The Pomegranate: A Symbol of Choice and Ambition in The Familiar

The Pomegranate in The Familiar: A Layered Symbol

In Leigh Bardugo’s novel The Familiar, the pomegranate first appears as an ordinary fruit that Santángel brings to Luzia Cotado after the traumatic killing of Álvaro (Chapter 23). This is not a magical object in itself—unlike the golden coins that turned into spiders—but it becomes a charged emblem of choice, ambition, and the countless meanings a single thing can carry. The pomegranate also evokes the myth of Persephone, a story of abduction, coercion, and the irreversible bond formed by eating fruit in the underworld. Throughout the narrative, the pomegranate recurs in key moments, shifting from a tangible token to a metaphor for Luzia’s evolving identity.

Recurrence and Physical Context

The pomegranate appears in three distinct forms:

1. The fruit Santángel gives Luzia (Chapter 23): He slices it open, revealing the blood-red seeds, and offers it to her without accusation. This act follows the violent scene where Luzia’s magic accidentally tore Álvaro apart. The fruit symbolizes a moment of calm and an invitation to decide her own path.
2. The pomegranate tree Luzia grows from a seed (Chapter 20): During a lesson, Luzia uses her magic to grow a pomegranate from a seed and heal the broken stem into a flourishing tree. This demonstrates her power over life and nature, but also underscores that her magic works through transformation, not creation from nothing.
3. The taste of pomegranate as ambition (Chapter 26): During the first trial of the Torneo Secreto, Luzia mentally tastes the pomegranate she ate, linking the fruit to her hunger for success and her refusal to be a mere “kitchen maid” any longer.

Evolution of Meaning

Santángel’s speech in Chapter 23 is the novel’s most explicit unpacking of the pomegranate’s symbolism. He lists historical and religious associations: the fruit was added to the coat of arms of Ferdinand and Isabella after the conquest of Granada; the Qur’an calls it a gift from Allah; the Bible says the serpent used it to tempt Eve; two hundred pomegranates were carved into Solomon’s temple; and San Juan de Dios made it a symbol of healing. Then he declares, “But in the end, it belongs to no one except the woman who holds it in her hand. Eat it or do not. Compete in the torneo or turn your back. It is your choice.”

This speech redefines the pomegranate as an empty vessel—a thing that has been loaded with different meanings by different cultures and powers. By placing it in Luzia’s hand, Santángel offers her the chance to claim her own meaning. The fruit ceases to be a symbol of anyone else’s conquest or temptation and becomes a tool for Luzia to author her own story.

Earlier, the pomegranate tree she grew was a display of her abilities under duress—it erupted from the broken stem as a sign of her untamed power. That tree was not a choice but a consequence of her magic and Víctor’s cruelty. The later fruit, however, is freely given and freely taken.

Connections to Characters and Themes

• Luzia Cotado: For Luzia, the pomegranate represents the weight of her decisions. After eating it, she tastes her own ambition (Chapter 26: “the taste of her own ambition”). She moves from guilt and self-doubt to a fierce determination to win the torneo, even if it means bloodshed. The fruit also links her to Persephone—the “peasant girl abducted” myth that she references. Yet Luzia chooses to eat, whereas Persephone was tricked. This inversion suggests Luzia’s agency in a world where women (especially conversas) have little.
• Santángel: The giver of the fruit, Santángel acts as a mentor and a mirror. His own history of sacrifice and immortality (Chapter 37’s story of the prince and Tello) echoes the pomegranate’s theme of exchange and loss. By giving Luzia the fruit, he offers her the same kind of impossible choice he once faced.
• Don Víctor de Paredes: The antagonist represents the forces that try to control Luzia’s power. He orders violence against Santángel to test Luzia’s healing, illustrating that he sees her as a tool. The pomegranate, as a symbol of personal choice, stands in direct opposition to Víctor’s domination.
• Themes: The pomegranate is central to choice and coercion, identity and concealment (since the meaning of the fruit changes depending on who holds it), magic as survival, and love vs. sacrifice (Santángel’s willingness to break his fingers for Luzia, Luzia’s willingness to risk everything). It also touches on faith and heresy, as the fruit’s religious references highlight the contested spiritual landscape of 16th-century Spain.

Study Questions with Answers

1. Why does Santángel give Luzia a pomegranate rather than a simple pep talk?

Santángel gives the fruit to make her choice concrete. He knows that abstract encouragement won’t overcome her guilt after killing Álvaro. The pomegranate is an object that she can hold, taste, and decide to finish or reject. By enumerating its many meanings—from conquest to temptation—he shows her that meaning is not inherent but assigned by the person who possesses it. The act of eating becomes a ritual of claiming agency. Moreover, the fruit’s associations with Persephone remind Luzia that even a stolen choice can bind her to a new life; she must decide whether she wants that life.

2. How does the pomegranate tree Luzia grows earlier (Chapter 20) differ in meaning from the fruit Santángel gives her?

The tree is an accidental product of violence and survival. Luzia grew it from a broken stem while under Víctor’s pressured demand to heal Santángel’s fingers. That tree represents her uncontrolled power and the dangerous, life-and-death stakes of her magic. It arises from coercion, not consent. In contrast, the later pomegranate is freely offered and consumed in a quiet, private moment. The tree forces life out of damage; the fruit offers a deliberate choice. Together, they show that Luzia’s magic can be both weapon and gift, but only she can decide which it will be.

3. In what way does the pomegranate connect to the theme of identity and concealment?

Luzia is a conversa—a Jewish convert to Christianity living under constant threat of Inquisition scrutiny. The pomegranate’s multiple meanings across religions (Qur’an, Bible, Jewish temple) reflect Luzia’s own fractured identity. She must hide her literacy, her Jewish heritage, and the true source of her magic. Santángel’s speech teaches her that an object (or a person) can be defined by different stories; Luzia can choose which story to embody. By eating the fruit, she accepts that she will be many things—a liar, a murderer, a miracle worker—and that these labels do not have to be contradictory.

4. How does the pomegranate scene foreshadow Luzia’s later taste of ambition in Chapter 26?

In Chapter 23, Luzia eats the pomegranate in private, asking Santángel to turn his back so she can enjoy it without self-consciousness. The act is intimate and defiant. In Chapter 26, as she watches the other torneo competitors, “she could taste the pomegranate in her mouth, the taste of her own ambition, the hunger for more.” The fruit’s taste becomes a memory that fuels her. This shows that her decision to compete was not a single moment but a continued commitment. The pomegranate is no longer a physical fruit but a lingering sensation that reminds her of what she is willing to risk. It also echoes the Persephone myth—once eaten, the fruit binds her to this new world of competition and danger.