But to me when I read the book back in the 80s and when I reread it a years are so ago the overriding theme of the book was how ineffective power can be and how powerful religion can be as well as the danger of trying to control and use religion. The book was as much about the Middle East and British Empire as it was about anything else. Saying that the desert was a main character because it influenced the actions and lives of the characters is similar to saying that hard vacuum is a character in a space novel because it has such a strong impact on the story.

I know there has a been push to define the book as a book about ecology but from my point of view that appears to be an attempt to hijack the book.