The story of Sindbad is told from Sindbad the sailor and adventurer to another man who is also named Sindbad. Sindbad regals his counterpart with all of the adventures he took when he was a younger man. Many of Sindbad’s stories involve him leaving the comfort of his loving home and embarking on a trading vessel bound for distant lands where he and his merchant buddies can trade the goods they bought for even more money and jewels. During the course of his voyage the crew will inevitable stop somewhere for a day which either brings about their reckoning or Sindbad’s. Somehow Sindbad will make it out alive while all of his companions die. I think this opens up a possible way to tell the story of Sindbad because his companions always die but he doesn’t and he somehow makes it home even richer than he was before. I might retell my story of him from different point of view maybe telling the “true” version where he just murders his companions and takes their livelihood. The only time Sindbad confesses to doing something outright wrong is where he is stuck in the cave because his wife died. There he survives by killing the new widowers who are lowered every now and then and takes their food and water. Even when he tells these tales he does not tell it in a way which shows he regrets his decisions. Instead he tells it in a way that is more matter of fact. He says I killed these people because they were going to die in this cave anyway so better them than me. And then he glosses over the fact that he does this a lot more times until he is finally able to escape. Escaping would be too easy though for the mighty Sindbad so not only does he escape but he robs everyone else who is in the tomb. They should change his name from Sindbad the Adventurer to Sindbad the Grave Robber.
Bibliography: This reading note is about the Seven Voyages of Sindbad the Sailor as told in the Arabian Nights book by Andrew Lang
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