Khaled’s life in England causes him to feel divided between competing versions of himself. When he’s a young man and leaves his home in Benghazi, Libya, his family warns him not to “be lured in” to life away from home (46). Khaled doesn’t “fully understand [his parents’ words] or understand why” (46) they are giving the warning. Over the years following, however, he finds himself increasingly divided between the person he imagined himself to be in Benghazi with his family, and the independent person he longs to become in London. Khaled’s inner conflict thus illustrates the theme of personal versus political identity.

Khaled’s involvement in the 1984 embassy demonstration and shooting augments the internal divide he feels between his contrasting versions of self. When he attends the protest with Mustafa al Touny, he believes he’s doing his duty to his country, but doesn’t feel a direct personal attachment to the cause. After the shooting, however, his scars symbolize his incidental political identity, as they attach him to the conflict for freedom in Libya and thus to one possible iteration of himself.

Meanwhile, Khaled tries desperately to root himself in his life in London by investing in his schooling and work.