This paper employs some on the tools provided by Cognitive Linguistics in order to offer an analysis of Paul Bowles's novel 'The Sheltering Sky'. The study is mainly concerned with the application of Lakoff's (1996) DIVIDED PERSON metaphor and Johnson's (/1987) theory of image schemas to the analysis of the nature of the characters and of the relationships that hold among them. Thus, Pérez suggests that the three protagonists of the novel (Port, Kit and Turner) can represent the three main constituent parts of a human being: the subject, the inner self, and the outer self, respectively. She also explains how an analysis of spatial relations such as container and verticality help to provide some useful insights into their behaviour and into some of the reactions which are otherwise difficult to comprehend. Finally, she analyzes the metaphors which are employed when dealing with two basic concepts in the novel: life and the world. (Francisco Ruiz de Mendoza and Olga Díez)