Introduction
Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves first appeared in the French translation of The Thousand and One Nights. The first English translation of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves was in the 11th volume of the Arabian Nights Entertainments or The Thousand and One Nights, where it was styed as "The Story of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves Destroyed by a Slave" in the year 1722 (Pearson Education Limited, 2000). Since then, the story has been included in The Arabian Nights and had been adapted into films, animated movies, theatrical plays, and in comics books.
The story opens with the death of Al Baba and Cassim's father, which led to the eventual marriage of Cassim to a rich woman and Ali Baba's with a poor woman. The twist of fate happened when Ali Baba overheard the forty thieves concerning the treasure which is in the cave of magic. This discovery of wealth also attracted the greedy Cassim who also went to take some treasures, but wasn't able to get out of the cave because he forgot the magic spell. Cassim died and Ali Baba tried to show it as a natural death.
However, the thieves knew that someone else had entered the cave because the body of Cassim was missing. They planned to trace Ali Baba and get back the gold he had taken from the cave. As the story pushes on, it revolved on the quest of the thieves to find Ali Baba and Ali Baba's adventure to escape from the hands of the thieves. The leader of the thieves disguised as a merchant to kill Ali Baba, but Ali Baba's daughter overheard them, and she eventually killed the leader of the thieves as she performed a dance for them. In the end Ali Baba was able to trick the thieves, and he got all the gold and became a wealthy man.
Biographical Notes
As mentioned earlier, the first written record or account of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves can be traced to the Antoine Galland, a French translator who first rendered the Arabian night stories into the European audience. Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves is considered the most popular of all the Arabian night stories. But, the story's historical past is attributed only to Galland's translation, and not on any other Arabian documents. Yet, the story remains an influential part of the Arabian literature.
Galland claimed that he had inserted Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves after he heard it from Middle Eastern storyteller in the region of Aleppo (BBC News, 2011). Though some doubted this explanation, Galland might be just saying the truth. We need to understand that the stories included in the Arabian Nights were handed down from generations to generations as an oral tradition. These were stories told by Arabians in their long journeys and those who heard them became the de facto author. And it is impossible to trace who would started the oral story or who could have conceived the story in the first place.
But there are academics who supported the claim of Galland such as Sir Richard Burton who confirmed that the story was part of the original Arabian manuscript of The Thousand and One Nights. A document deposited in Bodleian Library in Oxford is the only document that has the Arabic version of the story (Mahdi, 1995). But the document's history and origin remains mysterious and the it just clouded the reality and truthfulness of the claim.
Due to this, there are several experts who claim that Galland just invented the story and that he just added it to the translation to make the translated book more sell-able and appealing to the public. While there are still some who said that Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves is an Parisian or a French story that Galland just added Arabic names and elements. In fact, some authorities agreed that the story really fits into the canon of the Arabian Nights (Mahdi, 1995).
Perhaps, the reality of oral traditions revisionist storytelling resolved the problem. This is why there are several other versions of the Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves story aside from that of Galland's. As people heard the story, the way they retold it to others may greatly differ. As a result, even today, we have several versions of the story – and still the contemporary meaning of the story's revisionism to suit the audience is another reason of having several versions of the story.
Being one of the most popular stories of The Thousand and One Nights, Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves has an important part of the Arabian literature. It showed the different elements that are used in the Arabian story. It must be noted that with this story, people around the world became aware of how Arabian literature works and what structure it follows. In the same manner, it showed the themes of Arabian stories because Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves follows the canon of the Arabian Nights, whether it is really from an Arabic document and story or just invented by Galland.
Content Analysis
Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves is full of trickery, suspense and intrigue. We can see how Ali Baba tricked the thieves, how Ali Baba's brother tricked him [Ali Baba] to solely claim the gold in the cave., and how Ali Baba's daughter tricked the leader of the thieves to kill them. In the same manner, in the part of the thieves, trickery is still another element that is clearly expressed. The thieves tricked the brother of Ali Baba so he will tell them the whereabouts of Ali Baba and they also tricked him when they disguised as merchants to enter his home and to eventually kill him.
Trickery as a theme of the story is an important component of the Arabian literature. We can see that most of the stories that are added into the canon of the Arabian Nights maintain the trickery element. Perhaps, this trickery theme can be traced to the fact that most of these stories are retold in the middle of camp fires of most travelers. Most of the people who listened to these stories are merchants and travelers who must always be ready to discern trickery and to avoid them.
Due to the trickery theme of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, we can see that the story has several villains in it. In fact, the main character can be considered a villain who tried to steal the gold of other the thieves. This means that he is also a villain of his own stand. In the same manner, the thieves add burden to the reality that almost all characters in this story have the “villain” elements. This is true with the brother of Ali Baba who wanted to steal the gold from the thieves and not share it with Ali Baba. The trickery of the people within the story speaks of their being a “villain” that it would be impossible to separate the villain theme from the trickery theme.
On the other hand, the story maintains the suspense and intrigue value of the story. We don't know what's running in the head of the character. There are several twists and surprises on what will happen next as the characters are recluse and do not share much of their thoughts to others. For instance, the daughter of Ali Baba does not tell him about her discovery. Rather, she just acted on what she learned and she killed the leader of the merchant. Based on this understanding, the intrigue of the story becomes a component of the Arabian literary style.
But perhaps, what made Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves more appealing to younger audiences is the way it brings the point of good and evil home. (Although, today most of the version being retold to children takes away much of the darker values such as trickery to tone down the element of “villain-ness” in the story, but we can still find the good and evil fight within the lines of the story.) Like all other stories in the Arabian Nights, Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves maintains the story of fight between the good and evil, and the eventual triumph of good over evil in the end. This is a very important element of the story because this makes the story in accord with the canon and requirement set by the Arabian Nights. Nevertheless, the element of fight between good and evil is a direct parallel with the reality that the stories were retold in campfires as people travel from one place to another. This also speaks of the hopefulness of the people that one day good will triumph over evil.
If we look closely as some elements of the story, we can find the "gold" to speak of the wealth struggle of the people. There is a stark contrast between the rich and the poor in the story (Pearson Education Limited, 2000). Ali Baba is a poor woodcutter, which speaks of the economic condition of most people during those times, while the volume of gold in the cave speaks of the wealth that others possess. As such, this contrast of wealth becomes a center point of most campfire stories. In fact, we can also find this theme in the story of Aladdin. It is the hope of the hearers and the storytellers that one day they will be able to rise up from their conditions and that they will be able to enjoy an affluent life.
In fact, this struggle of gaining wealth becomes an important part of the fight between good and evil. Who would not grab the opportunity to become rich? Yes, in the story, Ali Baba wants to get out from the poor situation that he is into. This makes the desire for wealth, as signified by gold, real. However, the story shows the extreme sides of this desire for wealth. Ali Baba's brother died after his heart was gripped by selfishness and greed. This just shows that even in the middle of the desire to get out of the problem of poverty, it is still important to maintain the integrity of the person than to succumb to the selfish desire.
In the story, Ali Baba showed how to fight against greed and selfishness. He took some of the gold coins from the cave when he discovered about it, but he did not take all. In fact, he had the opportunity to bring all gold coins home, but he had to intentions of owning everything. He only took a portion that can make his life better, so he could start a business and provide for the needs of his family. This is in contradiction to his brother's actions when he discovered about the gold in the cave.
Moreover, another important element of the story is magic. This is what makes the story of the Arabian Nights more like anti-Islam. The discussion of magic inside the story of the Arabian Nights such as in Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves and the Aladdin story leads to a new direction of the stories. This signifies the mysticism of most Arabian Night stories and this also speaks of the setting of the times. The repetition of the “Open Sesame” lines connotes the importance of magic in the story.
If we accept the assertion that Galland took this story from an Arabic source, we can easily relate it to Alladin's magic theme. This speaks of the fantasies that played in the mind of those who told these stories around camps. In a comparative view with modern practices, the story of magic can be of that horror themes that are mostly told at night camp-outs. The element of magic adds value to the story and it makes the story more appealing to hearers who want to avoid confrontation of the reality and want to take an exit out of tiredness and the reality through realization of their fantasies. Yet, if we accept the assertion that Ali Baba and Forty Thieves is just an invention of Galland, the theme of magic can be traced to the social environment of his days. In the 18th century France and Parisian setting, magic was considered a novelty. And by adding this social element to the translation of The Thousand and One Nights would eventually build the interest of the people on the book.
In essence, the story of Ali Baba follows the Western idea of a fairytale, but in this perspective, the story works on magic indirectly. In the fairytale an actual being serves as the source of magic, as exemplified by the story of Aladdin. But in the story of Ali Baba, we see that the magic is deeply rooted on the ability of the person. In the same manner, like the fairytale story, the good triumphs over evil and ends with a high note of “and the live happily ever after” elements are still present in the story of Ali Baba.
Addressing the social and language structure of the story, it is necessary to understand the situation of the region. Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves is an exact illustration of what is happening in the region during the period. It speaks of the way people behave; in terms of wealth, people just allow their luck to play a great role. We can see this commentary in the story of Ali Baba, Aladdin, and Sindbad. And we can relate this with today's society where most Middle Eastern people rely on the luck of discovering oil (Barcelona, 2003). The story also speaks of the wrong calculation of the people on who will they trust. Ali Baba was betrayed by his brother when he told him about the gold in the cave. Instead of just guarding it, his brother wanted to own it all. In today's society, people try to cheat on others for the benefits. They don't want to stay loyal to the trust being given to them.
In the understanding of the Oriental origin of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, we can see the organized syndicate that people do. Instead of just one person robbing from other people, there are forty people who teamed up to steal or rob other people. In essence, Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves becomes the story of Middle East and throughout the globe. Maybe this worldwide appeal makes the story appealing to Europeans when it was translated by Galland – and maybe this is the reason why the story still appeals to people across the world.
In terms of historical significance, Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves finds little importance. For a story or a book to have historical significance, it is necessary for the idea to transform the society and change the course of history, but for the Arabian Nights, this requirement is seemed not present (Walsh, 2006). What we find is traces of the traditions and superstitions of the Oriental culture. This can be considered the culture importance or significance of the stories of the book. First, it presented the Middle Eastern world in a world of magic and supernatural meanings. As I have mentioned earlier, these elements of the story make the book more of anti-Islam than a pro-Islamic views or fundamentalism. It speaks that during the period of writing, traveling people who passed these stories from Arabian peninsula to as far as India were not actually deeply acquainted or rooted in the idea of religious fanaticism, which later followed.
Although, we need to understand that the cultural impact of the story is based on the way storytellers view the story itself, it must also be noted that the story, wrap up the idea that most of those who retold the story during the peak of Islamic fundamentalism and fanaticism did not care to revise the story to become more Islamic in in perspective. Rather, the storyteller allowed the plot of the story to continue. Or perhaps, if there had been attempts to make the story more Islamic, the same efforts came to nothing or were future. The story had been passed to several people across the region, and to revise it would be an enormous task.
As I have discussed earlier, the story of Ali Baba, regardless of its origin, is Arabic by substance. This forms part of the oral literature of the region that had been flourished by generations. In the oral literature the most important part is keeping the main point of the plot. The story provides the structure of the Arabic literature; instead of relying on symbolism and representation, the story uses direct language such as “Open Sesame” spell which can be related to “Abracadabra” to expound the idea that magic plays an important role in the story.
The most essential significance of the story is the way it is being received by children today. Of course, the story was not intended to children, but the story's target was the adult members of the society. Today, to adapt the story with its audience, the darker shade of the story is reduced and lightened. This makes the story more child friendly to teach lessons that are still relevant today. This is the value of most Arabian Nights stories – their significance and relevance to today's environment and society.
With regards to the translation significance, Galland successfully introduced the story to European audience and thereby introduced the appreciation of Middle Eastern literature. It gained interest of scholars to study the literature of the region and to increase the interaction between the Western literature and the Middle Eastern literature. This means that if oral literature of the Arabian peninsula is put into writing, there are gems that can be found. Galland was able to find that gem and he enriched the world with a new understanding of the culture, and nature of the Arabian literature.
Conclusion
The Thousand and One Nights stories embody the heart and soul of the Arabian literature. These stories speak of the culture and history of the region, of the chaos and drama of the people, and of the behavior of people and their way of life. Ali Baba and Forty Thieves, whether Arabic or not, characterized this significance. People across the world read, watch, or listen to the story of Ali Baba and they see lessons and meanings out of the story that had been orally handed down by travelers and merchants of the desert. Galland's translation opened the windows of Arabia for the world to see and admire.
The story's importance is found in its use today. Rather than just a story, Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves tells lessons to learn. Perhaps, just like all stories of oral origin, Ali Baba maintains the sacredness of showing to the world a new meaning of some things. This fondly speaks of the reality that there is more than just meets the eye. Indeed, there are important lessons of life written in the story. Central to it is the story of greed and materialism. Sometimes, these two join together to catapult a problematic life. As a commentary of the social environment, Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves succeeded in its goal.
From time to time, there had been newer versions of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves. Just like in oral traditions of the literature, today's world translate and interpret the story according to their purpose and objective. The good thing about most stories of the Arabian Nights is their flexibility. The can easily be adjusted to fit their audience, their purpose, and the society. This is the reason why the story appeals to all culture, not just in the Middle Eastern or Oriental region.
References:
Barcelona,A. (2003). Metaphor and metonymy at the crossroads: a cognitive perspectiveWalter de Gruyter.
BBC News. Richard E Grant unravels origins of The Arabian Nights. Retrieved from http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-13086639
Mahdi, M. (1995). The thousand and one nights BRILL.
Walsh, G. (2006). 50 Plus One Great Books You Should Have Read: And Probably Didn't Encouragement Press, LLC.
