Seven Pillars of Wisdom · Concept
Identity and Betrayal
Lawrence grapples with his own divided loyalties, his role as a British officer deceiving the Arabs about broken promises (Sykes-Picot), and the manufactured nature of Arab national identity, leading to profound personal guilt and a sense of fraud.
Lawrence grapples with his own divided loyalties, his role as a British officer deceiving the Arabs about broken promises (Sykes-Picot), and the manufactured nature of Arab national identity, leading to profound personal guilt and a sense of fraud.
Lawrence grapples with his loss of English self and inability to fully adopt Arab identity, feeling like a hollow imitation.
Arabs clung to their language as a 'fatherland' while Turkish rule suppressed their racial and political identity; the Young Turks' initial promises of brotherhood were betrayed.
Feisal's dual role as a Turkish officer and Arab nationalist leader, and the betrayal of his Syrian friends who are hanged by Jemal.
The 'Intrusive' group's mission to build a new people in the East is contrasted with the betrayal of Arab hopes by British policy, exemplified by the broken negotiations with Aziz el Masri.
