The Significance of an Inanimate Object in the Story of Sinuhe

I’ve chosen to focus on the letters between the King and Sinuhe as the assignment’s requirement of the significance of an inanimate object. Sinuhe’s journey begins of him as a spineless coward fleeing his King in order to ensure the longevity of his own life. However, as the story progresses Sinuhe overcomes his cowardice through various acts of bravery, the most notable being his victory over a warrior who challenges Sinuhe to combat, catapulting his status from a coward to ruthless conqueror. Although Sinuhe became a man enshrouded in glory and reward, he still perceived himself to be a fugitive in a foreign land, he wished to return home to Egypt. He wrote to Sesostris, claiming in the letter that a divine presence influenced his actions to flee, arguing that he is not an insurgent and not against the King. Sesotris then replied to Sinuhe in his own letter, rejecting Sinuhe’s explanation of a divine intervention and citing him as solely responsible for his actions “the counsel of your very own heart.” It is evident that the King is criticizing Sinuhe not for his desertion but more so for his thoughtlessness, he seems to empathize with Sinue and understands that he is an administrator and not a warrior, thus it is a reasonable reaction for him to panic and flee for his life. The letters glorify the King’s mercy and compassion, if he wished he could have punished Sinuhe, but instead Sinuhe was forgiven immediately and was granted to return to his homeland, restoring him to his former status. In the letters, it is verified that the King chose the humane route to not hold Sinuhe responsible for his cowardice and does not deny him his rightful desire to be buried in his homeland, he realizes that prosecuting Sinuhe at such a feeble age would be poibntless, Sesostris was also aware that Sinuhe worked to gain back his respect and manhood on his time away, thus forgave him completely. Previously Sinuhe had felt secure in the unconscious fantasy that the Pharaoh