Turtles are Aref’s favorite animals, and they become a recurring symbol throughout the novel, representing the cyclical act of migrating and returning home again. Turtles’ ability to migrate and then return to the same beach to lay their eggs fascinates Aref, and this pattern serves as a metaphor for his own departure from Oman. While many novels have told the story of refugees or immigrants leaving their home countries for other places, The Turtle of Oman portrays a boy who knows that he is going to return to his home. In this way, Aref is the “turtle of Oman” featured in the novel’s title. He will bring his memories of Oman with him to the US, but he will also carry his experiences in America with him when he returns.

Turtles appear from the earliest moments of the novel, as when Aref thinks that he should have given his father a tiny turtle to fly with him to the US. This moment foreshadows the fact that Aref himself will become a migratory creature when he travels to the US. Aref does not quite understand the similarities between himself and turtles yet, but over the course of the week, he recognizes that he, like the turtles, will always be able to bring his home with him and come back “safely to the beach [he] remembered” (210).