A Handful of Dates Essay Questions

Why is it significant that the narrator throws up the dates at the end of "A Handful of Dates"?

That the narrator throws up the dates at the end of the story is significant because the act is a symbolic rejection of the narrator's grandfather and his greed. At the beginning of the story, the narrator idolizes his grandfather, with whom he spends most of his free time. However, the narrator's loyalty to his grandfather is tested when he finds out that his grandfather's land used to belong to Masood, for whom the narrator feels a visceral sense of pity. At Masood's date harvest, the narrator again feels empathy toward Masood; simultaneously, the narrator is alienated by his grandfather's palpable greed. Unable to take part in Masood's humiliation any longer, the narrator rushes away to the river. He doesn't understand why he does it, but the narrator puts his finger in his throat and induces vomiting, bringing up the handful of dates his grandfather had taken from Masood's harvest. With his body's physical rejection of the dates, the narrator symbolically rejects the greed with which the dates are tainted.

What roles does the concept of empathy play in "A Handful of Dates"?

Empathy—the ability to understand and share another person's feelings—is a major theme in "A Handful of Dates." While the grandfather reveals his greed as he tells the narrator about his plan to buy up all of Masood's inherited land, the narrator displays extreme empathy for Masood. Throughout the story, the narrator shows disgust as his grandfather delights in seeing Masood fail, and feels an invisible connection to Masood's gentle spirit. The narrator reads Masood's discomfort when he reluctantly invites the grandfather to the date harvest, and when the dates are divided amongst Masood's creditors, the narrator feels Masood's humiliation so intensely that he wants to reach out and comfort him. When Masood makes a sound that reminds the narrator of a lamb being slaughtered, the narrator is struck by a sharp pain in his chest. He cannot bear the extreme empathy he feels for Masood, and so the narrator runs from the scene. Ultimately, it is the narrator's capacity for empathy that defines him in contrast to his grandfather. Unable to override the compassionate impulse, the narrator has no choice but to reject his grandfather's way of being.

Why is it significant that the narrator often says he doesn't know why he experiences particular emotions?

The narrator's inability to make intellectual sense of the strong feelings that strike him is significant because it highlights the boy's visceral understanding of the world. While an adult might be able to identify why certain emotions arise, the narrator is oblivious as to why he feels fear when he hears about his grandfather's plan to take the rest of Masood's land, or why he feels a sharp pain in his chest when Masood is humiliated before his creditors and other villagers. As a child, the narrator only has these deep inward feelings to base his outlook on. The visceral understanding he has is crucial to his burgeoning sense of identity, as the feelings are intense enough to override the grandfather's authority as he presents a morality corrupted by greed—something the narrator feels intuitively but isn't able to explain in words.