Genre
Contemporary Literary Fiction
Setting and Context
The story is primarily set in the U.S.
Narrator and Point of View
The novel is written in the third person.
Tone and Mood
The tone is reflective, melancholic, and ironic. The mood is introspective and heavy.
Protagonist and Antagonist
Protagonist: Cyrus Shams; Antagonist: Existential dread
Major Conflict
Cyrus struggles with understanding life, death, and artistic legacy. His internal battle is one of finding meaning, both in his writing and personal existence. His familial relationships also contribute to the tension, particularly with his uncle.
Climax
The climax occurs when Cyrus grapples with his "earth martyr" concept, realizing the futility of his idea.
Foreshadowing
Cyrus's constant preoccupation with death and martyrdom foreshadows the personal crises he later experiences.
Understatement
Cyrus reflects on his role as a medical actor, where he "pretends to die" for money. This trivializes death and reflects Cyrus's emotional numbness.
Allusions
The novel references both religious and literary works, particularly Islamic texts and classical Persian poetry.
Imagery
Akbar uses rich imagery, especially when describing everyday life and surreal moments of clarity for Cyrus. Example: "The city’s skyline of desiccated towers blinked absently, some of them crumbling around their edges."
Paradox
A paradox is present in Cyrus’s simultaneous desire for artistic immortality and his acknowledgment of life’s inherent futility.
Parallelism
Parallelism is employed in Cyrus's philosophical musings, particularly in repeating patterns of thought regarding death, martyrdom, and writing. The repetition reflects the cyclical nature of his internal conflicts.
Metonymy and Synecdoche
N/A
Personification
Cyrus refers to his persistent anxiety as a "doom organ" that "pulses all the time." Akbar personifies this abstract feeling.
