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The History of American-Iranian Relations
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Darius the Great Is Not Okay, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Friendship
Family
Persian Identity and Culture
Mental Health, Depression, and Connection
Bullying
Summary
Analysis
It takes Babou 10 minutes to water his fig trees, and he never falls. Sohrab holds the ladder while Babou climbs down, and then Babou grabs Darius by the shoulders, calling him Darioush, and welcomes him to Yazd. Instead of hugging Darius, as Darius expects, Babou just says that Darius is tall like Dad. Darius awkwardly thanks Babou for hosting, and then Babou introduces Sohrab and says Sohrab and Darius should be friends. Sohrab smiles and shakes his head, and Darius’s face burns. In Farsi, Babou says something about Mamou and robe, which is pomegranate molasses. In English, Sohrab invites Darius to come with him to his uncle’s store.
Things continue to proceed awkwardly between Darius and his grandfather—Darius isn’t used to adults being so brisk and straightforward with him, as when Babou tells Darius to befriend Sohrab. This is also an anxiety-inducing moment in general, as Darius doesn’t really have friends at home. So, it’s humiliating to think at first that Sohrab is being serious when he shakes his head. This seems, initially, like more proof that Darius is unlovable and destined to be lonely, even if it does turn out to just be a joke.
Themes
As Darius follows Sohrab down the street, he can appreciate that the houses are varying shades of off-white and that all the cars are makes and models he’s never seen. Darius wonders what Dad thinks of Iranian cars, but Dad’s still asleep. Mostly silently, the boys walk to a part of town with shops. Most of the women just wear headscarves, but some wear black chadors that cover them from head to toe. Darius is hot just with his black hair, so he wonders how they don’t overheat. When Sohrab asks if this is Darius’s first visit to Iran, Darius says he thinks Mom was a bit afraid to come due to Dad being American. Sohrab says he thinks it’s not so bad. Darius thinks of Customs Officer II and agrees, and then they fall into a comfortable silence. Darius is sure he and Sohrab will be friends.
It’s significant that Darius begins to see Yazd in a new light while out with Sohrab, a new friend—friends, this suggests, can introduce someone to new ways of thinking about things. However, Darius isn’t leaping headfirst into his friendship with Sohrab; for instance, he doesn’t ask Sohrab how women who wear chadors don’t overheat, a question that Darius may fear would expose his ignorance. He also discovers that Sohrab is himself a bit ignorant: Darius’s encounter with the customs officer could’ve gone really badly, but Sohrab seems wholly unaware of the dangers inherent to traveling to Iran as an American.
Themes
Finally, Sohrab leads Darius into his uncle’s store. To Darius’s surprise, it looks exactly like Persian grocery stores back home. Sohrab’s uncle is obviously a “True Persian,” as thick chest hair sticks out of his shirt collar, but he’s taller and bigger than Dad. Sohrab and his uncle greet each other with “Alláh-u-Abhá,” the traditional Bahá’í greeting, and then Sohrab introduces Darius to his uncle, Agha Rezaei. Darius blushes when Agha Rezaei asks if Mamou prefers sweeter or sourer robe—he doesn’t know—but Agha Rezaei chooses one for Darius. At the counter, he offers Darius faludeh, which is rosewater sorbet with thin noodles in it. Sohrab says he can’t have any now, since he’s Bahá’í and they fast the last month until Nowruz. Darius suggests they come back after Nowruz, so they can both have some.
Bahá’ís are a religious minority in Iran. It’s significant here that Darius notes that Sohrab’s uncle is a “True Persian,” as well as Bahá’í—Bahá’ís in Iran are routinely persecuted by the government, so this essentially affirms for readers that Bahá’ís are valid and valuable members of Iranian society. Then, it’s mortifying for Darius to have to face that he doesn’t know Mamou all that well, if he doesn’t know what kind of robe she prefers. They don’t yet have that kind of relationship. And finally, Darius shows that he knows how to be a good friend when he insists that he and Sohrab put off their faludeh date until they can both enjoy the treat. Now, Sohrab won’t feel left out.
Themes
Back on the street, Darius suggests that when he and Sohrab come back for faludeh, he could bring Laleh. Sohrab says he’d love to have a brother so he could have someone to play soccer with. He asks if Darius plays. Darius used to play on a team but quit when he was 12 and now only plays in gym class. Sohrab invites Darius to come play tomorrow afternoon, and surprising himself, Darius agrees. Sohrab laughs and observes that Darius doesn’t taarof, so Darius asks if Sohrab wants him to come. Throwing an arm over Darius’s shoulders, Sohrab says he does.
Darius has made it clear to readers that he’s not normally the kind of person to easily agree to something like playing soccer with boys he doesn’t really know—that’s a situation ripe for embarrassment and possible bullying. But Sohrab makes Darius feel secure and as though he can try new things, and so Darius begins to step out of his shell. He also gets a reminder that some people in Iran will expect him to taarof, so Darius will need to adjust to differing cultural norms.
Themes
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Back at the house, Darius takes the robe to the kitchen and finds Babou there pouring himself tea. Darius forgets to taarof when Babou offers him tea, but Babou doesn’t seem to mind. They sip their tea in silence, Babou holding a sugar cube between his teeth to sweeten his. Darius is extremely uncomfortable. He thought he’d know what to say to his grandfather when they finally met in person, but he doesn’t.
The question of whether or not to taarof becomes even more anxiety inducing here, as Darius gets more evidence that his grandparents don’t really expect him to taarof. They essentially accept him as he is—culturally American—and aren’t trying to make him change. But while kind in some ways, this also makes Darius feel like he’s failing to be the good Persian grandson he’d like to be.
Themes
Darius falls asleep at the table and only wakes up when Mom rouses him for dinner. Over a noodle soup, Laleh tells Babou about the flight in Farsi. Darius keeps nodding off and finally, Mom and Mamou tell Darius to go to bed. Mamou walks Darius to his room and says she’s glad Darius met Sohrab and has made a friend. Darius is glad too, and he’s genuinely looking forward to playing soccer tomorrow.
Darius hasn’t been dreading the trip to Yazd necessarily, but having befriended Sohrab makes the prospect of being here for a few weeks way more appealing. He now has the opportunity to learn about friendship and relating to his peers, in addition to getting to know Mamou and Babou.
Themes
