Apple is more than a fruit. It is, in fact, a symbol with a long heritage. One of the most familiar apple symbols is found in our holy books – most prominently in the Bible. Apple is the forbidden fruit eaten by Adam and resulted in a shocking landing of man from Heavens on Earth. Had this apple not been consumed, there is a possibility that our joy-ride on planet Earth would not have materialized.
Many men still carry a symbolic reminisces of this incidence in their neck called Adam’s apple. The thyroid cartilage surrounds the voice box, in this case forming a lump- resembling a wedged apple – an innocent reminder of the forbidden fruit.
An uncanny falling apple guided Sir Newton into discovering the laws of motion. The question arises: had the apple not fallen, would we have been deprived of the laws of motion? And where would NASA and its space missions go in that case? Neil Armstrong would have no means to land on the moon and all we would remember from the 1960s is Marylyn Monroe. And what would happen to the television channels running through space satellites that utilize Newton’s laws of motion?
Mythology has a special place for apples too. Norse mythology considers it a sign of fertility. Greek hero Heracles ventures into the Garden of the Hesperides to pick golden apples of life.
Apple has played a pivotal role in the fairytales too. Snow White was deceived and fed a poisonous apple by her jealous stepmother. It was a conventional tussle between the ugly evil and the beautiful good but the question is, why an apple? Why not a burger or a doughnut to simply guide Snow White into obesity?
Apples are taken for granted as a fruit since they are usually available all year round. This is not because they grow all year, but because they have many breeds cultivated in different countries with a different harvest period ensuring their presence all year round. And the global commerce guarantees that the apple-deprived states also get their share.
There is a proverb, which makes a lucid reference to Apple’s nutritious qualities. "An Apple a Day keeps the doctor away". It is said that apple the fruit contains the exact amount of trace elements the human body needs. This theory is now suspected to be a publicity stunt by farmers to increase apple sales. There is little doubt on apples’ anti-cancer and anti-aging qualities. Iron deficiency is the common cause of many medical complications (especially during pregnancy), and the iron-rich apples can counter it. Apples also come in many shades depending on the genotype, from deep red, pink, green to yellow. There is an apple color for every occasion, and they can be a delicious substitute for rose flowers.
The United States can boast of a few cultural signatures. One of them is apple pie. The British transported apples and the pie recipes across Atlantic. Since the 18th century, apple pies have been so famous that now they say "as American as an apple pie." A town in the state of New Mexico is now called Pie Town because of its apple pie heritage.
There is a new-age desire for an Apple, manufactured by Apple Inc, just as alluring and pricey as the forbidden fruit. The company is a multi-national manufacturer of many modern day electronic devices, and one of the favorites in America.
Apple has been used in idioms and proverbs as well. The connotation of the word varies drastically. Take the examples of "an apple of discord" which means the cause of conflict. The world’s most coveted, populace and happening metropolis – New York is called the Big Apple. Incidentally, in 2001, it became the site for terror attacks that led to a War on Terror (the Big Apple of discord?). It is a calamity similar to falling of man from Heavens, only that it became gorier and politicized this time.
The proverb: "an apple of my eyes" is used to refer to a beloved. Perhaps this is why actress Gwyneth Paltrow named her daughter Apple. My generous librarian friend in Hong Kong gifted me many candies on my departure, along with the honor of finding her an English name. After much reflection and gratitude for her warmth, I named her Apple.
This piece was first published in The News.
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