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Standard Parental Maneuver Alpha
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
Darius dresses and fishes in his messenger bag for the tin of tea for Mamou. She’s at the sink in the kitchen, which allows her a view of the back garden. This makes Darius wonder if Sohrab will come back and how he can avoid Sohrab, but he focuses and presents Mamou the tin of tea. She thanks Darius and says he’s sweet, like Dad (if Darius were drinking tea, he’d shoot some out of his nose, because Dad isn’t sweet). Then, she asks if Darius likes qottab, which are tiny fried pastries. They’re also Darius’s favorite.
When Mamou calls Dad “sweet,” it suggests that there’s probably more to Dad than Darius realizes. Mamou’s relationship with Dad, after all, is several years older than Darius is. However, Darius brushes past this, a sign of his youth and immaturity, and allows Mamou to win him over with qottab. Note that Mamou is able to connect with Darius over food because she doesn’t make him feel bad about what he eats or his weight, so for them, food can be a neutral, shared love.
Themes
According to Mom, Yazd is the dessert capital of Iran, so Darius figures it makes sense he has a sweet tooth. Dad, of course, doesn’t let Darius eat sweets all the time, since he thinks Darius’s weight is due to a lack of discipline. Dr. Howell says it’s a side effect of the meds and is totally worth it if it means Darius is emotionally stable. Darius is certain Dad has never struggled with his weight, since Übermensches never do.
Again, it’s really common for antidepressants to cause people to gain weight, so it reads as somewhat odd that Dad takes such an issue with Darius’s body—especially when Darius’s doctor says Darius is fine. There may be something more to Dad’s fixation on Darius’s weight, though, and perhaps this is because Dad has indeed struggled with his own weight.
Themes
Darius has eaten only one qottab when Sohrab knocks on the door. Mamou sends Darius to go get it, and Darius is shocked to see Sohrab holding an iPhone. Sohrab offers Darius back his shoes and then enters the house, kicking off his shoes to reveal black socks. Darius hates black socks (they make his feet stink) and he's certain Sohrab pulls his socks all the way up, like a good Soulless Minion of Orthodoxy. He watches Mamou hug and kiss Sohrab, feeling jealous, petty, and hateful—toward himself and Sohrab. Sohrab refuses tea and explains to curious Laleh that he’s fasting; he can’t even have water. Darius momentarily wonders if it’s smart to play soccer if you can’t hydrate after, but he decides he doesn’t care if Sohrab gets dehydrated.
Though Darius might’ve forgiven Sohrab for his supposedly questionable sock choices, Darius isn’t willing to give Sohrab the benefit of the doubt after Sohrab bullied him earlier. It adds insult to injury when Mamou expresses her love for Sohrab so clearly, as it tells Darius that Mamou has no idea that Sohrab is capable of being cruel. Throughout this passage, Darius fights his naturally kind and generous nature to think badly of Sohrab. This kind of thought process isn’t normal for him—but he’s capable of it in any case.
Themes
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Darius introduces Sohrab to Dad when Dad prompts him to, and then he goes to put his shoes away and fetch Sohrab’s. Sohrab follows and Darius tries not to cry as he puts his shoes away. In Darius’s bedroom, Sohrab apologizes for earlier and explains that he was out of line, but it was nice for once to not be Ali-Reza’s target. Darius can understand that. Sohrab continues that Ali-Reza and Hossein aren’t his friends, he’s sorry, and he asks for a second chance. Darius accepts, thinking maybe he was right about Sohrab.
Finally, Sohrab explains why he bullied Darius: it made him feel better, since he’s usually Ali-Reza’s preferred bullying target. Put simply, Sohrab’s choice is about himself, not Darius, and it certainly doesn’t suggest that Darius is inviting bullying, as Dad usually suggests. And by apologizing, Sohrab also takes responsibility for his actions and tries to make it right, showing Darius what a true friend does in a situation like this.
Themes
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