Greed
Embodied in the character of the grandfather, greed is a central theme in "A Handful of Dates." In the middle of the story, the narrator learns of his grandfather's desire for Masood's fortunes to continue flagging so that he may buy up the remaining third of Masood's land. The narrator wishes his grandfather wouldn't follow through on his opportunistic plan, but the grandfather reveals more of his greed when Masood reluctantly invites them to the date harvest and the grandfather's eyes sparkle with an intense brightness. Drunk with the power he holds over Masood, the grandfather is indifferent to Masood's suffering during the humiliating spectacle of Masood's date harvest being divided among his creditors. Having witnessed his grandfather's predatory nature, the narrator no longer idolizes him.
Empathy
As a foil to the grandfather's greed, the narrator displays extreme empathy. While the grandfather delights in Masood's downfall, the narrator repeatedly reads the discomfort in Masood's demeanor and, as Masood's date harvest is divided amongst his creditors, the narrator feels the impulse to stretch his hand towards Masood and touch the hem of his garment. At the end of the story, Masood emits a sound that the narrator describes as being akin to a lamb being slaughtered; in response, the narrator feels Masood's humiliation resonate within his own body as a sharp pain in his chest. Unable to bear the intense empathy he feels for Masood, the narrator runs from the scene.
Visceral Understanding
Visceral understanding is another of the story's major themes. Throughout "A Handful of Dates," it is the narrator's visceral understanding, rather than intellectual comprehension, that informs his outlook. Instead of making sense of the world through rational analysis, the narrator is moved by deep inward feelings in his body. In response to his grandfather's plan to buy the rest of Masood's land, the narrator feels an intense fear which he cannot make sense of. Similarly, the narrator senses Masood's reluctance to invite his grandfather to the date harvest without understanding why Masood might be unwilling. The narrator also feels an intense pain in his chest as Masood endures his humiliation at the end of the date harvest. Lastly, the narrator is compelled to vomit up the dates his grandfather gave him, ridding his body of the symbolic participation in Masood's pain. Throughout the story, the narrator comments that he is not sure why he feels these impulses and emotions. In this way, he articulates a child's visceral understanding of the world, in which feelings and impulses arrive before the mind can make sense of what is happening. Ultimately, by paying attention to his emotional and physical understanding of the world, the narrator defines himself in contrast to his grandfather.
Loss of Innocence
Loss of innocence is another dominant theme in "A Handful of Dates." In the first third of the story, the narrator establishes his innocence by outlining his daily routine as an untroubled boy who performs well at the mosque, swims in the river, lets his imagination wander, and idolizes his grandfather. As the story progresses, the narrator is forced to make sense of the fact that his grandfather has been taking advantage of their neighbor's financial ruin. The innocent boy thinks it doesn't matter who owns the surrounding land, as long as it remains the playground of his imagination, but the grandfather sees the land as something to take from a man whose former privilege he resents. By the end of the story, the narrator is disgusted by his association with his grandfather: as he vomits up the dates the grandfather takes from Masood's harvest, the narrator defines against his grandfather, forging a new identity that lacks his former innocence.
