Zobeide is a city of desire and dream. Its formation begins as a dream; but not just a normal dream. It is a dream shared by many men of different nations. In the dream, the men all see a naked woman who always turns her back to them. They have never seen her face. Awake and intrigued, the men set out in search of the city in real life, but in vain. Hoping to capture the woman in real life, they build the city according to the shared dream. They intentionally arrange walls and streets that are different from the dream so that the woman cannot escape from the chase. Having the same dream, new men from other lands come to Zobeide. To further ensure the pursuit would succeed, they make no place of escape at the point where the woman vanishes in the dream. Till now, no one has ever seen her yet; and the dreamed chase has been long forgotten.
Calvino obviously plays with the idea of collective consciousness in the story. Unsurprisingly, the collective sexual desire is universe. What haunts the text is the naked woman whose absence gives form to a whole city.
The whiteness of the city evokes pristineness and chastity. It reflects how the distancing of the woman makes her unspoiled and yet all the more desirable. The whiteness also ironically shows how the city’s ethos is deep down marred by the predatory chase of a woman. The seemingly clean orderliness is just a cover for this trap city.
The city is exposed to the moon, making it all the more pure and solaceful in the moonlight. Far from the idealised image of pureness, the evening catalyses dreams that give free rein to sexual desires. But the desire is always a lack and has been deferred till no one remembers who that woman is. Instead of the woman, now the men are trapped in Zobeide.