Darius the Great Is Not Okay

Darius the Great Is Not Okay

by

Adib Khorram

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Darius’s mom is a UX designer. She’s also Iranian; she immigrated to the U.S. and married Dad 17 years ago, though her initial plan wasn’t to stay in the U.S. Though Darius knows his mom is flawed, he loves her dearly. She regularly stands up for Darius when Dad is unwittingly cruel or callous towards his son; she encourages Dad to let go of his expectations and love the son he has, not the one Dad wishes Darius could be. Still, Mom becomes even more relatable when the family visits Iran to visit her parents; her dad, Babou, has a brain tumor and isn’t going to get better. Surrounded by relatives, Mom apologizes to Darius for not teaching him Farsi and tells him happy stories about Babou and her childhood in Yazd. The visit is emotionally difficult for her, as everyone knows that it’s going to be the last time she sees Babou.

Mom Quotes in Darius the Great Is Not Okay

The Darius the Great Is Not Okay quotes below are all either spoken by Mom or refer to Mom. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Friendship  Theme Icon
).
Temporal Displacement Quotes

“You can’t keep trying to control him,” Mom said. “You have to let him make his own decisions.”

“You know how he gets treated,” Dad said. “You really want that for him?”

“No. But how is making him ashamed of everything going to fix it?”

“I don’t want him to be ashamed,” Dad said. “But he’s got enough going on with his depression, he doesn’t need to be bullied all the time too. He wouldn’t be such a target if he fit in more. If he could just, you know, act a little more normal.”

Related Characters: Dad (speaker), Mom (speaker), Darius Kellner, Trent “Fatty” Bolger
Page Number: 60
Explanation and Analysis:
The Dancing Fan Quotes

In theory, taarof means putting others before yourself. In practice, it means when someone comes to your house, you have to offer them food; but since your guest is supposed to taarof, they have to refuse; and then you, the host, must taarof back, insisting that it’s really no trouble at all, and that they absolutely must eat; and so on, until one party gets too bewildered and finally gives in.

I never got the hang of taarofing. It’s not an American Social Cue.

Related Characters: Darius Kellner (speaker), Mom, Mamou, Babou, Dayi Jamsheed
Page Number: 78
Explanation and Analysis:
Soccer/Non-American Football Quotes

I could sense the disappointment radiating off him.

I never expected Ardeshir Bahrami to have so much in common with his son-in-law.

“What are you depressed for?” he shook the pill bottle. “You have to think positive, baba. Medicine is for old people. Like me.”

“It’s just the way I am,” I squeaked.

I would never be good enough for Ardeshir Bahrami.

“You just have to try harder, Darioush-jan. Those will not fix anything.” He glanced at the table. “Did you have enough to eat?”

Related Characters: Darius Kellner (speaker), Babou (speaker), Dad, Mom
Page Number: 102
Explanation and Analysis:
Persian Casual Quotes

And even though I hated getting shuffled around and grabbed by my love handles, my rubbery constipated face did relax into a smile.

I had never been surrounded by my family before. Not really.

When Dayi Jamsheed started herding us together into a big group photo, my eyes started burning. I couldn’t help it.

I loved them.

Related Characters: Darius Kellner (speaker), Dad, Mom, Laleh Kellner, Mamou, Babou, Dayi Jamsheed
Page Number: 174
Explanation and Analysis:
The Borg of Herbs Quotes

“It was hard for me, you know? Moving to America. When I left here, I was sure I was going to come back. But I didn’t. I fell in love with your dad and stayed, even though I never really felt at home. When you were born I wanted you to grow up American. So you would feel like you belonged.”

I understood that. I really did.

School was hard enough, being a Fractional Persian. I’m not sure I would have survived being Even More Persian.

Related Characters: Darius Kellner (speaker), Mom (speaker), Dad
Page Number: 201
Explanation and Analysis:
Yesterday’s Enterprise Quotes

Sohrab glanced at me and turned back to Laleh. “Laleh,” he said. “It’s not polite to do that. Darioush can’t understand you.”

I blinked.

No one had ever made people speak in English around me before.

Not even Mom.

“It’s okay,” I said.

“No,” Sohrab said. “It’s not polite.”

“Sorry, Darius,” Laleh said.

“It’s fine.”

I looked at Sohrab. He squinted at me with his spoon in his mouth.

“Thanks.”

Related Characters: Darius Kellner (speaker), Sohrab Rezaei (speaker), Laleh Kellner (speaker), Mom, Sohrab’s Uncle/Agha Rezaei
Page Number: 235
Explanation and Analysis:
First, Best Destiny Quotes

“It made me into a zombie. That’s why I couldn’t tell you stories. I could barely tell the time of day.”

I didn’t know.

“I lost myself for a long time, Darius. I didn’t like who I became on those pills, but they saved my life. They kept me here. For you. And your mom. And by the time I was doing better and Dr. Howell tapered me off, your sister was born and I just...things were different. She was a baby, and she needed me. And I didn’t know if you even wanted stories anymore. If you were ever going to forgive me.”

“Dad...”

“Suicide isn’t the only way you can lose someone to depression.”

[...]

“And it kills me that I gave it to you, Darius. It kills me.”

There were tears in his eyes.

Actual human tears.

I had never seen my father cry before.

Related Characters: Darius Kellner (speaker), Dad (speaker), Mom, Laleh Kellner, Dr. Howell
Page Number: 286
Explanation and Analysis:
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Mom Quotes in Darius the Great Is Not Okay

The Darius the Great Is Not Okay quotes below are all either spoken by Mom or refer to Mom. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Friendship  Theme Icon
).
Temporal Displacement Quotes

“You can’t keep trying to control him,” Mom said. “You have to let him make his own decisions.”

“You know how he gets treated,” Dad said. “You really want that for him?”

“No. But how is making him ashamed of everything going to fix it?”

“I don’t want him to be ashamed,” Dad said. “But he’s got enough going on with his depression, he doesn’t need to be bullied all the time too. He wouldn’t be such a target if he fit in more. If he could just, you know, act a little more normal.”

Related Characters: Dad (speaker), Mom (speaker), Darius Kellner, Trent “Fatty” Bolger
Page Number: 60
Explanation and Analysis:
The Dancing Fan Quotes

In theory, taarof means putting others before yourself. In practice, it means when someone comes to your house, you have to offer them food; but since your guest is supposed to taarof, they have to refuse; and then you, the host, must taarof back, insisting that it’s really no trouble at all, and that they absolutely must eat; and so on, until one party gets too bewildered and finally gives in.

I never got the hang of taarofing. It’s not an American Social Cue.

Related Characters: Darius Kellner (speaker), Mom, Mamou, Babou, Dayi Jamsheed
Page Number: 78
Explanation and Analysis:
Soccer/Non-American Football Quotes

I could sense the disappointment radiating off him.

I never expected Ardeshir Bahrami to have so much in common with his son-in-law.

“What are you depressed for?” he shook the pill bottle. “You have to think positive, baba. Medicine is for old people. Like me.”

“It’s just the way I am,” I squeaked.

I would never be good enough for Ardeshir Bahrami.

“You just have to try harder, Darioush-jan. Those will not fix anything.” He glanced at the table. “Did you have enough to eat?”

Related Characters: Darius Kellner (speaker), Babou (speaker), Dad, Mom
Page Number: 102
Explanation and Analysis:
Persian Casual Quotes

And even though I hated getting shuffled around and grabbed by my love handles, my rubbery constipated face did relax into a smile.

I had never been surrounded by my family before. Not really.

When Dayi Jamsheed started herding us together into a big group photo, my eyes started burning. I couldn’t help it.

I loved them.

Related Characters: Darius Kellner (speaker), Dad, Mom, Laleh Kellner, Mamou, Babou, Dayi Jamsheed
Page Number: 174
Explanation and Analysis:
The Borg of Herbs Quotes

“It was hard for me, you know? Moving to America. When I left here, I was sure I was going to come back. But I didn’t. I fell in love with your dad and stayed, even though I never really felt at home. When you were born I wanted you to grow up American. So you would feel like you belonged.”

I understood that. I really did.

School was hard enough, being a Fractional Persian. I’m not sure I would have survived being Even More Persian.

Related Characters: Darius Kellner (speaker), Mom (speaker), Dad
Page Number: 201
Explanation and Analysis:
Yesterday’s Enterprise Quotes

Sohrab glanced at me and turned back to Laleh. “Laleh,” he said. “It’s not polite to do that. Darioush can’t understand you.”

I blinked.

No one had ever made people speak in English around me before.

Not even Mom.

“It’s okay,” I said.

“No,” Sohrab said. “It’s not polite.”

“Sorry, Darius,” Laleh said.

“It’s fine.”

I looked at Sohrab. He squinted at me with his spoon in his mouth.

“Thanks.”

Related Characters: Darius Kellner (speaker), Sohrab Rezaei (speaker), Laleh Kellner (speaker), Mom, Sohrab’s Uncle/Agha Rezaei
Page Number: 235
Explanation and Analysis:
First, Best Destiny Quotes

“It made me into a zombie. That’s why I couldn’t tell you stories. I could barely tell the time of day.”

I didn’t know.

“I lost myself for a long time, Darius. I didn’t like who I became on those pills, but they saved my life. They kept me here. For you. And your mom. And by the time I was doing better and Dr. Howell tapered me off, your sister was born and I just...things were different. She was a baby, and she needed me. And I didn’t know if you even wanted stories anymore. If you were ever going to forgive me.”

“Dad...”

“Suicide isn’t the only way you can lose someone to depression.”

[...]

“And it kills me that I gave it to you, Darius. It kills me.”

There were tears in his eyes.

Actual human tears.

I had never seen my father cry before.

Related Characters: Darius Kellner (speaker), Dad (speaker), Mom, Laleh Kellner, Dr. Howell
Page Number: 286
Explanation and Analysis: