Darius the Great Is Not Okay

by

Adib Khorram

Darius the Great Is Not Okay: My Cousin, the Ringwraith Summary & Analysis

Summary
Analysis
Nowruz is kind of the Persian version of Christmas: it’s a family affair, there’s lots of food, and you take the day off school or work (though Darius never told anyone why he was out of school). When Mamou and Babou emerge from their room, they give out gifts, just like Christmas. They give Darius a white shirt like Sohrab’s, and both Darius and Laleh get five million rial (which isn’t nearly as impressive in dollars) from their uncles. As Darius goes to put his gifts in his room, Sohrab follows and gives Darius a gift of his own. Darius refuses, and it’s not just a taarof; he feels selfish and awful for not getting Sohrab a gift. But he unwraps the package to reveal a soccer jersey for Iran’s national team.
Darius didn’t share with anyone at home that he skipped school on Nowruz to escape the expected bullying. Even though Nowruz is a happy holiday, and one Darius likes, then, Darius’s desire to fit in means he feels compelled to hide elements of Persian culture. Five million rial is about $100, so as Darius notes, it’s a generous sum but not nearly as impressive as if the exchange rate were one to one. Sohrab’s gift, however, takes his and Darius’s friendship to a new level. It highlights that they’ve bonded over soccer, and wearing a jersey for the Iranian national team also helps Darius feel (and look) more Iranian.
Themes
Friendship  Theme Icon
Persian Identity and Culture Theme Icon
Bullying  Theme Icon
Darius’s emotions are all over the place. He thanks Sohrab, sniffles, and pulls on the jersey—it makes him feel like he belongs. Just then, Khanum Rezaei appears in the doorway with a camera and takes a picture of Sohrab and Darius, their arms over each other’s shoulders. Darius loves how Sohrab isn’t afraid to show affection to another guy like that.
Immediately, Darius picks up on the significance of the jersey. It’s not just a token of his and Sohrab’s friendship; it also makes Darius look like he belongs in Iran. That Darius so appreciates Sohrab’s physical affection again suggests that Darius misses this kind of connection at home in Portland.
Themes
Friendship  Theme Icon
Persian Identity and Culture Theme Icon
The meal starts at sunset so that Sohrab and Khanum Rezaei can eat with everyone else. Darius enjoys the stews, while Laleh eats cucumbers whole. Dayi Jamsheed asks Darius if he doesn’t like cucumbers, and when Darius says he doesn’t, Jamsheed observes that Darius isn’t Persian like Laleh; he’s more like Dad. Darius is still wearing the jersey from Sohrab and has never felt more Persian—but it’s still not enough. Darius goes to the kitchen and finds Dad doing dishes. He insists on helping and shares that Mamou said it was sweet that Dad does dishes. Dad says that Mamou told Mom he was going to spoil her, since Iranian men don’t do dishes. But he’s happy to help.
Darius is on an emotional roller coaster. Sohrab made Darius feel wanted and like he fits in by giving him the jersey—while Dayi Jamsheed manages to make Darius feel the exact opposite. This suggests, pessimistically, that Darius might never feel entirely like he fits in. There will always be someone whom Darius perceives as more Persian who will thus have the ability to tear Darius down. As Darius and Dad chat, Dad suggests there are things about Persian culture that he dislikes: he’d rather be more helpful in the kitchen than traditional Persian culture would prefer, for instance. Culture, Dad suggests, is up for interpretation—and Darius also has the ability to pick and choose which elements of Persian or American culture he wants to follow.
Themes
Friendship  Theme Icon
Family Theme Icon
Persian Identity and Culture Theme Icon
Quotes
Dad asks how Darius is getting along with his uncles, so Darius shares that Dayi Jamsheed said he wasn’t Persian enough because he doesn’t like cucumbers and Dayi Soheil called him fat. Dad is aghast at first, but then says the belly pat was probably just affection. Mom enters the kitchen and tells Darius and Dad to join the party. Dad tries to refuse, which makes Darius wonder if Dad is trying to avoid all the Bahramis. But Dad never avoids anything, so that can’t be it. Finally, Dad steers Darius back to the living room.
Though Dad and Darius seemed to be connecting well, Dad (perhaps unwittingly) alienates Darius by not validating Darius’s negative experiences with his uncles. Still, Darius generously tries to put himself in Dad’s shoes and wonder if Dad isn’t as comfortable as he seems surrounded by Mom’s extended family. However, Darius continues to see Dad as perfect, so he ultimately rejects the possibility that Dad might be uncomfortable.
Themes
Family Theme Icon
Bullying  Theme Icon
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After dinner, people push back furniture so they can dance. The ladies start, while Darius and Sohrab stand in the corner and dance in place. Darius has never had more fun, but then Sohrab drags Darius onto the floor. It hurts that Sohrab and Mamou have celebrated Nowruz like this before, and Darius is jealous when Mamou kisses Sohrab on the cheek. But Sohrab smiles at Darius like he understands, and everything is okay. Soon after, Darius finds Dad, Dayi Jamsheed, Dayi Soheil, and Babou playing Rook in the kitchen. It’s a very Iranian game and you play in pairs, so it’s shocking to see Dad playing, partnered with Babou. He even looks like he’s having fun and fits in—he’s truly the Übermensch. Darius sneaks a qottab and slips out the door.
Like so many of Darius’s other experiences in Iran, dancing is emotionally difficult. It’s fun, but Darius can’t ignore that he’s here dancing for the first time. He implies that he feels on the outs, especially since Sohrab has been here for years and has, perhaps, played the role of a grandson for Mamou and Babou. Then, it makes Darius feel even more alienated to find Dad seemingly fitting in and playing Rook. It’s especially surprising since Dad is playing with Babou, who doesn’t much like Dad. But rather than wonder if Dad is actually having fun and fitting in (or if he’s just pretending), Darius assumes Dad is perfect and, by extension, that he never will be.
Themes
Friendship  Theme Icon
Family Theme Icon
Persian Identity and Culture Theme Icon