Sohrab Rezaei Character Analysis in Darius the Great Is Not Okay

Sohrab is Mamou and Babou’s neighbor, and when he and Darius meet, he quickly becomes Darius’s best friend. He’s lean, muscular, loves soccer, and dreams of being an architect or a civil engineer when he grows up—though because he’s Bahá’í, he worries he won’t be able to follow either career path (the Iranian government systematically denies Bahá’ís education). He and Darius connect in part because Sohrab knows what it’s like to be bullied for being different, as he’s one of only a few Bahá’í boys at school. Darius appreciates Sohrab because Sohrab is comfortable showing physical affection, is a good listener, and is the sort of person who can make others feel heard and cared for easily. However, Sohrab struggles some to understand Darius’s fraught relationship with Dad, as Sohrab’s dad has been imprisoned for years and Sohrab fears he’ll never see his dad again. This fear ultimately comes to pass; Sohrab’s dad is murdered in prison. In his grief, Sohrab lashes out at Darius—but he also then makes a point to apologize and take ownership of his misplaced anger. Darius and Sohrab remain friends after Darius leaves Iran, and they email each other daily.

Sohrab Rezaei Quotes in Darius the Great Is Not Okay

The Darius the Great Is Not Okay quotes below are all either spoken by Sohrab Rezaei or refer to Sohrab Rezaei. 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:

Nearly every car parked on the street (or occasionally up on the curb) was light-colored and angular, makes and models I had never seen before.

I wondered where Iranian cars came from.

I wondered what Stephen Kellner thought of Iranian cars, and how they compared to his Audi.

I wondered if he was still asleep. If he’d wake up and we’d be able to get along, the way he wanted.

Related Characters: Darius Kellner (speaker), Sohrab Rezaei, Dad, Sohrab’s Uncle/Agha Rezaei

Page Number and Citation: 93

Explanation and Analysis:

I couldn’t eat in front of someone who couldn’t eat with me.

“I’m okay for now. Can we come back after Nowruz? Then we can both have some.”

Related Characters: Darius Kellner (speaker), Sohrab Rezaei, Sohrab’s Uncle/Agha Rezaei

Page Number and Citation: 93

Explanation and Analysis:

I thought about that: How back home, all Persians—even Fractional Persians like me and Laleh—were united in our Persian-ness. We celebrated Nowruz and Chaharshanbeh Suri together in big parties, Bahá’ís and Muslims and Jews and Christians and Zoroastrians and even secular humanists like Stephen Kellner, and it didn’t matter. Not really.

Not when we were so few in number.

But here, surrounded by Persians, Sohrab was singled out for being Bahá’í.

He was a target.

Related Characters: Darius Kellner (speaker), Laleh Kellner, Sohrab Rezaei

Page Number and Citation: 102

Explanation and Analysis:

And then Sohrab said, “Ayatollah Darioush,” and all three of them laughed.

At me.

I thought I understood Sohrab.

I thought we were going to be friends.

How had I misjudged him so badly?

Maybe Dad was right.

Maybe I would always be a target.

Even for things I couldn’t help. Like being from America. Like having a foreskin.

Those things were normal back home, but not in Iran.

I would never fit in. Not anywhere.

Related Characters: Sohrab Rezaei (speaker), Darius Kellner (speaker), Dad, Ali-Reza, Hossein

Page Number and Citation: 115

Explanation and Analysis:

“You are not very Persian,” he said. “Not like Laleh.”

I looked down at my Team Melli jersey, which I still had on over my button-up.

This was the most Persian I had ever been in my entire life, and it still wasn’t enough.

“You are more like your dad. He doesn’t like them either,” he said. And then he grabbed a cucumber for himself and wandered off.

Related Characters: Darius Kellner (speaker), Dayi Jamsheed (speaker), Laleh Kellner, Dad, Sohrab Rezaei

Related Symbols: The Jersey

Page Number and Citation: 182-183

Explanation and Analysis:

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: Sohrab Rezaei (speaker), Laleh Kellner (speaker), Darius Kellner (speaker), Mom, Sohrab’s Uncle/Agha Rezaei

Page Number and Citation: 235

Explanation and Analysis:

“What I like to do is use oil on my fingers, instead of water,” Dad said. “That way they don’t stick as much. It’s messy, though.”

The Bahrami men nodded in approval.

I wasn’t jealous of him.

Not really.

Maybe Dad’s place had been empty too.

Maybe he’d figured out how to fill it.

Maybe he had.

Related Characters: Darius Kellner (speaker), Dad (speaker), Dayi Soheil, Dayi Jamsheed, Babou, Sohrab Rezaei

Page Number and Citation: 261

Explanation and Analysis:

“I was hurting. And you were there. And I knew how to make you hurt as bad as me.”

He still wouldn’t look at me.

“I’m so ashamed,” he said. “Friends don’t do what I did.”

“Friends forgive,” I said.

“I didn’t mean it, Darioush. What I said. I want you to know.” He finally met my eyes. I’m glad you came. You are my best friend. And I never should have treated you that way.”

Related Characters: Darius Kellner (speaker), Sohrab Rezaei (speaker), Sohrab’s Dad

Page Number and Citation: 294

Explanation and Analysis:

I thought about Coach Henderson.

I thought about lack of discipline.

“I guess I didn’t think I was that good.”

“Well, you’ve got some skill. Why don’t you try out in the fall?”

My ears burned. I almost told Coach no.

Almost.

But that’s what Darius would have done.

Darioush would have tried out.

I thought about telling Sohrab that I had made the team. And sending him photos of me in my kit. And him squinting and congratulating me.

Related Characters: Darius Kellner (speaker), Coach Fortes (speaker), Sohrab Rezaei

Related Symbols: The Jersey

Page Number and Citation: 306-307

Explanation and Analysis:

Sohrab Rezaei Character Timeline in Darius the Great Is Not Okay

The timeline below shows where the character Sohrab Rezaei appears in Darius the Great Is Not Okay. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

...pictured this meeting going differently. Finally, Babou reaches the roof and shouts for someone named Sohrab. A boy about Darius’s age is unknotting a hose near a shed. Babou finally notices... (full context)

Sohrab is short, lean, and has brown eyes that make Darius think brown eyes maybe aren’t... (full context)

For readers, Darius explains that every Iranian person knows a Sohrab. It’s a very common name that comes from a story in the Shahnahmeh, a book... (full context)

Darius helps Sohrab drag the hose over to Babou and shrugs when Sohrab asks if Darius likes figs... (full context)

It takes Babou 10 minutes to water his fig trees, and he never falls. Sohrab holds the ladder while Babou climbs down, and then Babou grabs Darius by the shoulders,... (full context)

As Darius follows Sohrab down the street, he can appreciate that the houses are varying shades of off-white and... (full context)

Finally, Sohrab leads Darius into his uncle’s store. To Darius’s surprise, it looks exactly like Persian grocery... (full context)

Back on the street, Darius suggests that when he and Sohrab come back for faludeh, he could bring Laleh. Sohrab says he’d love to have a... (full context)

...go to bed. Mamou walks Darius to his room and says she’s glad Darius met Sohrab and has made a friend. Darius is glad too, and he’s genuinely looking forward to... (full context)

Mental Health, Depression, and Connection Theme Icon

...just has to think positive and try harder. Then he says he’s glad Darius met Sohrab, since he knew the two would be friends. (full context)

Darius is relieved when Sohrab knocks on the door. Darius explains he doesn’t have a “kit” (soccer gear). Sohrab says... (full context)

...stall and pulls on the cleats. He feels very Iranian and ready to play, but Sohrab looks way more athletic in his kit. It makes Darius feel inadequate, but Sohrab’s smile... (full context)

Sohrab is an extremely aggressive player, and Darius finds he remembers a lot of his early... (full context)

Hossein and Ali-Reza walk ahead in silence, clearly annoyed by their defeat. Darius asks if Sohrab plays with them a lot, and Sohrab says they just don’t like to lose. Shrugging,... (full context)

...showers after gym class at home, so Darius is alarmed and tries to refuse when Sohrab pulls out soap and two towels for them. Embarrassed—Sohrab is in great shape—Darius wraps the... (full context)

...he scrubs at his grass stains. Finally after a whispered argument with Ali-Reza and Hossein, Sohrab hesitantly asks what’s wrong with Darius’s penis; it looks different. Darius says he’s not circumcised.... (full context)

According to Dr. Howell, crying is normal and healthy. Hossein, Ali-Reza, and Sohrab’s teasing makes Darius cry. He’s not ashamed of his penis, but he’s also never showered... (full context)

...him. Sniffling, he turns on the Dancing Fan and gets in bed. He decides that Sohrab is another Soulless Minion of Orthodoxy. After a while, Mamou knocks on the door and... (full context)

...kitchen, which allows her a view of the back garden. This makes Darius wonder if Sohrab will come back and how he can avoid Sohrab, but he focuses and presents Mamou... (full context)

Darius has eaten only one qottab when Sohrab knocks on the door. Mamou sends Darius to go get it, and Darius is shocked... (full context)

Darius introduces Sohrab to Dad when Dad prompts him to, and then he goes to put his shoes... (full context)

Darius knows lots of things without anyone having to say them. He knows he and Sohrab will be friends for life, and he knows Dad wishes Darius were more like him.... (full context)

Sohrab asks Darius to tell him about school in the U.S. Darius lists his classes and... (full context)

When Darius says Javaneh’s grandparents are from Isfahan, Sohrab says that’s what her last means: “From Isfahan.” Babou perks up and says that Darius... (full context)

Babou picks Sohrab up in front of his house and the journey begins. Babou’s driving is terrible and... (full context)

Laleh escapes Babou’s grasp as they reach the ruins, and Sohrab and Darius jog to keep up with her. They stop, awed, when they see the... (full context)

Later in the day, Sohrab leads Darius through what’s left of the Apadana, the main palace. It’s a magical place... (full context)

Darius and Sohrab find Laleh and Babou in front of an ornate carved wall depicting a bearded man... (full context)

...insists on driving and straps himself into the driver’s seat. As Mamou guides Dad home, Sohrab whispers to Darius that Babou got lost. Darius knows Babou won’t get to drive again... (full context)

Sohrab arrives a bit later, also dressed in Persian Casual in a textured white button-up. Darius... (full context)

Just as Sohrab snaps the photo, Babou stands and says something to Mamou in Farsi that causes the... (full context)

As Darius and Sohrab wait for the tea, Darius confirms that Sohrab’s fast ends at sunset tonight. Soon, Zandayi... (full context)

...room, they give out gifts, just like Christmas. They give Darius a white shirt like Sohrab’s, and both Darius and Laleh get five million rial (which isn’t nearly as impressive in... (full context)

Darius’s emotions are all over the place. He thanks Sohrab, sniffles, and pulls on the jersey—it makes him feel like he belongs. Just then, Khanum... (full context)

The meal starts at sunset so that Sohrab and Khanum Rezaei can eat with everyone else. Darius enjoys the stews, while Laleh eats... (full context)

...dinner, people push back furniture so they can dance. The ladies start, while Darius and Sohrab stand in the corner and dance in place. Darius has never had more fun, but... (full context)

...sinks down next to a planter, thinking about how everyone but him belongs here—even Dad. Sohrab appears and sits down next to Darius and asks why Darius is crying. After a... (full context)

When Darius stops crying, he asks Sohrab to not tell Babou or Dad that he was crying. Sohrab asks about Dad, and... (full context)

Finally, Darius asks about Sohrab’s dad. Looking away, Sohrab says everyone else already knows, but his dad is in jail.... (full context)

But when Darius and Sohrab enter the kitchen, Dad is talking to Babou—and he’s saying that Darius makes things hard... (full context)

...It’s a Nowruz tradition that Darius has never heard of. She suggests Darius go visit Sohrab and draws a map for Darius. Mahvash Rezaei answers and shows Darius in. She offers... (full context)

...with a tablecloth and asks him to lay the lettuce out to dry. Just then, Sohrab appears and grabs Darius from behind. He’s still in pajamas, and when he sees the... (full context)

Sohrab points in the direction of his school and says he attends with Ali-Reza and Hossein.... (full context)

Then, Sohrab leads Darius to the bathroom, climbs the fence onto the roof, and tells Darius to... (full context)

Remembering the taste of the sekanjabin, Darius asks what Sohrab meant yesterday when he said that Babou wasn’t acting like himself. Sohrab says that Babou... (full context)

...it at home, except maybe the Super Bowl. He’s not nervous crying in front of Sohrab. Sohrab explains that he only prays twice per day, but sometimes he wishes Bahá’ís prayed... (full context)

...Laleh just wanted to spend time with him, since he was out all day with Sohrab. (full context)

When they get back, Darius takes Laleh for faludeh. They pick up Sohrab on the way and enter Agha Rezaei’s store. Agha Rezaei greets Laleh, who’s suddenly very... (full context)

At Mamou’s house, Sohrab asks Darius if he can stay out. They turn down Mamou’s offer of food and... (full context)

Even with Sohrab’s pep talk, it’s hard for Darius not to think about Laleh replacing him as she... (full context)

Sohrab and Khanum Rezaei come for breakfast the next morning. While Laleh chatters at Sohrab about... (full context)

As they reach a fountain, Sohrab says Sohrab’s dad used to love coming here. Darius asks if Sohrab gets to visit... (full context)

The trees end abruptly and Sohrab tells Darius to look up. Darius finds himself looking at a wind tower behind the... (full context)

That afternoon, Darius packs a kit for himself to play soccer, though he’ll borrow Sohrab’s cleats again. He’s worried about being naked, but he trusts Sohrab to stand up for... (full context)

After a bit, Hossein calls everyone to a huddle. He and Sohrab argue in rapid Farsi, and Darius feels like Frodo—invisible. But Sohrab insists on English so... (full context)

While Ali-Reza, Hossein, and the younger boys shower, Sohrab and Darius kick a ball around. Darius appreciates what Sohrab is doing. Still, it’s awkward... (full context)

Darius finds Mamou in the kitchen and tells her about wanting to get Sohrab cleats. She accepts his offer to pay for them and says Dayi Soheil will pick... (full context)

Darius spends every day the next week playing soccer with Sohrab, except for Friday. This is the day Mamou is making chelo kabob, which is a... (full context)

...says Mamou makes the best chelo kabob and sends Darius to the backyard to find Sohrab, who’s kicking a soccer ball around. He says he’s also doing push-ups and other drills.... (full context)

...the world. Everyone overeats, and Nazgul tries to push a radish flower into Darius’s mouth. Sohrab tells her to leave Darius alone, so she gives the flower to Laleh, who gags.... (full context)

...Jamsheed, Dayi Soheil, and Babou. How is Dad able to just join in like that? Sohrab interrupts Darius’s thoughts to ask if he’s stuck thinking about something sad. Darius shrugs, but... (full context)

Sohrab gives Parviz and Navid a play-by-play of his and Darius’s soccer game earlier, and he... (full context)

Darius wraps Sohrab’s cleats in newspaper, feeling angry and upset that they have to say goodbye soon. He... (full context)

Sohrab locks eyes with Darius and tells him sharply to go away. Agha Rezaei tries to... (full context)

Darius explains that they’re new shoes for Sohrab, but Sohrab smacks the box out of Darius’s hands and shoves Darius. He tells Darius... (full context)

Darius left his shoes at Sohrab’s, but he can’t go back for them or go to Mamou’s. He runs, certain Sohrab... (full context)

...okay. They sit and watch the sunset, and Dad listens to Darius tell him about Sohrab and what Sohrab said. Darius says that Sohrab is the best friend he’s had—and Dad... (full context)

It’s weird (but not bad) to walk Yazd’s streets with Dad and not Sohrab. Dad even left his sketchbook at home so he could spend time with Darius. The... (full context)

...give Darius an antique copper teapot and a pair of cleats that are just like Sohrab’s, but blue. Darius hugs and kisses them in thanks, and to his surprise, Babou kisses... (full context)

Then, Mom helps Darius pack by folding his shirts. The jersey from Sohrab is clean after Darius cried and got snot on it. It’s been Darius’s “Persian camouflage,”... (full context)

...Laleh. Babou is reading to Laleh in Farsi. Mamou comes in and tells Darius that Sohrab is here to say goodbye. Sohrab is standing outside the front door, looking small and... (full context)

Darius offers his condolences about Sohrab’s dad. He wants to touch Sohrab and encourage him to cry or scream, but he’s... (full context)

Sohrab leads Darius to the park. Somehow, he doesn’t drop the box in his hands as... (full context)

Everything is quiet when Darius and Sohrab get back to Mamou’s house—except for Dad and Babou playing Rook in the kitchen. Darius... (full context)

...team in the fall. Darius almost says no—but Darioush would try out. Thinking about telling Sohrab he made the team, Darius says he might. (full context)

...Chip’s attitude change, but he wonders if he is indeed different. He decides to ask Sohrab, whom he emails every day. (full context)

Darius the Great Is Not Okay

Sohrab Rezaei Character Analysis

Sohrab Rezaei Quotes in Darius the Great Is Not Okay

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Sohrab Rezaei Character Timeline in Darius the Great Is Not Okay