The pursuit of justice is central to the stories in Arabian Nights. The quest for justice on behalf of the innocent people that tyrants torture and kill daily underpins the whole story. Despite unpredictable twists of fate and rampant social inequality, justice always prevails for characters in the stories. It is, therefore, better to be just than unjust since justice rewards those who deserve it and prevents wrongdoers from getting away with their actions.
The first story that demonstrates the importance of being just is the one of the first night. A demon wants to kill a merchant who accidentally killed the demon’s son while stopping to rest and eat (Thompson, 2022). The demon seeks to serve justice following the pre-Islamic law of blood for blood. In his quest for justice, the merchant tells the demon it was a mistake and that he is different from the king, who murders women without assessing their culpability.
The story of the fourth night is the second instance that demonstrates the importance of being just. It is about an old man who cannot have children with his wife but can sire a child with another woman (Thompson, 2022). His wife views this act as disrespect and betrayal. The old man departs on a yearlong trip, leaving his wife, the mistress, and the son behind. The wife avenges the mistress and her son by turning them into cows. Being unjust to the mistress and the son makes the woman meet her eternal fate, as she is later turned into a hind.
The third story, which shows the importance of being just is that of the fifth night. The old man refused to kill his son, who had been transformed into a bull, and instead sent him to live with a shepherd whose daughter could see through enchantment (Thompson, 2022). The shepherd’s daughter transforms the bull into the man he should be. In this instance, justice saved the innocent son from the evil act of transformation to a bull that the old man’s wife did.
The three stories illustrate the essential need for justice and how it works for the overall good of the society. Justice rewards virtuous and fair people and punishes wrongdoers accordingly. Everyone must therefore embrace justice and allow for due processes to occur. Justice must prevail amidst the current world order in which various ideologies have emerged, and people are increasingly detaching themselves from traditional laws.
Reference
Thompson, D. (2022) Task 4. Arabian nights study guide. World Literature I.