And the Mountains Echoed

This tree serves not only as a physical marker in geography in the story (a center point in Shadbagh) but also a marker of time. It was present when Abdullah was young, and it was his father who cut it down after he sold Pari. The old stump of the tree is mentioned later on when Shadbagh becomes “Old Shadbagh” and Iqbal’s family is camped nearby in order to fight for their right to the land. The oak tree also becomes a symbol for hope. The legend the tree holds is that if a person whispers his/hertheir desires at its base, then the wish will be granted if it dropped 10 leaves on his/hertheir head, almost like a blessing. When Saboor cut the tree down after the sale of Pari, it signifies a removal of his dreams and a loss of innocence. The tree, also a common symbol for family, with its branches and roots obvious parallels for the connectedness of a family, helps to illustrate the strong awareness of a severance in the family when Pari is sold. From that moment on, this family experiences displacement and broken ties, mirrored by the cutting and splitting of the tree. The excuse that Saboor gives, that they need the wood for warmth during winter, re-echoes that first fabled morality, that a “finger must be cut to save the hand.” Therefore, they literally had to sever their family tree (sell Pari) in order to keep the rest of the family alive.