Moses recounts having broken open his piggy bank at age 11 and gathered its contents to visit to a prostitute. That Momo’s coin bank is vomit-hued, coupled with its design mirroring his father’s frugal fiscal philosophy manifests the gloom and distaste coloring Moses’s home environment; that he seeks the company of a prostitute at such a young age underscores his yearning for female company owing to his mother’s having abandoned the family shortly after his birth.

The Muslim <a data-internal-link data-link-type="Character" href="https://www.supersummary.com/monsieur-ibrahim-et-les-fleurs-du-coran/major-character-analysis/#236323">Monsieur Ibrahim</a> has garnered a high degree of respect as the sole grocer on the Jewish block where Moses and his father reside. Calm, quiet, and ever-reliable, Monsieur Ibrahim is a stereotypical “wise Oriental,” who always bears a pleasant countenance as he steadfastly serves the neighborhood, unfazed by his clientele’s constant flurry of activity. Perhaps his status as sage also derives from the aura of mystery surrounding his personal life.

This short dialogue between Moses and <a data-internal-link data-link-type="Character" href="https://www.supersummary.com/monsieur-ibrahim-et-les-fleurs-du-coran/major-character-analysis/#236323">Monsieur Ibrahim</a> underscores the prevalent misconception that all Muslims are Arabs, and reveals the common Parisian derogatory slang “Arab”—a small neighborhood grocery store. Having slid into usage because many corner grocers in Paris are often North Africans from France’s former colonies, the reductionist term “Arab” creates confusion in Momo, especially when he learns that while Monsieur Ibrahim is indeed a Muslim who owns a neighborhood grocery, he’s not an Arab.

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Éric-Emmanuel Schmitt

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