha on a postcard of a tapestry, is a symbol of peace and freedom, yet it is also notable that the unicorn has “an aching soul” (89). Living in harmony with human beings and in nature, the unicorn represents to Maha the possibility of the peaceful coexistence of all of mankind both with each other and with the natural world. She imagines such a peace might be possible after the war has ended.

Maha repeatedly tells both Antoine and Karim that the unicorn must remain free—it cannot be captured and tied up. This suggests that in The Road to Chlifa, freedom and peace are transitory states and experiences, not something that can be finally arrived at. The moments of freedom and communion with nature that Maha and Karim experience together thus have all the more value for existing in a world where such moments are so rare. She says she will protect the unicorn until her “dying day” (89).

While the perfect white unicorn is a creature of fantasy, the black goat Black Beard is the trio’s real animal companion on their journey. Black Beard provides milk and company, and she is surprisingly easy to domesticate.