A Handful of Dates

“The mosque, the river, and the fields—these were the landmarks of our life.”

Salih contextualizes the focus and boundaries of life in rural Sudan. The emphasis on simplicity and the agrarian way of life reinforces the power play enacted around the date harvesting.

“[W]hen people saw me with my grandfather, they would pat me on the head and give my cheek a pinch.”

The narrator reveals that his grandfather must be of high status in the community, as people are keen to ingratiate themselves with him by showing affection to the narrator, the grandfather’s “favorite grandchild.” This establishes the idea that the boy unconsciously loves his grandfather because of the privilege his grandfather’s power affords him. When he realizes the nature of that power, he “hates” his grandfather.

“My Grandfather must also have been extremely tall, for I never saw anyone in the whole area address him without having to look up at him.”

This excerpt elaborates on the perceived strength the narrator observes in his grandfather, relating his strength to the strength of others. The fact that others have to “look up at him” suggests a symbolic deference to his grandfather.