Diana Mayo alone in the desert, from the film The Sheik (1921)
1. “For the first time since she had shaken off Gaston she began to think seriously. What she had done was madness. She had no food for herself or her horse, no water, and Heaven alone knew where the next well might be. She was alone in an uncivilized country among a savage people with no protection of any kind… in which case death from hunger and thirst stared her in the face” (59).
Diana has always been an abnormally independent and strong willed person until now. She has never been one to lose faith in herself or think of any task that presents itself to her as unmanageable. Since she was kidnapped by the Sheik, her self confidence is not as prominent and she seems much more likely to give up. Why do you think the past month that she has spent with the Sheik has taken away that courage? Is it completely gone, or is there still a glimmer of her courageous character left within her?
An Arab Encampment at Sunset, by Hermann David Solomon Corrodi, C. 1864 – 1905.
Courtesy of Wikigallery.org
2. “She lifted her head for the first time and looked at the magnificent sky. The sun had almost set, going down in a ball of molten fire, and the heavens on either side were a riot of gold and crimson and palest green, shading off into vivid blue that grew blacker and blacker as the glory of the sunset died away. The scattered palm trees and the far-off hills stood out in strong relief. It was a country of marvelous beauty, and Diana’s heart gave a sudden throb as she realized that she was going back to it all” (63).
The imagery is very uplifting and positive in this scene. It provides the image of a kind of paradise and that Diana is glad to be back. What were your thoughts during this scene? Was this the point at which the reader detects the love that Diana has for the Sheik?
Group 7 LM
ENGH 202: Why Women Read Romance 
I think Diana’s confidence has gone down because for the first time she’s had someone controlling her life, no freedom for herself. She doesn’t have the upper-hand which she’s had in her upbringing with just her brother as a guardian. I do believe she’s still courageous because if she didn’t have even a glimmer she wouldn’t have tried to run away.
This scene is when our hearts start to melt a little at Diana’s surroundings. We detected it a little before when she talked about how handsome he was and how different he is, but this is when we really feel the love she has for him as she declares it.
1) I believe that Diana has lost her very courageous characteristics she once had in the beginning of the novel. Here, she has been stranded in the desert and doesn’t have any resources to her aid at all. At that moment she had complete control of what she wanted to do. While living with The Shiek, he controlled everything she did and took responsobility for her.
2) This scene has shown a very positive outlook on Diana’s view on where she was living. She loved the desert already, but after her encounter with the Shiek it is now becoming more enhanced, becaushe she is falling for him.
2)
I think Diana lost some of her courage because once she started looking at the big picture she realized that she was helpless. The limited resources, the fact she was in a country where she did not know anyone except for the man who raped her, all compiled into thoughts controlling her head. While being with The Sheik, he also had a tremendous amount of control over her. I think there is a glimmer of hope because in the beginning she is so strong willed and always fought back when it came to her independence. I think that will come back into play at some point.
I think this scene really shows the true love Diana has for the desert and the thrill she gets from being in a new place. She also soon realizes as she is going on and on about her surroundings and how much she likes them, she includes The Sheik into that category. She is starting to fall for him.