A Handful of Dates

This short story was read in class and it starts off with the narrator talking about his grandfather and describing the way he looks. He describes his grandfather as tall with a white cotton wood-pure white and of great beauty beard. Also, describes his grandfather the way he walks which is with a lot confidence and pride. The narrator always looked up to his grandfather as a role model in life, as someone that he can always look up to no matter what the situation is. The story finally starts off with the narrator asking his grandfather all the details about their neighbour, Masood. His grandfather starts talking a lot of rude and disrespectful things about this innocent man; he talked about Masood owning a lot of land and selling it all after getting married. He just kept putting Masood down, no good comments. The narrator was offended by all this talk and really disliked his grandfather talking about someone in that way. Also, how his grandfather kept talking about the land as if it was nothing. Then Masood comes up to the door and asks them if they would like to join him in harvesting the dates. They decided they would just go with him, even though the grandfather just said all those disrespectful remarks on him. They all began harvesting the dates, Masood asked politely not to cut the heart of the palm. Even though others did not quite listen, the narrator was the one that paid most close attention and did not cut the heart of the palm. The narrator feels really bad for Masood cause no one seemed to listen to him and how much he really cared about this land, no one else seemed to take pride in that. When the whole land was clear from people harvesting the dates, there were two men still left; one was Hussein the merchant and the other man was Mousa the owner of the land next to the narrators. Noticing all the people that left, the grandfather stormed up to his feet and grabbed as many dates as possible. And even gave some to the narrator to hold and to bring home with them. As well as, Hussein and Mousa took a lot of dates and left none for Masood. The grandfather explained to his grandson that Masood anyways owned him 50 pounds of dates. The narrator was disappointed and disgusted at his grandfather's ignorant actions. It made him think that all his grandfather really thinks about is wealth and all power. All the dates made the narrator quite ill, he decided to run to the river and threw up all the dates that his grandfather had given to him. Letting all his thoughts of his grandfather out his mouth and flow down the river. The theme of this short story is although you think you know someone so well, you never know they can change right away or show their true inner self which can be good or bad.