Throwing Up Dates (Symbol)
The narrator's decision to throw up the dates his grandfather handed him is a symbolic representation of his rejection of his grandfather and his grandfather's greed. Nauseated by having unwittingly taken part in Masood's public debt repayment, the narrator feels hatred and disgust towards his grandfather, who enjoys the spectacle. In this way, throwing up the dates is a physical expression of the narrator's emotional need to disavow his grandfather.
Heart of the Palm (Symbol)
The heart of the date-palm tree is a symbol of compassion. During the date harvest, Masood warns the boys wielding sickles to be mindful not to cut the heart of the palm. Nobody pays much attention to him aside from the narrator, who remembers an instance when Masood told him that palm trees experience pain and joy just as humans do. With this recollection, it is clear that Masood has a compassionate nature that stands in contrast to the greed the narrator sees in his grandfather. Through his own compassion for Masood's suffering, the narrator understands on an intuitive level that he is more like Masood than his grandfather.
Obliviousness (Motif)
At multiple points throughout "A Handful of Dates," the narrator acknowledges that his younger self is unaware of why he has certain reactions to key developments in the story. He isn't sure why, but the narrator feels fear when he hears his grandfather talking about wanting to buy up the rest of Masood's land. He also doesn't know why he experiences a sharp painful sensation of empathy for Masood as the men take away their sacks of dates. He is also unsure why he induces vomiting at the end of the story. With this motif of the narrator's repeated obliviousness, Salih reinforces the narrator's innocence as his emotional responses interpret the world before his mind does.
