What the Eyes Don’t See: Chapter 4 Summary & Analysis

After the barbecue, Mona tucked Nina and Layla into bed, but her head was spinning with what Elin had told her. The girls begged for a story about their great-grandfather Haji, so Mona told them about Haji’s generosity and idealism. Before Haji achieved professional success as the director of Pepsi-Cola in Iraq, Mona told her daughters, he and his brothers owned a perfume factory. When the factory burned down during World War II, the factory’s employees donated their wages to help rebuild it. Their generosity moved Haji, who “believe[d] in people more than anything else.”

Mona concluded the story by telling her girls that Haji taught her how important it was to always do the right thing, no matter how hard it would be. Mona also mentioned that she and her parents still received notes and messages from the children and grandchildren of Haji’s employees that spoke of his enduring generosity. Haji’s actions, Mona said, had left a mark on them all—even if they couldn’t see it.