The Saffron Kitchen Symbolism Essay

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Symbolism is carried out through the pages of Yasmin Crowther’s novel The Saffron Kitchen. Crowther’s novel is about a women named Maryam, her daughter Sara along and her husband Edward who live in England; one day a tragic incident happens in Maryam’s family that leads her to feel guilty enough to leave to her hometown in Mazareh, Iran. Throughout this story secrets and childhood memories come forth. One unique symbol that is brought up throughout the novel is the red book, which contains poems in English. The red book was given to Maryam when she was younger by a boy named Ali; Ali was a young boy who was working for Maryam’s family. Throughout this story we are shown that this red book is very important to Maryam and one can see that it symbolizes relationships, memories, and a connection with the outside world. There are a lot of memories that bring Maryam back to her childhood just by seeing the red book. Since Ali gave her the book and was teaching her how to read the poems, I believe she had a certain connection with the book and Ali. For …show more content…

It describes her life in the past with Ali and new life with Edward and their daughter Sara. Because Maryam carried their book throughout her life in England, it seems as if she used it as a reminder of what she once had to what she has now. Maryam had developed relationships through this red book, from Ali in Iran, who is an old friend, who also taught her a few verses of the poem to Edward, her husband, in England helping her finish that same poem. Because she developed these relationships, she also developed memories to go along with it. This red book developed new memories and refurnished old memories; it reminds her from when she first got the book from Ali when she was younger, and they both knew that if someone found out then they would both be in trouble. Childhood memories good or bad traveled in this book with Maryam from Iran to

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