The Septembers Of Shiraz

Dalia Sofer

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2007

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Summary

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-6

Chapters 7-11

Chapters 12-22

Chapters 23-27

Chapters 28-36

Chapters 37-40

Chapters 41-47

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

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Chapters 37-40Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapter 37 Summary

Isaac is at home, where he cries and has a bath, but doesn’t let Farnaz see his scars. While the couple eats together, Isaac tells Farnaz he was accused of being a Zionist spy, and that he gave the guard all their savings except the money in Switzerland. Farnaz tells him about Morteza and the looting. Isaac goes to lie down, leaving Farnaz feeling lonely in the kitchen. Later, lying next to her sleeping husband, she recalls her parents’ first reaction to Isaac: “And what will people say? That a daughter of ours has married one of the Amin children? Such shame!” (263). Isaac’s father had a bad reputation, and her parents knew about his having passed syphilis onto his wife. Her father had detailed Isaac’s family history: their downfall from being a noble family. Farnaz’s parents had agreed, though, that Isaac “would be the one to resurrect the Amins’ old glory” (264). However, Farnaz reflects, he has lost it again.

Chapter 38 Summary

Shirin sees her father for the first time, asleep and shrunken on his bed. Habibeh and Abbas, the gardener, bring a sheep and kill it in the garden for a celebratory meal. Abbas is also shocked by Isaac’s changed appearance. The lights go out and they light candles, resigned to the blackout that may be due to Iraqi bombs. Shirin has many questions about prison, but keeps them to herself, along with her observation that her father looks thin, sad, and old.

Chapter 39 Summary

Three weeks after their walk in Central Park, Parviz and Rachel go for a walk in the snowy city, while her mother goes into labor with twins. They hold hands and Parviz kisses Rachel before she goes home. Alone in the hat shop, Parviz discovers a photograph of a young woman, signed “To Zalman, love, Nadia, Marrakesh, July 1960” (274). Then he reads a letter from Zalman Mendelson’s father, admonishing him for being a poor emissary, and demanding that he return home from Morocco immediately.

Mr. Broukhim, passing by the shop and finding the lights on, invites Parviz for dinner at his home. Hearing about Mr. Broukhim’s daughter being happy in the US, Parviz feels tired and nostalgic. That night his father calls him to say he is home.

Chapter 40 Summary

In his old office, Isaac finds everything of value gone. He consoles himself with the thought of the money he had wired to Geneva over the years, as well as several very valuable stones held in the bank in Tehran, including a pure, perfect diamond. Hearing noises upstairs, he goes to find Morteza looking through papers. Morteza claims he is keeping records for Isaac, but Isaac accuses him of being a thief. Morteza reveals a receipt for a ruby and diamond pendant, along with a letter from the Shah’s wife, thanking Isaac for his wonderful craftsmanship. Morteza tries to blackmail Isaac into giving him the diamond in exchange for the letter. Determined not to lose the most precious stone of his career, Isaac threatens to denounce Morteza as the thief of more potential wealth for the Revolution. Morteza runs off with the letter. Isaac recalls the gratitude Morteza had shown to Isaac as a boy. Pondering on change, Isaac realizes he must leave the city at once.

Chapters 37-40 Analysis

This section dwells on the physical signs of torture and imprisonment on Isaac’s body—changes that affect his relationships with those close to him. He refuses to show Farnaz his scars, no longer comfortable enough to undress in her presence, a sad echo of the distance in their marriage at the beginning of the novel. Shirin is also transformed by her father’s newly wizened, emaciated frame. Instead of treating him as a source of information and protection, she adopts a protective, parental attitude, sparing him from her curiosity as a way of caring for him. Even the family’s servants, Habibeh and Abbas, are struck by what has happened to Isaac in prison. The gardener is immediately sympathetic, but Habibeh’s reaction will only be apparent later. Until now, Isaac’s suffering has been an abstract thing, something she can push out of her head while finally airing all of her grievances with Farnaz. But her future actions will show that on seeing Isaac’s mistreated body, she will suddenly face the reality of the political movement her son supports.

Isaac’s seemingly defeated outward appearance belies his inner strength, which comes out in his confrontation with Morteza. Despite everything that he has been through, he still has the courage and conviction to plan the move out of Iran.