Caravans - Novel by James Michener

Caravans is novel by James Michener set in Afghanistan in the 1940’s. The main character in the story is Mark Miller who is a Jewish American working for the American embassy in Kabul. In the beginning of the story The United States send a telegraph requiring information about a missing American woman named Ellen Jasper. She married Afghani engineer named Nazrullah while he was studying in America. In Dorset, Pennsylvania Ellen’s father was an important man and pulled strings with his friends in the government to pressure the Kabul Embassy to find Ellen. Mark receives permission from the ruler of Afghanistan, Shah Khan, to spy and investigate Ellen’s disappearance. On the way to see her husband they meet an ex-Nazi named Otto Stiglitz. Mark tells him of the things he saw in the villages along the way. When they meet up with Ellen’s husband he refuses to tell them any information about her location. After several lucky events they find Ellen in a nomadic caravan. Mark joins the caravan to find out about Ellen and talk her into to leaving with him. The caravans leader Zulfiqar allows them to join and Mark and Otto become closer with each other as well as the caravan. Mark, Otto, and Ellen left the caravan eventually, but all had new spirits.

The people and customs of the Afghanistan culture Miller had experienced through his time were very unique almost as unique at the geography of Afghanistan. The people were engulfed with tradition and its practices. Most of the Afghani’s were Muslims. Mullahs were a constant influence over the people. Mullahs were a mix of priests and governors. Anyone questioning the traditions would result in protesting from the Mullahs. One famous custom enforced was of women wearing a chaderi. Some of the people were against the covers the Mullahs have forced upon them, but they could not express their feelings because of tradition, reputation, and the Mullahs. The entire country by today’s standards was poor and uncivilized. The “regular” people lived very simple lives. One group of people lived outside societies rules. They followed their own unique way of life, the nomadic caravan people.

The caravan nomads belonged to no country and followed no rules. They had their own culture. Their free wills are what attracted Ellen to become one of them. They followed their own traditions. The caravan always traveled all year. It was believed the