Genre
Novel
Setting and Context
Set in Tehran, Iran
Narrator and Point of View
Third-person narrative
Tone and Mood
Informative and buoyant
Protagonist and Antagonist
The central character is Pasha.
Major Conflict
There is a conflict between Pasha and his mentor, Doctor. Pasha is sexually attracted to Zari, who is dating Doctor.
Climax
The climax comes when Pasha is released from prison and falls in love with Soraya, whom he thinks is Zari in disguise.
Foreshadowing
The brutal execution of Doctor is foreshadowed by his unwavering political activism that angered the Iranian authorities.
Understatement
The love of Zari for Doctor is understated. When Doctor is executed, Zari moans him publicly, which is strictly prohibited by the authorities. However, she moans while setting herself on fire and later dies of severe burns.
Allusions
The story alludes to the challenges political activities and civilians go through in Tehran.
Imagery
The description of Zari by Pasha appeals to the sense of sight to readers. For instance, Pasha says, "Zari is dressed in a tight blue T-shirt and a long black skirt covered in a flower pattern.”
Paradox
The main paradox is that Zari does the unexpected when she moans her lover despite the strict laws prohibiting such an act.
Parallelism
There is parallelism between Doctor’s tribulations and the challenges the people of Iran go through daily in the hands of the brutal government regime.
Metonymy and Synecdoche
N/A
Personification
SAVAK is embodied as brutal
