ABSTRACT
This chapter examines in detail the artist and his creation, Hanthala. The little boy is now synonymous with Palestine, and stands as a symbol of unyielding defiance and a silent observer and chronicler of the struggle of his people and the trodden. The young child, Hanthala, not only refuses to grow up but has also become eternal, surviving his creator through unceasing reproductions of him in popular culture. Hanthala remains as popular and as relevant today as the day he was created by Naji al-Ali. In this chapter, I discuss a number of al-Ali’s cartoons in which Hanthala stands on the side, his arms folded behind his back, refusing to show us his face.
