Structure

The short story “The Escape” by Qaisra Shahraz begins in medias res with Samir praying at the mosque. It is a prayer for escape which he will repeat several times throughout the story. The prayer foreshadows the main character’s attempts to escape to a place where he can belong. 

Another example of foreshadowing in the story is the conversation between Samir and his family in England, where he states that he wants to go home to Pakistan (p. 4, ll. 3-7). This conversation is echoed later when Samir suddenly tells his brother’s family in Pakistan that he wants to go home to England (p. 11, ll. 8-9). In both cases, his family reacts with surprise. 

There are several flashbacks throughout the story. As Samir waits for his son to pick him up to have dinner with the family, Samir remembe...