How Important is a Title?

How important is a book title anyway? I would imagine it would be very vital for an author and publisher in order to grab the attention of a possible reader. And although Tariq Ali’s title, Shadows of the Pomegranate Tree, is very captivating and inquisitive, one has to read the book to understand the context and value of the shadows of the pomegranate tree.

            This first stuck out to me when I came across the sections where Ama is speaking with Yazid. “Oh my son,’ sighed Ama. I was talking to the shadows of the pomegranate trees. At least they will be here when we are gone.” (p.9) The shadows of the pomegranate tree openly reflect the circle of life that Ama first describes. It represents the Muslim culture, Islamic community, and specifically the people of the Umar’s household. His family and his workers have lived there for years and his grandfather, Ibn Farid, planted the pomegranate trees and other plants that they are surrounded by himself. The shadows of the pomegranate trees will always be there and signify how even though one’s body can be gone the memory will still live.

            The shadows of the pomegranate tree also bring about a romance that is filled by the family. It is not only of new memories but old ones too; and it where lives and sensation take off. “The pomegranate grove?’ asked Zahra faintly, trying to control her heartbeats. ‘The clump of trees just before the house is visible when you’re returning from the village? When you lie flat on the ground does it still feel as if one is underneath a tent of pomegranates with a round window at the top? And when you open your eyes and look through it, do the stars still dance in the sky?” (137) Zahra is delighted by Hind’s talk of her and Ibn Daud’s encounter under the pomegranate trees and her memory of love and excitement returns to her. These shadows under the trees are in a sense like a web. They capture the most passionate parts of this family’s life and their secrets are woven into the thickness of the branches.

            The pomegranate trees bring the books overall theme and genre in a sense into one. It encompasses the Muslim’s life and culture. Although a tree can be lifted by the roots its deep impact on the earth will never be forgotten.