59 pages • 1 hour read
The Lines We Cross
A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Symbols & Motifs
The Restaurant
Kabul Kitchen, the restaurant Mina’s family opens in their new neighborhood in Sydney, symbolizes the relationship between refugees and mainstream Australian culture. The building starts as Joe’s shop, a community staple for 20 years that served up traditional Australian fare like chiko rolls and fish and chips. Its previous history makes it an immediate target for racism and xenophobia when Mina’s family takes it over and begins serving Afghani cuisine, setting up the tension between immigrants and mainstream Australian culture in the novel. Abdel-Fattah includes the interior decorator who transforms the fish and chips shop into Kabul Kitchen with decor that is “part ethnic fetishism, part kitsch” claiming that “[p]eople want it to feel authentic,” suggesting that immigrants have to fall into comfortably familiar stereotypes for conservative white Australians to tolerate them (73).
As the dramatic tension in the novel escalates, Abdel-Fattah positions the restaurant as a battleground between two warring perspectives on the world. Alan and the Aussie Values members claim that Muslim immigrants have created “a clash of civilizations” in Australia, however, Abdel-Fattah’s story interrogates the ways in which this narrative is created and perpetuated by xenophobic ideology (81). As Mina points out to two Aussie Values members, there’s no inherent conflict between the Afghani restaurant and Australian culture: “As you can see from how busy [the restaurant is], it doesn’t seem to bother most people” (312). Near the end of the novel when Kabul Kitchen is vandalized—its furniture covered in shattered glass and its windows painted with xenophobic graffiti—Tim, Paula, and Jane’s support with the cleanup efforts signals their support for Mina and her family as well as their rejection of anti-immigrant ideology and activism. The restaurant serves as a key setting in the novel and a major symbol in Abdel-Fattah’s examination of immigration and society.
The Media
The media functions as a motif of The Impact of Xenophobia and Racism on Individuals and Communities. The TV program in which Alan Blainey participates, Don’t Jump the Queue, purports to highlight arguments both for and against immigration, yet its title makes its anti-immigrant stance clear. The news story about Andrew’s accusation that Kabul Kitchen is funding terrorism reflects a similar bias: “The report ends with the reporter outside a mosque, telling the audience about some people’s fears of ‘creeping sharia’” (135). Despite Paula’s insistence that “[n]obody with even half a brain takes that show seriously,” the show still normalizes intolerance against a marginalized group to drum up controversy and attract viewers (143). One of Kabul Kitchen’s employees points out the bigotry perpetuated and reinforced by the media, saying: “You [are] making us terrorists on the TV!” (312). Throughout the novel, Abdel-Fattah provides examples of how social media can be used to twist stories to fit a racist agenda, rapidly spread disinformation, and give racists and xenophobes a place to gather and stew in their hate. For instance, Aussie Values’ Facebook page is filled with Islamophobic articles and comments. The media contributes to racism and xenophobia’s impact by targeting specific individuals and by fostering intolerance within the broader community.
Michael and Mina find ways to utilize the media in their fight against discrimination. When Michael denounces Aussie Values on live TV, characterizing them as “angry, defensive, and paranoid,” his searing criticism signals that, contrary to its name, his father’s group doesn’t stand for mainstream Australian culture or Australian values, disrupting the dominant narrative (355). As Mina considers a future in journalism, Michael remarks that she would be “the perfect news anchor: argumentative and unrelenting,” indicating that the Australian media would benefit from her perspective and passion and pointing to a new generation of journalists pushing for social change. In contrast to the ways in which the media is often weaponized against immigrants and people of color in the story, Mina and Michael use its reach and the power of a platform to fight for justice.
Music
Music serves as a motif of The Importance of Love and Connection because of its power to speak to people from different ethnic, religious, and socioeconomic backgrounds. Music provides a common foundation for Mina and Michael, who are otherwise “worlds apart in every sense” (89). The transcendent power of music initially surprises Michael, prompting Mina to ask: “Are you wondering how somebody who lives in Western Sydney could be into indie pop?” (110). Abdel-Fattah strengthens the connection between music and love by incorporating The xx’s songs into the main characters’ dates. The couple’s first date occurs on the day their favorite band releases an album, emphasizing the excitement and newness of this milestone in their relationship. In Chapter 45, when Michael surprises Mina by taking her to the beach so they can watch Baz Luhrmann’s 2013 film The Great Gatsby, “Together” by The xx is featured on the film’s soundtrack. Music offers an important connection between the main characters and provides a motif for their budding love story.
Unlock all 59 pages of this Study GuidePlus, gain access to 8,800+ more expert-written Study Guides.
Including features:
Related Titles
By Randa Abdel-Fattah
