Symbolism In The Almond Tree By Michelle Corasanti

In the novel, The Almond Tree by Michelle Corasanti, one main symbol is present throughout the entire book. This being the almond tree, hence the title. Corasanti chose to bring the almond tree alive and represent different ideas as the story and characters evolved. These characters are Ichmad and his family of Palestine who lives through hardships. The almond tree represents hope, survival, and shelter, all of which were essential and meant something to the characters within the book.
Foremost, the almond tree represents itself as hope. During the story the characters need hope and when in need they place themselves around the almond tree. For instance, towards the beginning of the book, Ichmad had just lost his home to a fire and his brother was being arrested. All hope was lost, because of this his family and him “were gathered on the ground under her.”(Corasanti 107) The almond tree represented hope in this instance, as they had lost everything yet tried to stay hopeful as the tree gave them …show more content…
Throughout Ichmads life he has used the almond tree as a shelter for various people and things. Ichmad recognized when he was older, that the tree acted like shelter for his younger self (Corasanti 347). Yet sometimes it was unspoken. For instance, it became the shelter for the dead when “[they] buried her in a pine coffin under the almond tree” (Corasanti 255). It became a protective space to visit their passed loved ones and a place where the hurt could have shelter. The almond tree was a sanctuary for all the troubled times. Again, when Baba was jail the family bought olive sapling to so “every year we’ll plant an olive tree in baba's honor, “they planted the saplings around the almond tree, with the almond tree sheltering them(Corasanti 81). The almond tree became shelter for Ichmad and his family, it became a sanctuary to protect what was important and a guard for the emotional ties to those that are