Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Darius the Great Is Not Okay, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Friendship
Family
Persian Identity and Culture
Mental Health, Depression, and Connection
Bullying
Summary
Analysis
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 shy. Sohrab talks to his uncle in Farsi and seems way more relaxed, something Darius likes to see. He wonders if Sohrab feels like he has to be the man of the house around Khanum Rezaei. Then, Darius, Sohrab, and Laleh accept their desserts and begin the walk home. On the walk, Laleh speaks to Sohrab in Farsi. It makes Darius angry. First she takes Star Trek, and now she’s going to take Sohrab? He tries to engage her in English, but she switches back to Farsi until Sohrab tells her to speak English so Darius can understand. No one, not even Mom, has made people speak English for Darius before.
Darius considers another consequence of Sohrab’s dad being in prison: maybe Sohrab has had to grow up much faster than he might’ve otherwise. In this sense, Sohrab may be functionally on his own—a feeling Darius shares, since he doesn’t believe he can rely on Dad for support. Then, Darius again struggles with the knowledge that he doesn’t fit in as well in Iran as he wants to. He can’t follow Laleh and Sohrab’s conversation, which puts him on the outs. But Sohrab demonstrates how to be a good friend by insisting Laleh speak English—it makes sure Darius feels included and valuable.
Themes
At Mamou’s house, Sohrab asks Darius if he can stay out. They turn down Mamou’s offer of food and head for the park. On the roof of the bathroom, Sohrab asks what’s wrong. Darius tries to insist he’s fine, but finally tells Sohrab about Star Trek and how Dad wants to watch it with Laleh now. It seems like everyone likes Laleh better. Sohrab tells Darius that Laleh can’t take his place, but Darius explains that he sometimes he can’t stop thinking sad things. Sohrab asks if it’s the depression, puts an arm around Darius and says that Laleh isn’t his best friend—Darius is. Darius has never been anyone’s best friend, and he doesn’t have to say that Sohrab is his best friend, too.
In another show of kindness and care, Sohrab encourages Darius to voice his feelings and open up. And Sohrab demonstrates how to make a friend feel heard and supported: he listens without judgment, affirms that he loves Darius, and lets Darius know that it’s okay to suffer from depression symptoms sometimes. It doesn’t make Darius a lesser person; in Sohrab’s estimation, it seems to suggest that Darius is just even more in need of a best friend than he might be otherwise.
Themes
Even with Sohrab’s pep talk, it’s hard for Darius not to think about Laleh replacing him as she and Dad snuggle to watch Star Trek. He almost goes to watch tonight’s episode, which is one of his favorites, but he tries to ignore Laleh laughing at the special effects instead. Later, Dad gets Darius his medicine when he takes his own and kisses Darius’s forehead. Dad tells Darius he loves him. Darius isn’t sure what Dad wants or expects, but it’s nice to hear that Dad loves him. Darius says it back.
With Sohrab’s encouragement, Darius begins to rethink his relationship to Dad. Perhaps, Darius seems to reason, it’s okay that they simply say, “I love you” and do nice things for each other, like get the other’s medications out every night. And though Darius doesn’t really acknowledge it throughout the novel, it’s worth noting that by making taking the meds a communal activity, Dad shows Darius that it’s okay to need the meds and that they’re not something shameful or worth hiding.
Themes
