30 pages • 1 hour read
The Greatest Salesman in the World
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Symbols & Motifs
The 10 Scrolls
The 10 scrolls of The Greatest Salesman in the World are presented to prospective salesmen in succession (from Pathros to Hafid to Paul), as a tool and symbol of both The Nature of Success and The Art and Principles of Sales. Each of the scrolls teaches a lesson and provides affirmations to repeat. The scrolls are kept in a chest in Hafid’s locked tower, as per his promise to his adoptive father, Pathros. A divine light illuminates the chest, symbolizing the sacred nature of the scrolls. In his old age, Hafid picks up the scrolls and “a quiet calmness settle[s] over his face, brushing away the lines of age” (11). The sight takes him back to when Pathros gifted him the scrolls after witnessing a bright star. Like their succession, the scrolls are described as being filtered by time like wine until only the most essential elements remained. The scrolls’ principles encourage living with love and celebrating oneself as a unique person. The reader is encouraged to read the scrolls until they embody their principles.
The Bright Star
The bright star is a key symbol in the novella, reinforcing The Nature of Success as a direct reference to the biblical story of Jesus’ birth. Stars are first referenced when Hafid tries to sell Pathros’s red goat-hair robe in Bethlehem, as it includes a star logo. Three nights later, Hafid crosses paths with a newborn Jesus and gifts him the robe instead of selling it. As he returns to Pathros, he is illuminated by a bright star that transforms the night into day. Ashamed of his failure to sell the robe, he fails to notice the star following him home. Pathros notices the star and understands it as a sign of Hafid’s guidance by God and his worthiness as a successor: “The star which followed you has cured me of a blindness that I am reluctant to admit” (37). It is only in darkness that stars truly shine. The bright star thus becomes a symbol of affirmation for making moral decisions.
The Red Robe
Pathros’s red goat-hair robe is a layered symbol that provides Hafid with his first test at sales. The robe is made of the finest goat hair, dyed red, and sewn with both the maker’s logo (a star) and Pathros’s logo (a circle within a square). It is designed to last a lifetime, with its star symbolizing not only the maker of the robe but also the maker of humankind, God—who guides Hafid home after he clothes a newborn Jesus. Pathros’s circle is cyclical—hinting at the scrolls’ succession—with his square representing adeptness at packaging and selling. Hafid spends three days in the poor town of Bethlehem trying to sell the robe but ends up giving it to a child in need. He believes he failed Pathros’s test by doing so, but The Art and Principles of Sales require acting with love. He also follows the principle of Living for Today by giving the robe to someone who needs it immediately, rather than acting based on future consequences.
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