The novel is influenced by spiritual and mystical themes in Sufism, an Islamic belief system in which Lessing had taken an interest in the mid-1960s. The zones are said to correspond to Sufism's different levels of consciousness, and symbolise the "Sufi ladder to enlightenment". Lessing was criticised for abandoning her traditional fiction and switching to science fiction in her "Canopus in Argos" series. Notwithstanding this criticism, "The Marriages" was generally well received by critics, with some reviewers calling it one of Lessing's best works on the topic of gender conflict.