Darius the Great Is Not Okay Character Analysis

Darius Kellner

The novel’s protagonist, Darius is a high school sophomore and a self-described “Fractional Persian”; that is, his mom is Iranian and his dad is white. Darius lives in Portland, Oregon and doesn’t feel like he… read analysis of Darius Kellner

Sohrab Rezaei

Sohrab is Mamou and Babou’s neighbor, and when he and Darius meet, he quickly becomes Darius’s best friend. He’s lean, muscular, loves soccer, and dreams of being an architect or a civil engineer when… read analysis of Sohrab Rezaei

Dad

Darius’s dad is a partner at an architecture firm in Portland. Darius refers to him as a Teutonic Übermensch, as Dad is white, tall, conventionally attractive, seems to have never struggled with bullying or… read analysis of Dad

Mom

Darius’s mom is a UX designer. She’s also Iranian; she immigrated to the U.S. and married Dad 17 years ago, though her initial plan wasn’t to stay in the U.S. Though Darius knows his… read analysis of Mom

Laleh Kellner

Laleh is Darius’s eight-year-old sister. Unlike him, she manages to be wildly popular at school—though Darius doesn’t hold this against her, as he adores his little sister and she idolizes him in return. She’s… read analysis of Laleh Kellner

Mamou

Mamou is Mom’s mother and Darius’s grandmother. She lives with her husband, Babou, in Yazd, Iran. Darius adores his grandmother and always has—she’s loving and open—but he struggles to know what to… read analysis of Mamou

Babou

Babou is Mom’s dad and Darius’s grandfather. He and his wife, Mamou, live in Yazd, Iran and have for their entire lives. Although Babou speaks English, he’s more comfortable speaking Farsi, which… read analysis of Babou

Trent “Fatty” Bolger

The antagonist of the novel, Trent Bolger is one of the most popular kids at Darius’s school. Though he’s a known bully, because kids at school tolerate his behavior, he’s technically not in violation… read analysis of Trent “Fatty” Bolger

Chip Cusumano

Chip is one of Trent’s cronies and a Soulless Minion of Orthodoxy, though he’s not as cruel as Trent and might actually be a nice person. He regularly accompanies Trent when Trent bullies Darius… read analysis of Chip Cusumano

Sohrab’s Dad

Sohrab’s dad doesn’t appear in person in the novel, as he’s been imprisoned by the Iranian government for several years. He was arrested during protests—but he wasn’t a protester. Sohrab explains that his dad… read analysis of Sohrab’s Dad

Sohrab’s Uncle/Agha Rezaei

Agha Rezaei, Sohrab’s uncle, owns a grocery store in Yazd. Darius is struck both by how stereotypically Persian Agha Rezaei looks (he has a lush beard and lots of chest hair) and how unusually… read analysis of Sohrab’s Uncle/Agha Rezaei

Ali-Reza

Ali-Reza is a boy whom Hossein and Sohrab regularly play soccer with. At first, Darius thinks Ali-Reza is a friend of Sohrab’s—but he soon realizes that the two are more like enemies. This, Sohrab explains… read analysis of Ali-Reza

Dayi Jamsheed

Dayi Jamsheed is Mom’s brother, one of Darius’s uncles. He’s the only Bahrami, aside from Mamou and Babou, who still lives in Yazd, so he’s the one to drive Darius’s family to… read analysis of Dayi Jamsheed

Coach Fortes

Coach Fortes is the soccer coach and physical education teacher at Darius’s school. He’s generally cool and supportive of his students—he doesn’t punish Darius when Darius is late due to his backpack breaking, and… read analysis of Coach Fortes

Customs Officer II

Customs Officer II is a hulking customs officer who pulls Darius away from his family for questioning at the Tehran airport. With his turban and beard, he looks extremely Persian and makes Darius feel less… read analysis of Customs Officer II

Minor Characters

Sohrab’s Mom/Khanum Rezaei/Mahvash Rezaei

Sohrab’s mom, Mahvash, was Mom’s childhood friend. Darius likes her because she’s kind, enthusiastic, and adores Mamou, though he also thinks that with her wild hair and low forehead, she looks a bit like a Klingon from Star Trek.

Hossein

Hossein is a boy whom Sohrab and Ali-Reza regularly play soccer with. Like Ali-Reza, he is prejudiced against Bahá’ís, but he doesn’t seem as bigoted as Ali-Reza.

Mr. Apatan

Mr. Apatan is Darius’s boss at The Tea Haven. Though he’s extremely literal and rejects anything he interprets as elitist (such as sniffing teas or steeping different teas at different temperatures), he’s kind and generous, and Darius thinks he’s a pretty cool boss.

Javaneh Esfahani

Javaneh is the only other Iranian student at Darius’s school, though she’s far more popular than Darius and, according to him, only tolerates him. She was, like Darius, born in the United States and has never been to Iran.

Dayi Soheil

Dayi Soheil is one of Darius’s uncles and is Mom’s brother. Though he’s kind and genial, he offends Darius by calling him fat when they meet for the first time at Nowruz.

Zandayi Simin

Zandayi Simin is Dayi Soheil’s wife, Darius’s aunt. She doesn’t speak much English, but she enlists Sohrab to help her translate so she can talk to Darius and tell him about the family.

Dr. Howell

Dr. Howell is both Dad and Darius’s doctor; he manages their depression medications.

Navid

Navid is one of Darius’s cousins; he’s in his early twenties.

Parviz

Parviz is one of Darius’s cousins; he’s in his early twenties.

Nazgul

Nazgul is Darius’s obnoxious cousin.