Cortes and The Epilogue

          In Shadows of the Pomegranate Tree, Tariq Ali focuses on a fictionalized account of Moorish Spain in the late fifteenth century and the Catholic war on the Islamic religion and culture. However, in the epilogue of the novel Ali introduces a new conflict—the conquest of Mesoamerica. In the epilogue, Ali reveals the identity of the sixteen year-old Castilian Captain who burns Al-Hudayl to the ground and kills Umar, Zubayda, and Yazid as the teenaged version of the infamous conquistador Cortes.

            Epilogues usually remind me of afterthoughts; written after an author has already finished the main plot and storyline of the book, they usually serve to tie together any loose ends the author did not get to within the main plotline of the book. So why does Ali choose to reveal such a huge character within the epilogue of his novel?

            In the last chapter of the novel, when al-Hudayl is being destroyed, the young Captain’s name is not revealed. Instead, Cortes is referred to as “the red-headed beardless captain” (225). Perhaps this is because, within the historical fiction novel, Ali wanted to focus solely on the history—the Catholic domination of Moorish Spain. If Ali had named the Captain as Cortes, readers undoubtedly would have been distracted by extraneous thoughts of the destruction of Aztec culture in Mesoamerica.

However, Ali reminds readers within the epilogue that the destruction caused by religious conflict is not limited to Moorish Spain. Having concluded the story of Umar’s family, Ali extends the conflict at the heart of Shadows of the Pomegranate Tree beyond the boundaries of the novel’s pages within the epilogue, reminding readers that this “historical” novel is not constricted by one place or time. Violence caused by the lack of tolerance for different religions and groups of people is not just limited to Moorish Spain, but continues as the Spanish conquer Mesoamerica. And, even though Ali’s novel was first publish in 1992, it continues to be relevant today as post-9/11 America continues to struggle with the Christian vs. Muslim mentality central to Shadows of the Pomegranate Tree.