Random Stuff From "The Pom Lady and Her Sons"

what does she describe the body search as

humiliating

what is the “murder weapon” they find in her suitcase

a gold colored battle ax

why did she bring an ax

for her son

what does Anar-Banu mean

Pomegranate Lady

how long has it been since pom lady saw her sons

10 years

why is pom lady sweating so much

a schoolteacher in her village said Sweden is extremely cold, so she put on a lot of layers of clothes

why is pom lady so stunned that her sons left the village

because for the villagers, Yazd was the beginning and the end of the world

what does pom lady’s bag contain

boxes of pastries, taffeta from Yazd, plastic bowls, and plastic bags filled with pomegranates and rice

who did pom lady’s older son marry

a European girl

what journeys has pom lady been on to get to the airport

from Yazd she took a bus to Tehran, but the bus broke down, so she had to spend the night by the roadside in the desert, then she stayed with Sheila Khanom’s brother who drove her to the airport

what do they call pom lady in her village

Mama Pomegranate

pom lady had no father and no mother, but she feels she was raised by…

a pomegranate tree (stand in for her mother) and a sycamore tree (stand in for her father)

do the speaker’s children live with her

yes

what is pom lady’s older son like

aggressive, violent, hot tempered - he vows to fight the enemies of his religion and his country

what is pom lady’s younger son like

he’s much calmer and more caring than his older brother - he frequently sweet talks his mother

how did pom lady’s husband feel about their sons after they left Iran

he felt disgraced by them and that his sons were dead to him

pom lady was willing to give up on life until…

she received a letter from her younger son telling her that he wants to see her

even though the trip to sweden is dangerous, why is pom lady so determined to get there

because her sons are waiting for her

pom lady’s older son went missing for three years, but where did they find out he was

sweden

why does pom lady want to cook her sons Iranian dishes

to make them feel homesick for Yazd

what does pom lady say about people’s and animal’s smells

everyone has a unique scent, and even though some creatures may smell bad, we still view them as innocent and good-hearted

pom lady’s younger son tells her they will open an Iranian restaurant - what does he call it

The Pomegranate Lady and Her Sons

why does the speaker return to help pom lady after they land

pom lady is helpless without her

what parting gift does pom lady give to the speaker

the pomegranate of love

what does the speaker envision right after leaving the pom lady

that she will cook for her sons, her sons will show her around the city and she will finally sleep blissfully

what is the speaker’s reaction to finding the ticket in her bag

she’s dumbfounded, flabbergasted, her mouth tastes bitter, and a pain churns in her stomach

what plan does the speaker make first after finding the ticket in her bag

to go to sweden, Gothenburg, and Yazd in order to find pom lady

what happens in the speaker’s dream scenario

she dreams of everything working out for pom lady, her sons, and for the speaker’s own future; pom lady’s sons have moved to America and feel alone there too, but the speaker reassures pom lady that they will one day be happy and sleep peacefully