"There was a pomegranate tree near the entrance to the cemetery."

IMAGERY AND POMEGRANATE TREE SYMBOLISM ANNOTATION:

Hosseini uses this piece of imagery as a literary device to point out to readers that there is a fruitful living tree right outside the entrance to an abandoned cemetery. The following sentences after this quote shows that this pomegranate tree is alive and growing juicy fruit.  This piece of imagery leads to the symbolic meaning of the pomegranate tree. While the pomegranate tree is alive, society in Afghanistan is peaceful, places are beautiful, and people are active. When the pomegranate tree is dead and not growing any fruit (which it is later on in the book), society in Afghanistan is violent, everything is destroyed, and people are afraid to leave their homes. The pomegranate tree symbolizes life in Afghanistan.