A Handful of Dates

This story is a tale of disillusionment between a boy and his grandfather. As the story of "A Handful of Dates" unfolds, the reader is first shown the awe and untarnished love that a young boy feels for his grandfather. Initially, the boy is shown to be very young and this is evident as the author writes, "I must have been very young at the time. While I don't remember exactly how old I was, I do remember that when people saw me with my grandfather they would pat me on the head and give my cheek a pinch." As the story continues, the boy tells about his time which is spent in his grandfathers presence, and of his stark adoration for his grandfather. One day the boy asks his grandfather about his apparent dislike with a neighbor named Masood. The boy has shown that he identifies with Masood on some level and does like him as a person. The boy almost seems to find Masood as an honest and relatable person. When the boys grandfather tells him how he has slowly purchased all of Masood's land on account of Masood's womanizing, the boy seems to draw back from his grandfather a bit. Finally, upon being present for the harvesting of date's on Masood's remaining property, the boy witnesses his grandfather taking possession of the majority of the harvest and remarking to Masood, "You're still fifty pounds in debt to me." Once the boy witnesses his grandfathers lack of concern or forgiveness of this debt of Masood's, the boy runs off and becomes ill, throwing up the dates he has eaten as if they are poison in his stomach. In this way the story ends, and the reader becomes aware that the boy no longer thinks of his grandfather as the center of his world. The story marks a right of passage wherein the boy becomes a man and for the first time sees his grandfather clearly.