A Handful of Dates

The unnamed narrator is a dynamic protagonist whose emotional journey through the story highlights Disillusionment With the Adult World and emphasizes the injustice of exploitation, especially an awakening to the complexities of Attitudes to Morality, Generosity, and Cruelty.

The narrator presents his childhood self as an intuitive, empathetic, intelligent, and proud boy who experiences deep sadness and compassion during the story's resolution. He explains that he excels in mosque, frequently being asked to stand and recite sections of the Quran for visitors. His pride also reveals itself when he describes himself as his grandfather’s favorite grandchild, stating that the others were a “stupid bunch” and that he was an “intelligent child” (91). He appears to revel in and encourage this favoritism, which intersects with the story’s presentation of privilege and power.

The boy’s intelligence also contributes to his intuitiveness, as he can often interpret his grandfather's needs and infer his grandfather’s feelings about others, including Masood. He identifies that his grandfather does not like Masood and this leads him to ask the “adult” question of why this is. When his grandfather answers, he feels empathy for Masood and some confusion when his grandfather describes Masood as “indolent” and speaks poorly of his selling off his land due to his “many” wives (91).