Interesting Names/Meanings of Shadows of the Pomegranate Tree

            When I first began reading Tariq Ali’s novel, “Shadows of the Pomegranate Tree,” I was really intrigued by all the different stories that were happening all at once. The book being a historical novel is giving actually people who existed and their main significances in life. So the novel proves to be interesting because you are not only learning about one person but many and how they are all intertwined. I find this in my reading so far to be one of the most interesting facts of the story. Many of these people have the same father and not everyone knows these secrets. Such as Wajid al-Zindiq, He supposedly may have the same father as Zuhayr’s grandfather. But aside from that, I really found the part of Muslims being able to have more than one wife interesting. I was really fascinated because I didn’t know the Muslim faith could do that. At first I thought maybe it’s not like that now and that’s just how it was back then. But I actually researched and Muslim men are allowed to have at least four wives. However they’re restrictions about why and how they can marry wives. I also came to realize from my research that Allah has told them polygamy is legitimized and is not a bad thing to do. This part really stood out to me because I feel as if Edward Said’s orientalism is creeping back in. I did not think there was anything wrong with having many wives when reading this book but I guess I never considered it to be an option. I feel like the U.S. portrays polygamy as a bad thing and who am I to judge what others kind happiness in.

            Another part that I really thought of in the book was why do all of these people have so many names? I realized that certain people have no than one name and that their other names aren’t always nicknames. Beatrice for instance becomes Asma; and the old man in the cave cannot even remember the name his mother had given him because he was replaced by the name Wajid al-Zindiq. And Zuhayr is call al-Zindiq. I find it intriguing that people are given different names based on religion in Beatrice’s case and on personal attributes such as Wajid and Zuhayr. Wajid and Zuhayr’s name means free thinker which is kind of interesting because they seem to be both very intellectual characters yet very connected to one another. I believe that they are sort of one character in itself.