The Stone of Laughter is set in the Beirut of the 1990’s where Khalil, the main character of the story undergoes a transformation of sorts through his exposure to the Philosopher’s Stone, amystical force which is very much quoted in the Arab world. Throughout his experience, Khalil goes through a large number of transformations especially when he is injured in the bombings of Beirut. He begins to question himself and his existence as he lies in hospital and the whole circle of his life comes before his eyes.
“Death is the master of clarity and precision but, so precise and clear is he that he rises up from the city like a spirit and is tormented whenever he has to define his features or forms” (page 1). Here one can see the intrinsic force of evil which is perhaps the opposite side of magic for good.
It is hard to argue exactly what the effects of the stone are on Khalil’s eventual transformation as the author is very circumspect about everything and all other proceedings. Khalil’s life in the earlier parts of the story is wanton and destructive, full of hate and the desire to achieve revenge although yet again the crux of the whole bombing experience is part and parcel of what eventually goes on in Beirut. One cannot but also feel pity for Khalil who ends up mangled and broken in hospital without any shred of hope but eventually the forces of alchemy begin to start having an effect.
Alchemy as a potent force
Ever since the days of the earliest magicians, alchemy is an important part of the Arab cultural and medicinal tradition. In this story we see the opposite effects of alchemy as Khalil actually disintegrates into nothing when he is faced by opposition and igononimous forces which threaten to completely destroy his life. In this sense, alchemy is seen as a wake up call for those who have nothing left in life and who have descended into the maelstrom of no meaning without a shred of hope for the future.
The Philosopher’s Stone is also an issue here as with its powers it has managed to transform Khalil to a person who is conscious of his faults yet there does not seem to be any end in sight either. The alchemic forces which are continually affecting him cannot be discounted but Khalil is now also changed into ‘the man who laughs’. Is it because he is laughing at his fate, or is it due to the fact that he is continually searching for a new meaning in life? These are just some of the questions that the author has left unanswered and open ended in this story.
“Death is the only man in the city. When the city is plunged deep in her seductions and games he twists her arm and, in one swoop, holds it fast towards him and she leans on him and calms down and she beings to breathe regularly” (page 3). Here we can observe the pessimism which permeates the story and which Khalil falls prey to as he attempts to find himself.
After reading the story, I would argue that Khalil is not actually affected by any alchemic forces at all. In fact this is rather the opposite as his case shows spiritual and moral degradation which also demonstrates that he is actually finished as a person. His catharthic experience in the hospital shows that he did not learn from his past life and his situation has consistently degenerated and has actually ended up in rape and other wanton immorality. One cannot really equate the positive effects of alchemy with Khalil’s situation which is one of sheer desperation especially towards the end.
In fact, the propensity for Khalil to gain acceptance is one which is pretty worrisome on all counts and shows that he is actually quite a weak kneed character without much hope in life. Again, alchemy seems to be quite far away from the proceedings as this supposedly creates a situation where people are transformed with magical spiritual powers throughout. One can also argue that Khalil is simply the spiritual embodiment of a person who cannot accept his situation and is always seeking inner peace and eventual transformation.
Consider this quotation:
“We shall put life in order, this whole dirty, short, wretched life, this life that does not deserve to die by a stray bullet but by a bullet shot true for the sake of the order, we shall put life in order along the same lines as death's eternal order, we shall reduce it for the confused and bewildered, we shall reduce it a great deal” (page 5). Here we are surely being shown what Khalil is going to end up as.
Conclusion: Khalil as a potent force for magic.
The story leaves a number of open ended problems which actually do not make the case for alchemy or the Philosopher’s Stone. First and foremost, Khalil is not transformed towards the good but actually becomes a worse person after his experience in hospital. This is compounded by the fact that he is consistently searching for acceptance and recognition by his peers so his situation becomes even harder to assess. To conclude, I would state that alchemy is indeed a potent force for the good but in this particular case, the situation ends up as being quite the opposite where Khalil is concerned. One cannot accept that alchemy has had an influence on Khalil as a whole although it has to be said that some transformation in his heart and ind has happened. The question of Israel and the attitude towards women is also something in the story which makes it a bit weak kneed, especially towards the end of proceedings.
