Symbols As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow Zoulfa Katouh

The Hijab: A Symbol of Identity and Agency in As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow

Introduction

In Zoulfa Katouh’s As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow, the hijab is far more than a piece of fabric. It functions as a concrete symbol of Salama Kassab’s religious identity, personal agency, and cultural rootedness. Throughout the siege of Homs, the hijab appears in moments of routine, trauma, intimacy, and transformation. Its most significant recurrence—when Salama allows it to slip or removes it—marks a turning point in her relationship with Kenan and in her own journey toward reclaiming her life. This analysis traces the literal meaning of the hijab, its recurrence across the novel, how its symbolism shifts, and its connections to characters and central themes.

What the Hijab Literally Is and Where It Recurrs

The hijab is the head covering worn by Salama as a practicing Muslim woman. In the early chapters, she adjusts it habitually: after waking, she “hold[s] a hand against my head” to check it remained in place (chapter 10). When walking through rubble, she “pull[s] my hijab tight around my neck” against the cold (chapter 2). The covering is a daily, practical item that also signals her modesty and faith.

Key recurrences include:

  • Chapter 1: Salama tightens her hijab on the way home from the market, aware of the cold and the dried blood under her lab coat.
  • Chapter 3: In the flashback of the bombing, her hijab is torn alongside her clothes, marking physical and psychological damage.
  • Chapter 10: She wakes disoriented and immediately checks her hijab, then later feels self-conscious about her “wrinkled hijab” in front of Kenan.
  • Chapter 16: During a panic attack after an amputation, Kenan holds her and she presses her cheek to his jacket. Her hijab remains in place, but the intimacy of the moment—being held by a non-relative—signals a breach of usual boundaries.
  • Chapter 29: Salama fiercely protects Layla’s modesty when Kenan enters the room, shouting that Layla is not wearing her hijab. This scene underscores the hijab’s role as a boundary between the private feminine sphere and male gaze.
  • Chapter 40 (the sea crossing): Her hijab slips in the water as she struggles to keep Lama and Yusuf alive; she does not pause to fix it, prioritizing survival over modesty.
  • Epilogue: Salama is in Toronto with short hair, no hijab mentioned. The absence is striking; she has left behind the physical marker of her former life.

Character Connections

Salama Kassab

The hijab is intimately tied to Salama’s sense of self. In the hospital, she wears it under her lab coat, a blend of her professional and religious identities. When Khawf torments her, she recites soothing herbal names—a coping mechanism that does not involve removing the hijab. The only time she willingly participates in its removal is in the intimate moment with Kenan (chapter 16), where she allows herself to be held and does not readjust it immediately. Later, the epilogue’s absence of hijab suggests she has redefined her identity outside of war.

Kenan

Kenan respects Salama’s hijab. In chapter 16, when he holds her, he apologizes for touching her: “I know I shouldn’t have touched you … we’re not promised to each other.” He treats the hijab as a signal of religious boundaries and never pressures her. In chapter 29, when he accidentally sees Layla uncovered, Salama’s anger makes him realize his mistake. His deference reinforces that the hijab is a marker of trust—Salama only lowers her guard with him when she chooses.

Layla

Layla is also a hijabi, but in moments of intimacy (like the wedding memory) the covering is adjusted voluntarily among women. In chapter 29, Layla sits without her hijab in her own home, which is permissible, but Salama panics when Kenan enters. This moment highlights the hijab as a boundary between private and public, female-only and mixed-gender spaces.

Khawf

Khawf, Salama’s personified fear, never interacts with the hijab directly. His presence does not compel her to remove it; rather, his taunts try to strip away her hope and identity. The hijab remains steady even when her mental state fractures, symbolizing that faith is one part of her that Khawf cannot touch.

Thematic Connections

Survival vs. Living

Salama’s hijab is part of living, not just surviving. She tightens it for warmth (survival) but also adjusts it before prayer (living). In the sea, her hijab slips because survival overtakes the norms of living—she must kick, not cover. The epilogue’s bare head suggests she has reached a place where living includes the freedom to choose her appearance.

Hope and Resilience

The hijab is a small act of resilience; every day she puts it on, she asserts her identity despite the siege. In the epilogue, the lemon tree and the absence of hijab together symbolize a new kind of hope—not the same as before, but still rooted in who she is.

Trauma and Guilt

Trauma often makes Salama feel unclean (blood under her hijab, on her hands). Yet she keeps the hijab on, as if to shield herself. In chapter 3, the torn hijab in the bombing memory literalizes the scarring of her psyche.

Sacrifice and Duty

Salama’s duty to Layla requires her to function despite trauma. The hijab is part of her uniform, as constant as her lab coat. When she sacrifices her own safety to save others, the hijab remains in place, a silent witness to her dedication.

Resistance and Documentation

Kenan documents the war with his camera; Salama documents with her body and her hijab. She is a visible Muslim woman, and that visibility is an act of resistance. In the epilogue, she makes videos and writes articles—her hijab is gone, but her voice remains.

Symbolic Shifts: Removal and Agency

The most powerful shift occurs in chapter 16. Salama, hyperventilating after a surgery, allows Kenan to hold her. Her hijab is not removed, but she does not pull away from his touch—a violation of the space that the hijab normally guards. She later thinks, “I’ve never been held close by a boy before.” This moment is the first time she willingly surrenders the protective barrier the hijab represents, trusting Kenan with her vulnerability.

In chapter 29, she overcorrects, screaming at Kenan for seeing Layla uncovered. This ironically shows how much the hijab still means to her—she is protecting Layla’s modesty as if it were her own.

The sea crossing (chapter 40) strips away control; her hijab slips and she cannot fix it. This physical loosening parallels her loss of agency as the boat sinks. Yet in the epilogue, when she has full agency in Toronto, she chooses not to wear the hijab. This is not loss but transformation: her identity now includes the freedom to decide.

Study Questions

1. What does the hijab represent for Salama at the beginning of the novel?
At the start, the hijab represents Salama’s religious faith, modesty, and cultural identity. It is a routine part of her daily life—she adjusts it after sleeping, tightens it against the cold, and wears it under her lab coat at the hospital. It also marks her as a visible Muslim woman in a warzone, where her faith is a source of strength against trauma.

2. How does the hijab connect to Salama’s trauma and psychological state?
Salama associates the hijab with safety and order. When she is panicking, she checks it is in place (chapter 10). In the bombing memory, her torn hijab mirrors her physical and emotional wounds. Khawf, her hallucinated fear, never touches the hijab, suggesting that her faith remains intact even when her mind fractures. The hijab is a constant that trauma cannot steal.

3. Why is Salama so upset when Kenan sees Layla without her hijab in chapter 29?
Salama’s outburst stems from her protective role over Layla and her internalized rules of modesty. In hijabi culture, women are not required to cover in front of male mahrams (unmarriageable relatives) or in private female spaces. Kenan is neither a relative nor a husband to Layla; seeing her uncovered is a breach of that boundary. Salama jumps in front of Layla and orders Kenan away, revealing how seriously she takes this religious and social obligation, even in the chaos of war.

4. What does the absence of the hijab in the epilogue suggest about Salama’s character arc?
The epilogue describes Salama with hair “cut short to my chin” and no mention of a hijab. In Toronto, she has left Syria and the extreme circumstances that made the hijab both a comfort and a necessity. Her decision to stop wearing it—or to adopt a different practice—signals a redefinition of her identity. She is still Muslim (she prays, references God), but the external marker has become optional. This reflects her agency: she now controls her own body and appearance, just as she controls her own story through activism and art.