This is topic Fruit in forum Discussions About Orson Scott Card at Hatrack River Forum.


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Posted by Glue (Member # 5550) on :
 
The symbol of white fruit with unimaginable taste has cropped up in a lot of Mr. Card's books. Specifically the Alvin Maker and Homecoming sagas. I know it is based on the symbolism of the fruit from the story of Genesis, but what do they mean in the stories?

Are they some sort of symbol for an apex in a character's development?

And why does each character that tastes the fruit (from different stories) have to share the taste with others?
 

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Posted by Nessa Nu (Member # 5471) on :
 
Maybe you can try to read this chapter of the Book of Mormon here:

http://www.worldwideschool.org/library/books/relg/bookofmormon/TheBookofMormon01-1Nephi/chap9.html

I am not religious, so I can only guess what the fruit means. Maybe when you eat the fruit you realize the greatness of god (???). Like the fruit god is perfect, pure, sweet...? If that would be so you should pass on that knowledge to others so that they can also realize the greatness of god (???).
Anybody who *knows* the correct interpretation?
 

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Posted by pooka (Member # 5003) on :
 
The difference between Nyef's re-dream and the dream in Nephi 11:11 has been weird to me. I guess the most important difference for me is that in the Homecoming series, the fruit of the love of God is not explicitly linked to the birth and sacrifice of Jesus Christ, which it is in the Book of Mormon.

In this way, I've been thinking the religion in Homecoming has a lot in common with that in the Dune books. Which is based more on Islam, where man is redeemed through righteousness and not an atonement. There are many many similarities, but where Dune is called ZenSunni, I think Harmony's religion would be ZenShia.
 

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Posted by filetted (Member # 5048) on :
 
I can't believe I have utterly missed this symbolism in both of my readings of two fav authors.

smells like the work of Graves.

Flish
 

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Posted by Glue (Member # 5550) on :
 
They're subtle parts of the stories at best. I think Mr. Card wrote more about it in Homecoming than in the Alvin Maker saga.
 

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Posted by docmagik (Member # 1131) on :
 
Pooka's link has the interp.

In chapter 11 , Nephi prays and has the same vision, but this time the angel helps Nephi understand it.

Nephi asks what the tree means, and the angel shows him the future, shows him Christ born on earth to walk among men, and some of the great things Christ would do when he came.

Then he asks Nephi if he understands now what the tree means.

quote:

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And I answered him, saying: Yea, it is the love of God, which sheddeth itself abroad in the hearts of the children of men; wherefore, it is the most desirable above all things.

And he spake unto me, saying: Yea, and the most joyous to the soul.

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