Margaret Changes Nusrat's Under The Persimmon Tree

(AGG) Elizabeth Kubler-Ross once said, “The reality is that you will grieve forever. You will not ‘get over’ the loss of a loved one; you will learn to live with it. You will heal and rebuild yourself around the loss you have suffered. You will be whole again but, you will never be the same. Nor should you be the same, nor would you want to (“A Quote”).” (BS-1) In the book, Under the Persimmon Tree, the loss of Margaret gives her a new outlook on life. (BS-2) Later on, when she meets Faiz, he showed her a new way of living. (BS-3) At the end, acceptance heals her pain from the people she’s lost. (TS) Clearly, Nusrat is strongly affected, in both good and bad ways by the loss of her loved ones.

(MIP-1) Losing Margaret changes Nusrat’s view
(SIP-A) She makes the decision to change her religion. (STEWE-1) She decides this for herself, not for Faiz, “Nusrat converted to Islam before she and Faiz even discussed marriage...The idea struck her the first time she entered Faiz’s apartment…” (Staples 134). Meeting Faiz changes her because she wanted what she saw in Faiz. (STEWE-2) Also, Nusrat wanted to know why God would take Margaret away from her, “After her sister's death Elaine began a quest for meaning" (Staples 134). She is lost, angry, and confused. She doesn't understand why the one and only God she trusted, took one of the most important people in her life away from her. However, it has also helped her to learn faith and combine faith with science and math. (SIP-B) After meeting Faiz, she looks at life in a new way and begins to find out more about herself. (STEWE-1) She begins to know what she wants in life: “What she longed for was the kind of peace and assurance that radiated from Faiz" (Staples 136). The loss of Margaret caused her to feel detached from her society, family, and friends. When she stepped into Faiz’s apartment, she felt that peace that she had been longing for. (STEWE-2) She wanted a religion that would be compatible with her own lifestyle, “‘I am a mathematician,’ she said. ‘I need a religion that’s compatible with science and mathematics… ‘Islam is the cradle of modern mathematics and astronomy,’ the imam said” (Staples 137). She
(SIP-A) With Faiz gone, she doesn’t feel stable inside, and once again, she feels alone. (STEWE-1) She wonders and worries about Faiz everyday, “She asks her servant, Husna, to check the mailbox every afternoon…” (Staples 43). She is scared she will lose him, and she does not want to go through the same experience from when she lost Margaret. (STEWE-2) She has finally found someone who understands her and he has become a big part in her life: “With Faiz gone, she feels as if one of her main parts are missing…” (Staples 141). He is a piece of her life (BUILD OFF) . There is no longer any liveliness or excitement in her life, but she still must learn to swim. She does not have a reason to maintain her soul to be ‘alive’ nor stayed hopeful (SIP-B) Later on, Nusrat learned to accept the loss and pain.(STEWE-1) She begins to accept the loss of her loved ones, “When she awakens, Nusrat feels peace settling over the raw center of pain in her chest” (Staples 231). The pain subsides when she stops fooling herself and she learns to accept. She now understands that both Margaret and Faiz are in a better place among the stars, and one day she will see them again. (STEWE-2) After she accepts the losses she’s had, she decides to go back to America and make amends with her family, “‘For them my converting to Islam was a little as if I'd died. They felt they'd lost me. They're getting older now, and I think I