ALI BABA AND THE FORTY THIEVES (book review)

THE STORY:

Once upon a time, in a small town in Persia, there lived a poor, cheerful, and well-liked woodcutter whose name was Ali Baba. Unlike his brother Cassim, who married a rich wife and enjoyed an easy life, Ali Baba had to work hard to earn his living to support himself and his family.

One day, while cutting wood from trees near a certain mountain, he heard the sound of many horses coming his way. He figured it must be a fierce band of thieves, so frequent in those days, that he quickly hid his donkey and climbed on top of a tree.

To his expectation they were indeed thieves and they stopped just right in front of the tree where Ali Baba was hiding found next to the side of a huge mountain. They carried with them many loots which they placed in their saddlebags. Just then their leader came and dismounted from his horse. He looked everywhere around first then strode over to a rock. Then raising both his arms, he shouted “Open Sesame!” The wall of the rock split open right before the eyes of Ali Baba. The robbers went in with their horse and saddlebags. When the last man entered the door  just shut itself again. Ali Baba was wise enough to stay put where he was for after some time, the door opened again when upon the Leader shouted “Open Sesame” from inside the cave. Each of the thieves came out and as they did Ali Baba counted them to be forty in all including the leader who was the last man to walk out. Seconds later, the leader again raised his hands into the air and shouted, “Close Sesame!” that sealed off the entrance once more. He climbed up his steed then altogether they rode away.

When they had gone, Ali Baba jumped down from the tree to examine the rock and found out it was solid as it looked. Then, imitating the leader, he raised both his hands into the air and shouted “Open Sesame!” and the door rumbled open. Ali Baba stepped inside. It was dark though he could see treasures glowing in the dark. It downed upon him that he had discovered the secret hiding place of the forty thieves. Quickly, he rushed out to empty the baskets on the donkey’s back and half-filled them with the treasures and covered them with wood so no one would notice when he brings them home. In the same manner as the leader did, he ordered the cave closed shouting, “Close  Sesame!” He hurried home to share the good fortune with his wife.

Ali Baba returned several times to the cave whenever it was safe and convenient. Soon he became rich that his brother Cassim became jealous of him. Once he followed Ali Baba to the cave to learn its secrets. When Ali Baba had left, he tried it himself and it worked well that he was able to get inside. Then he commanded the door to shut close. He became so excited he overfilled the bags that he forgot the magic words and was trapped inside the cave the whole night. When the thieves came back the next morning they saw Cassim and were so annoyed they killed him on the spot.

To make certain no one else knew, the Leader of the Thieves had Cassim’s body cut up into four parts and placed outside the rock. He figured that if anyone would dare pick up the body, then somebody else also knew.

The next day, when the forty thieves were away, Ali Baba came. When he discovered the remains of his brother he took them to Cassim’s wife. For safety, he summoned the slave girl, Morgiana to find someone trustworthy enough to sew Cassim’s body together so he would be buried with everyone thinking he died a natural death.

Morgiana sought the help of an old shoemaker, Baba Mustapha, but blindfolded him to Cassim’s house to sew the body of Cassim together for a gold piece as was the deal.

The captain of the thieves figured right when on their return they could not find the body of Cassim that clearly indicated somebody else knew about the cave. But he must remain careful for any killing must be as discreet as possible lest it arouse suspicions and their very secret becomes known to the world. But as he didn’t hear any gossip in the next few days about unusual deaths, he figured someone must have sewn up Cassim’s body. So he went to town alone and quietly inquired from the tailors, dressmakers and shoemakers, until he came upon the old Baba Mustapha. At first the old man wouldn’t talk but upon being offered two gold pieces he loosened his tongue. He had himself blindfolded again and remembering the steps he took finally located the house. The captain paid off Baba Mustapha, then when alone he marked Cassim’s door with a large cross then crept away to fetch his men.

Morgiana was on her way home then just as the captain left. She was surprised to see the cross on the door, and thinking somebody was up to something, she also marked several other doors in the street the same way that had the captain confused when he returned afterwards with his men. His plans foiled, the captain was very furious and swore he would never rest until he found out who he was.

Determined, the captain engaged Baba Mustafa once again this time for four gold coins. This time he tried to remember the front of the house. He went to his tribe and told them of his plan of how to capture the mysterious thief. He was to disguise himself as an oil merchant while they were to hide themselves inside empty oil jars slung over the backs of donkeys. As a precaution, he left one jar filled with oil just in case. His plan worked as he was well-received by Ali Baba to allow him to lodge for the night. Unfortunately, Ali Baba did not recognize the captain in his new disguise.

The evening, the captain slipped his way quietly to the courtyard where the donkeys were tied.  Then he lifted the jars to the ground leaving word each of his men that he would tap on his jar when the time came.

Incidentally, Morgiana run out of oil to prepare for next day’s meals and thought of fetching some oil in the meantime from the oil jars the merchant had brought in, then have his master pay tomorrow. Just as the captain slipped back to his room, Morgiana came out to the courtyard. She tapped the first jar to see if there was oil, instead he heard someone speak. “Ready, Master?” She didn’t answer but just went on to check on the other jars with the same result. Finally she got to the real jar of oil and took some back to the kitchen. Quickly, she boiled them and poured as much of the still boiling oil into the jars then hid herself. Moments later, it became too warm for the thieves that each of them leaped out of their jars and fled. The captain was furious when later he went back to the court-yard to find all his men have left him. Meanwhile, Morgiana kept all these things to herself for she was not clear what was really happening. But she remembered well the face of the captain though he had left and went his way.

But the captain was not ready to give up. One day, he befriended a young man who turned out to be Ali Baba’s son. Their acquaintance grew until his son invited the captain to their home one evening to meet with Ali Baba, who still did not recognize him as the captain. Meanwhile, Morgiana had just returned and saw through the captain’s disguise and was certain he had come to murder her masters for he kept reaching for his dagger he tucked behind his back as if waiting for the moment when they are both drunk to attack.

She disguised herself as a dancer and slipped a silver dagger into her wide belt. Then she motioned to the musicians Ali Baba’s son has hired to entertain his visitor to play a song. Then slowly she danced and inched her way to the captain. Suddenly the music played faster and faster, she whirled around the room and was throwing up her veils into the air as she got on top of the captain, then without the captain realizing it, she drew out the silver dagger and plunged it right into the chest of the captain.

She explained later that the merchant was the oil merchant and the same man who marked the doors with the view of harming them. Then Ali Baba realize that he was the captain of the thieves. Ali Baba could not thank Morgiana enough and offered her anything for saving his life thrice in a row.

Morgiana asked nothing but prayed Ali Baba would give him her freedom. Ali Baba freed her from the bond of slavery. Now a free woman, she and Ali Baba’s son, who have been in love, were now allowed to be married. And a happy wedding there was. Together as one family, they lived for many, many years in comfort and luxury.

SETTING:

In a small town in Persia.

CHARACTERIZATION:

Ali Baba, a protagonist and victor, a poor wood cutter who discovered the secret words of the cave where the forty thieves hid their treasures that made him rich.

Cassim, lazy but lucky to have married a rich wife, envious of Ali Baba’s sudden fortune he followed him to the cave to learn the secret words, greedy he forgot the magic words on the way out and got trapped and caught by the thieves and mutilated, whose remains were recovered and sewed back secretly by Ali Baba to provide him a proper funeral.

The Leader of the Forty Thieves, greedy and revengeful, swore to claim his wealth back from Ali Baba but failed at all occasions until he was killed by Morgiana.

Morgiana, wise and faithful slave of Cassim’s wife, who helped find the shoemaker to sew up his master’s body, a heroine who thwarted all the plans of the Leader of the Thieves until she finally got rid of him for good.

Baba Mustapha, blind old shoemaker hired by Ali Baba thru Morgiana to sew up the body of Cassim and keep