Disgraced

by

Ayad Akhtar

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Amir’s Mother Character Analysis

Amir’s mother, who died some time ago, was a Pakistani Muslim woman who hated non-Muslim people. She instilled antisemitic, racist, and sexist views in Amir, to the point that she spat on him when she found out he had a crush on a Jewish girl named Rivkah. Amir seems to have been traumatized by his strict religious upbringing and is deeply ashamed of the values that his mother raised him with. As an adult, he tries to distance himself from these hateful beliefs by rejecting and hiding his cultural heritage.

Amir’s Mother Quotes in Disgraced

The Disgraced quotes below are all either spoken by Amir’s Mother or refer to Amir’s Mother . 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:
Unintentional Racism and Resentment Theme Icon
).
Scene 1 Quotes

So Rivkah and I’d gotten to the point where we were trading notes. And one day, my mother found one of the notes. Of course it was signed, Rivkah. Rivkah? my mom says. That's a Jewish name […] So I tell my mom, No, she’s not Jewish. But she knew the name was Jewish. If I ever hear that name in this house again, Amir, she said, I’ll break your bones. You will end up with a Jew over my dead body. Then she spat in my face […] Next day? Rivkah comes up to me in the hall with a note. Hi, Amir, she says. Eyes sparkling. I look at her and say, You’ve got the name of a Jew. She smiles. Yes, I’m Jewish, she says […] Then I spit in her face.

Related Characters: Amir Kapoor/Abdullah (speaker), Emily Hughes Kapoor, Hussein (Abe Jensen) , Amir’s Mother , Rivkah
Page Number: 16
Explanation and Analysis:

White women have no self-respect. How can someone respect themselves when they think they have to take off their clothes to make people like them?

Related Characters: Amir Kapoor/Abdullah (speaker), Emily Hughes Kapoor, Hussein (Abe Jensen) , Imam Fareed , Amir’s Mother
Page Number: 17
Explanation and Analysis:
Scene 3 Quotes

I was horrified by it, okay? Absolutely horrified. […] That we were finally winning. […] It's tribal, Jor. It is in the bones. You have no idea how I was brought up. You have to work real hard to root that shit out.

Related Characters: Amir Kapoor/Abdullah (speaker), Emily Hughes Kapoor, Isaac , Jory , Amir’s Mother
Page Number: 63
Explanation and Analysis:
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Amir’s Mother Quotes in Disgraced

The Disgraced quotes below are all either spoken by Amir’s Mother or refer to Amir’s Mother . 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:
Unintentional Racism and Resentment Theme Icon
).
Scene 1 Quotes

So Rivkah and I’d gotten to the point where we were trading notes. And one day, my mother found one of the notes. Of course it was signed, Rivkah. Rivkah? my mom says. That's a Jewish name […] So I tell my mom, No, she’s not Jewish. But she knew the name was Jewish. If I ever hear that name in this house again, Amir, she said, I’ll break your bones. You will end up with a Jew over my dead body. Then she spat in my face […] Next day? Rivkah comes up to me in the hall with a note. Hi, Amir, she says. Eyes sparkling. I look at her and say, You’ve got the name of a Jew. She smiles. Yes, I’m Jewish, she says […] Then I spit in her face.

Related Characters: Amir Kapoor/Abdullah (speaker), Emily Hughes Kapoor, Hussein (Abe Jensen) , Amir’s Mother , Rivkah
Page Number: 16
Explanation and Analysis:

White women have no self-respect. How can someone respect themselves when they think they have to take off their clothes to make people like them?

Related Characters: Amir Kapoor/Abdullah (speaker), Emily Hughes Kapoor, Hussein (Abe Jensen) , Imam Fareed , Amir’s Mother
Page Number: 17
Explanation and Analysis:
Scene 3 Quotes

I was horrified by it, okay? Absolutely horrified. […] That we were finally winning. […] It's tribal, Jor. It is in the bones. You have no idea how I was brought up. You have to work real hard to root that shit out.

Related Characters: Amir Kapoor/Abdullah (speaker), Emily Hughes Kapoor, Isaac , Jory , Amir’s Mother
Page Number: 63
Explanation and Analysis: