Futility and Meaning

Despite the military victories, Lawrence questions the ultimate value of the revolt, haunted by the knowledge that the Arabs' sacrifices may lead to continued subjugation, and struggles with the emptiness of his own motives after Damascus falls.

The shattered monument and creeping things suggest the futility of grand efforts and the search for meaning in loss.

Lawrence questions the purpose of the struggle, noting the devouring nature of the ideal and the emptiness of victory.

Lawrence reflects on the cyclical nature of migration and the seemingly inevitable movement of peoples from the hills to the desert and back to the sown, suggesting a sense of futility in the constant struggle for existence.

Lawrence describes the Arabs as people of starts for whom the end is nothing, and likens their efforts to waves that wear away granite but may eventually prevail.