Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Disgraced, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Unintentional Racism and Resentment
Cultural Appropriation
Islamophobia, Oppression, and Institutional Racism
Shame, Anger, and Disgrace
Summary
Analysis
Three months later, Amir is drinking on the apartment terrace, seething with anger. Suddenly, he smashes his glass onto the ground, shattering it—but this doesn’t alleviate his feelings. As Amir goes into the apartment to pour another drink, Emily breezes in with bags of groceries. Isaac and Jory are coming over for dinner, and Emily hopes this means that Isaac wants to feature her work in his art show. She walks up to Amir seductively, but he turns her down, saying that doesn’t help. Emily tells Amir that she misses him. She notices that Amir forgot to buy wine for dinner, and he looks distracted. Emily wants to know what’s wrong.
It’s unclear why, exactly, Amir is upset in this passage—but the way his conversation with Emily ended in the previous chapter perhaps implies that it has something to do with the newspaper article that he was worried about. Regardless, smashing the glass out of anger is another example of how Amir struggles to control his emotions (and tends to have physical outbursts) when he feels slighted or ashamed.
Themes
After a pause, Amir tells Emily that he had a meeting at work today. One of his bosses, Steven, ran a background check on him and discovered that he’s Pakistani, not Indian. Amir unconvincingly explained that Pakistan was part of India when his father was born, but Steven also discovered that Amir changed his last name from Abdullah to Kapoor. The firm thinks that Amir misrepresented himself when he was hired. Emily doesn’t understand what the big deal is, but Amir is worried.
Although the reader doesn’t have the full picture yet, it’s likely that Amir’s bosses thought to run a background check on him because they read the newspaper article that portrayed Amir as supporting Imam Fareed. Given that the imam is accused of funding terrorism, the article may have led them to assume that Amir is affiliated with terrorist organizations as well. Amir’s employers uncover that he was born with the last name Abdullah (an Arabic name meaning “servant of Allah”), and that he’s not Hindu as they originally assumed. At this point, it’s unclear whether his bosses just have a problem with him lying, or if they’re also taking issue with the fact that Amir is Pakistani and was raised Muslim. If the latter is the case, this again implies that U.S. society tends to automatically associate Islam with terrorism. This fuels prejudice against innocent people, like Amir, who merely have cultural ties to Islamic countries. Amir’s fear of workplace discrimination may be justified, then—but, as before, Emily dismisses his concerns as absurd.
Themes
Suddenly, the intercom buzzes—their dinner guests are here early. Emily runs to get dressed while Amir opens the door to greet Isaac and Jory (a commanding-looking Black woman). Jory goes to put the dessert they brought with them into the fridge, while Amir and Isaac discuss baseball. Jory says that the pork tenderloin Emily is making smells great, and Amir asks Isaac if he eats pork. Isaac jokes that he eats it all the time—he’s making up for the years when he didn’t. He then excuses himself to use the bathroom, and Amir pulls out a bottle of scotch for himself and Jory to drink.
Amir and Emily’s friends are diverse (Jory is Black, and Isaac’s comment about eating pork implies that he’s of Jewish heritage and formerly ate kosher). Readers might assume that because Jory and Isaac belong to minority communities, they’ll have progressive attitudes about other cultures. But given the way Emily treats Amir disrespectfully, despite wanting to seem progressive, it’s possible that Jory and Isaac hold offensive views about Muslim culture as well.
Themes
Amir and Jory discuss a client who’s in an absurd custody battle over a dog. They talk about various legal cases and joke about how Mort doesn’t do any work. Jory has decided against taking a job with Credit Suisse because the salary is too low. Amir thinks she should take the position, but Jory says that she’s put down roots already. Amir eagerly imagines himself and Jory running their own law firm—he tells her that they’re “the new Jews.” Amir knows that he and Jory will never be made partners at their current firm. Just then, Isaac returns from the bathroom, and the conversation stops abruptly.
Here, readers learn that Jory is Amir’s colleague at the law firm. Amir again alludes to the fact that their bosses don’t do much work and that they depend on him—but despite this, it’s implied that he and Jory won’t be made partners because Jory is a Black woman and Amir is of Muslim heritage. Regardless of their talent and work ethic, they’re likely to be discriminated against because of their identities. When Amir imagines himself and Jory as “the new Jews,” he stereotypes Jewish lawyers as powerful and greedy. Whether he’s joking or not, the fact that he uses this trope suggests that he’s still struggling to rid himself of the antisemitism that his mother instilled in him.
Themes
Get the entire Disgraced LitChart as a printable PDF.
Emily enters just after Isaac, looking lovely. The group chats about dinner, and Amir offers everyone drinks. Isaac wants scotch, and Emily wants port. She jokes that it’s an odd choice of drink, but she just loves it. Isaac notices that Emily has a copy of Denial of Death, a book that he recommended to her because it was famously mentioned in a Woody Allen movie. Amir says that Emily has been raving about it. Isaac got the title of his new art show, “Impossible Heroes,” from the book—he thinks that it represents how artists are turning away from cynicism nowadays. Jory and Amir make fun of the show’s title.
Ernest Becker’s Denial of Death is a psychology/philosophy book about how civilization was created out of humanity’s awareness of our own mortality. In essence, it argues that we treat civilization as a symbolic defense against death. One of Becker’s main points in the book is that people try to make their lives meaningful to ensure that their legacies live on after they die—and that this instinct to prove one’s own superiority is what drives conflict like bigotry and violence. The fact that the play references this book hints that its principles are relevant to what’s happening—namely, that the characters’ prejudices and misunderstandings of one another are rooted in fear and pride. Meanwhile, Isaac and Emily’s choices of beverages—scotch (Scottish whiskey) and port (Portuguese dessert wine)—are perhaps meant to seem worldly and sophisticated. This again hints that they care about looking progressive and cultured, yet readers know that they’re dismissive of issues that actually affect other cultures.
Themes
Isaac tells Emily that he wants her paintings in the show, as he thinks that her work on Islamic art is important. Emily is thrilled. Amir makes a toast to Emily and then starts negotiating how many paintings she can have in Isaac’s show, which makes everyone laugh. Isaac wants the Islamic garden painting that Emily has on the wall, and Emily mentions that she’s also been working on a portrait of Amir called Study After Velázquez’s Moor. Jory is surprised to hear the word “Moor.” Emily begins to tell the story behind the painting, which makes Amir uncomfortable. She goes to get her art book and shows everyone Portrait of Juan de Pareia, Velázquez’s painting of his Moorish freed slave. She explains that her portrait of Amir is based on this. Amir jokes that he’s her own personal Moor, but Emily corrects Amir—he’s her muse.
Isaac wants to feature Emily’s art in his show, meaning that he, too, will profit from her appropriation of Islamic culture. He doesn’t seem to care that this is exploitative, as Emily will be praised for using Islamic culture despite having no real ties to it. All the while, society is unfairly punishing South Asian people like Imam Fareed for associating with their own culture and religion. The Moors were Muslim inhabitants of the Iberian Peninsula and Mediterranean during the Middle Ages, so Jory is probably surprised to hear such an antiquated word. Europeans in these regions generally treated the Moors as outsiders or invaders, so associating Amir with a Moorish former slave subtly singles Amir out as an outsider to white culture.
Themes
Isaac says that he’d prefer to stick with abstract pieces, though he thinks that the portrait is a stunning depiction of Amir, whose shirt looks incredibly crisp. Jory jokes that everyone at the office talks about Amir’s expensive-looking shirts, and she wonders how much Amir spends on them. Amir is silent, but Emily says that they cost $600 apiece. Meanwhile, Isaac analyzes After Velázquez’s Moor aloud: Amir is dressed in expensive clothes looking like Velázquez’s “apprentice-slave,” embodying the world he’s now a part of. He wonders how the painting’s viewers will assess Amir’s place in the world, and everyone falls into an awkward silence.
Isaac explicitly states why the portrait is problematic: Emily is depicting Amir (like Velázquez’s “apprentice-slave”) as a foreigner who’s trying to integrate into affluent white society but will never be fully accepted. Amir’s expensive shirts signal that he’s been able to carve out a successful life for himself, which suggests that he should be happy. Yet the way Emily alienates him through her art makes him feel ashamed of his Muslim background—which, in turn, interferes with his ability to enjoy his life.
Themes
Amir says that he likes Emily’s landscapes better, but Isaac disagrees—he doesn’t think landscapes are a “fertile” direction for her. Emily knows that Amir likes the landscapes because they have nothing to do with Islam, but Isaac prefers the ones that draw on Islamic imagery. It’s interesting for a young Western painter to pay homage to Islamic influences, and he likes how the Islamic perspective is less focused on glorifying individuals. Isaac says that Emily has a huge career ahead of her, and he’s happy that he’s a part of it.
Isaac makes it clear that the only paintings of Emily’s he wants for his show are those that feature Islamic patterns. Isaac thinks that Emily’s appropriation of Islamic culture will be “fertile”—meaning that she’ll gain fame and financial success from it. And as an art curator, Isaac will too. Emily and Isaac will effectively profit off of a culture that doesn’t belong to them, while the South Asian characters in the play are stigmatized for any association with their own heritage.
Themes
Isaac proposes a toast to Emily Hughes Kapoor, which prompts Jory to asks where in India the name Kapoor is from. Amir grows tense—their boss Steven questioned Amir’s name too. Emily says that Kapoor is a common Punjabi name, which reminds Isaac about his upcoming trip to India. It’s clear that he doesn’t know much about the geography of the country. Thinking about his trip, Isaac admits that he’s terrified of flying, but the airport security checks reassure him. He asks Amir what he thinks of security, given the stories one hears, and Emily answers that Amir usually volunteers to be searched. Amir explains that it’s just easier this way, but Emily says that the airport authorities are trying hard not to be racist, because that looks bad. She scolds Amir for being passive-aggressive at airports, and Isaac agrees with her.
Amir’s discomfort in airports suggests that security tends to profile him because, as a person of South Asian descent, they assume he might be Muslim—and that this means he’s more likely to be a terrorist. Emily dismissively assumes that Amir is in the wrong for his behavior at airports, effectively privileging her own assumptions about the situation over his actual lived experiences. She belittles his way of avoiding racial profiling (volunteering for searches instead of being singled out, which he finds humiliating). All of this likely makes Amir feel undermined and unseen. Furthermore, Emily doesn’t seem to realize that shaming Amir in front of others encourages them to shame him too. In this case, Isaac feels emboldened to shame Amir because Emily makes it seem okay.
Themes
Jory, however, thinks it’s admirable that Amir is so forthcoming at airports—the world would be safer if everybody was like that. Amir thinks that the next terrorist attack will probably be committed by a guy who looks like him, but Emily disagrees—she thinks it’ll be a white guy with a gun. Amir imagines the gun pointed at him. Isaac thinks that if every Middle Eastern person volunteered for searches at airports, it would only exacerbate people’s suspicions. Amir asks Isaac if he has suspicions, but when Isaac gets defensive, Amir says that he doesn’t blame him.
Jory and Isaac’s comments about airports suggest that although they’re friends with Amir, they’re prejudiced against Muslim people (they tend to automatically associate Muslim people with Islamic terrorism). Although this likely brings up shameful and embarrassing memories for Amir, readers also know that he hates his Muslim background. For that reason, he actually agrees with their discriminatory comments, suggesting that he’s internalized the same Islamophobia that others treat him with.
Themes
Emily’s phone rings: it’s Abe, who’s calling Emily because Amir won’t call him back. Emily ignores the call, and she asks if everyone is ready to eat their first course, a fennel and anchovy salad. Jory and Isaac joke about Jory’s bad cooking, and then Emily and Jory head to the kitchen. Isaac apologizes to Amir for bringing up a sensitive topic, and Amir admits that he and Emily don’t feel the same way about Islam. Amir says that Islam is regressive, but Isaac disagrees, citing a famous Muslim sculptor he loves. Amir asks Isaac if he’s read the Qur’an, but he hasn’t.
Amir explains what he doesn’t like about Islam—namely, the religious values that he finds regressive—based on his upbringing in a Muslim family. But, much like Emily, Isaac only wants to acknowledge the cultural aspects of Islam that he enjoys (like art) rather than listening to Amir and accepting his position about the religion. In doing so, he subtly suggests that Amir’s negative attitudes about Islam are wrong. It seems that Amir can’t win: Isaac and Jory have just revealed their own Islamophobia in admitting that they’re suspicious of Muslim in airports (because they think such people might be terrorists). Yet, at the same time, Isaac subtly shames him when Amir voices his own distaste for Islam.
Themes
As Jory and Emily return with the salad, Amir notes that the Prophet hated paintings and dogs. Jory wonders what’s wrong with dogs, and Amir says that he doesn’t know. Isaac asks Amir what his point is, and Amir replies that what artists like Emily are doing is out of synch with “the Muslim psyche.” Islam, in his view, comes from people suffering through tough lives in the desert. Isaac quips that Jewish people suffered in the desert too—but Amir thinks that Jewish people took a different approach, noting that the Talmud looks at things many different ways. Islam, by contrast, just asks people to submit. Isaac argues that the problem isn’t Islam, it’s “Islamo-fascism.” But Amir tells Isaac that he doesn’t know what he’s talking about—he hasn’t even read the Qur’an, after all.
Isaac continues to undermine Amir’s take on Islam, despite having never read the Qur’an himself. This further shows how Isaac, like Emily, privileges his own opinion over the opinions of those who have personal experience with Islamic culture. Isaac thinks it’s possible to separate Islam (which he seems to think of in terms of its broader culture rather than its religious doctrine) from “Islamo-fascism” (using Islamic doctrine to further violent goals). This annoys Amir, since in his experience, it doesn’t matter whether a Muslim person is extremist or not—at least in the U.S., they tend to be discriminated against regardless.
Themes
As the group sits down to dinner, Isaac agrees that he should read the Qur’an. Jory read some of it in college, but she only remembers the angry rhetoric. Amir agrees with her perspective—he thinks that it reads like hate mail. Emily interrupts him to say that there’s something beautiful about the Qur’an’s depiction of humanity as stubborn and self-interested. As the group digs into their salads, Isaac says that the problem isn’t Islam itself, but the way the religion is politicized. Technically, Islam avoids separating religion and politics. Jory thinks that it’s just as bad to treat the Constitution like a religious text, since it was written so long ago and seems out of date, and Amir agrees.
As Amir raises concerns with what he believes is hateful rhetoric in the Qur’an, Emily and Isaac essentially talk over him and try to minimize what he's saying. The discussion is getting more heated, and given Amir’s previous angry outbursts, he’s probably becoming quite agitated. Emily and Isaac continue subtly berating him for his negative attitude about Islam, even though others (like Jory) feel the same way. Their comments are likely contributing to Amir’s ongoing resentment of those who make him feel like his opinions are invalid.
Themes
Isaac compliments the salad, and Emily says that she got the recipe when she was studying in Spain. This prompts the group to briefly discus how beautiful Spain is. When Amir agrees that he loves the country, Isaac points out that Muslims like Amir are no different from other people—Isaac and Amir have the same idea of what “the good life” is. He didn’t even know Amir was Muslim until he read the newspaper article.
Again, Isaac is undermining Amir and refusing to listen to what he has to say about Islam. In his opinion, he and Amir are no different, since they both enjoy “the good life” of traveling and experiencing other cultures. Although Isaac is likely trying to sound progressive and open-minded, Amir likely finds his comments patronizing, as he’s implying that he knows better than Amir does. Meanwhile, Isaac also confirms Amir’s fear that people who read the newspaper article about Imam Fareed will assume that Amir is Muslim.
Themes
There’s an awkward pause, and then Amir says that he renounced his faith. He tells the group that according to Islam, that act is punishable by death, though Emily disagrees. Then, Amir brings up wife beating. Emily tells Amir to stop, but he continues: according to Islam, the Angel Gabriel told Muhammad to beat his wives if they didn’t obey him. Emily says that the translation is debatable, and that the correct advice is for men to leave their wives, not beat them. Amir disagrees.
As the conversation about Islam continues, Amir finds it harder to hide his shame and anger about coming from a Muslim background. He feels compelled to discuss the problematic values he was taught growing up (likely from his mother, whom the play earlier established as prejudiced against non-Muslim people). Amir hints that he was taught to condone violence against women, which repulses him. But Emily, as before, dismisses Amir’s experiences as ridiculous.
Themes
Jory chimes in: she agrees with the French for banning the veil. Isaac disagrees, saying that he knows a few brilliant women who wear the veil. Jory wants to know who, but Isaac deflects before saying that he thinks his personal trainer’s sister does. Emily thinks that the veil can be a source of pride for many women, but Jory disagrees—she thinks the veil is evil. Amir mockingly says that Muhammad used to advocate against abusing women until he started talking to some angel. That reminds Isaac of Mormonism.
Again, Isaac is trying to seem progressive about Muslim practices like veil-wearing. But when Jory asks him for clarification about the women he knows who wear the veil by choice, he struggles to come up with any names. Despite his outward positivity, though, Isaac previously admitted that he’s suspicious of Muslim people in airports. His praise of Islam thus comes off as ungenuine, hypocritical, and patronizing toward Amir.
Themes
Exasperated, Amir explains that the Qur’an was about life in the desert 1,500 years ago, and people who try to recreate that life end up like the Taliban. Emily feels awkward as Amir continues to explain that the Qur’an wants people to be proud of fighting and killing for Islam. It’s hard for even lapsed Muslims like himself to escape his ingrained Muslim pride. Isaac asks Amir if he felt proud after September 11th, and Amir admits that he did—he was horrified, but a small part of him felt proud that the Muslims were winning. To Amir, this is deeply ingrained in him, though he’s worked really hard to try and get rid of that thinking. Emily gets fed up and goes to the kitchen.
In a vulnerable moment, Amir tries to explain why he renounced Islam. It seems that, growing up, he was taught to feel unyielding pride in his religion—which triggered a reaction to the 9/11 terrorist attacks that horrified him and made him deeply ashamed. Despite renouncing Islam, Amir still struggles with negative feelings about his upbringing. This suggests that denying and suppressing his Muslim background hasn’t helped him process and release the shame he wants to free himself from. Emily continues to dismiss Amir whenever he tries to express his complicated feelings about his religious heritage, exacerbating his already complicated emotions.
Themes
Amir thinks that Isaac probably feels the same way about Israel, but Isaac says that he hates Israel—and many other Jews do too. He is outraged, though, when Middle Eastern politicians talks about wiping Israel off the map. Amir points out that many people like that kind of talk, and Isaac asks Amir if he likes that kind of talk. Amir admits that a part of him does—because he was conditioned by Islam to like it, and that’s what’s wrong with the religion. Emily, sounding disheartened, reminds Amir that they’re supposed to be celebrating. Isaac interjects that fundamentalism comes from Amir, not from Islam. Amir accuses Isaac of patronizing him, but Isaac tells him that his generalizations about Islam are “terrifying.”
Amir continues to explain why he renounced Islam: his mother taught him to be hostile toward Jewish people, and here he implies that Muslim people around the world want to wage war on Israel, which is regarded as a Jewish nation state. Amir feels ashamed that he ever associated with Islam, and even more ashamed that part of him still feels instinctively protective of the religion. He wants to overcome such attitudes by distancing himself from his heritage and religious background. Meanwhile, Isaac’s hostility toward Amir becomes more overt here, as he jumps in and immediately assumes that Amir is making up the fundamentalist ideas that he claims he got from Islam.
Themes
Emily breaks the tension by asking Amir to join her in the kitchen. Once Amir has left the room, Isaac mutters that Amir is a “closet jihadist.” Jory tells Isaac to be quiet. She’s worried about how “off” Amir seems tonight, and she wonders if he knows the news about her work at the law firm. She signed a confidentiality agreement, so she can’t say anything about it to Amir, but she feels like the should. Amir abruptly reenters, drunk, and says that they’re here to celebrate Emily tonight—they should have a nice dinner. He and Jory head out to pick up some champagne.
Here, Isaac explicitly says that he thinks Amir is a “closet jihadist”—that is, that he’s secretly an Islamic terrorist. Although Isaac has tried to come off as progressive and accepting of Islam, here he’s reinforcing the harmful stereotype that anyone associated with Islam is also affiliated with terrorism. Moreover, Isaac makes this accusation to Jory, who’s Amir’s colleague—meaning that Isaac’s comments could damage Amir’s career, were they to circulate further. Jory, meanwhile, alludes to something going on at work that she’s not allowed to tell Amir. It’s possible that Amir is being undermined and kept out of the loop and work because his bosses found out that he’s from a Pakistani Muslim family. If this is the case, it seems that Amir’s fears about workplace discrimination are warranted.
Themes
After Amir and Jory leave, Emily turns to Isaac and scolds him for egging Amir on—but Isaac says that Amir can handle it. Emily tells Isaac that he shouldn’t be doing this in her home—he could have told her about the art show over the phone. She says that London was a mistake, but Isaac leans in and tells Emily that he doesn’t believe her. He touches her, but she pulls away. Emily asks if what happened in London is why he put her in his art show, but he assures her that it isn’t—her art what inspired the show. Isaac touches Emily again, and she’s slower to resist this time. He tells Emily that Amir is a mess of a husband and an alcoholic. He also lets Emily know that the law firm promoted Jory to partner. This confuses her, since Amir has been at the firm twice as long as Jory.
Emily and Isaac’s exchange in this passage, and particularly the way Isaac touches Emily, imply that they’re having an affair—they apparently went to London together, and something happened between them while they were there. Emily seems to suspect that their relationship is what led Isaac to put her paintings in his show. Isaac reassures her that her art is genuinely inspiring—but previously, he seemed motivated by the fact that both he and Emily could garner praise from Emily’s use of Islamic patterns in her art. In this way, he (like Emily) is willing to borrow from and exploit Islamic culture, if it means that they can profit off of it. Meanwhile, Isaac drops the bomb that Jory made partner at the law firm, even though Amir is more qualified for the job—which could suggest that his bosses are discriminating against him because of his Muslim background.
Themes
Isaac explains that Amir’s involvement with Imam Fareed made it look like “he was representing a man who was raising money for terrorists,” and Amir’s bosses at the law firm got angry. They held a meeting at work, where Amir broke down in tears and told them that they wouldn’t care if he’d spoken out for a rabbi rather than a Muslim cleric. Steven found this comment antisemitic. Emily says that “you people,” meaning Jews, are too sensitive about antisemitism, but Isaac reminds her that she’s married to someone who feels an instinctual alliance with Islamic terrorists. He wonders aloud why Amir would go anywhere the imam. Crestfallen, Emily admits that Amir did it for her, because she pressured him to speak out in support of Imam Fareed.
Amir’s bosses wrongly assume that he’s involved with terrorists, which has a detrimental impact on his career. Clearly, his fears about workplace discrimination were justified, as he was passed up for a promotion just for being quoted as supporting a Muslim cleric. While Emily and Isaac are likely going to achieve success by profiting off of Islamic influences in Emily’s art, Amir’s bosses punish him for who he is. This juxtaposition highlights the idea that people who are actually from Muslim cultures face prejudices that others don’t. Emily reveals to Isaac that she was the one who forced Amir to speak out in support of Imam Fareed. She’s so eager to seem open-minded about Islam that she pushed Amir into a vulnerable situation, putting him at risk of discrimination.
Themes
Isaac says that Amir will never understand Emily. In Amir’s portrait, his expression is full of “Shame. Anger. Pride.” Isaac thinks that Amir is like Velázquez’s slave—he “finally has the master’s wife.” Emily is disgusted, but Isaac continues, saying that he’s in love with Emily and that she’ll cheat on Amir again, just like she did in London. Isaac leans in to kiss Emily, who stands there, frozen. Suddenly, Jory walks in; when she sees them embracing, she demands to know what’s going on. Amir walks in after her, yelling at Jory for not telling him about her promotion earlier—but he stops suddenly when Jory screams that Emily and Isaac were kissing.
Isaac again touches on why Emily’s portrait of Amir is problematic. She thinks that the painting is celebrating Amir—but really, it depicts him like an outsider who’s trying to assimilate into affluent white culture without truly being accepted by it. Isaac’s comment about Amir finally having “the master’s wife” implies that he thinks of South Asian people like Amir as inferior and not good enough for white women like Emily. Amir’s expression in the portrait symbolizes his inner shame and anger about his cultural heritage. Meanwhile, the confrontation between Amir and Jory, and between the two couples, hints that Amir’s internalized rage is about to boil to the surface.
Themes
Emily lies that Isaac was just comforting her because she was upset about Amir not getting promoted. Jory doesn’t believe Emily, and she angrily grabs her purse to leave. Amir yells at Jory that she’s ruined his job and his marriage—he’s worked for years to make partner, and she took that away from him. Isaac tells Jory not to listen to Amir and tries to comfort her, but Jory tells him not to touch her. Isaac then turns on Amir in a fit of rage, and Amir spits in Isaac’s face. Isaac tells Amir that this is why people call Muslims animals, and he storms out. As Jory gathers her things to follow him, she spitefully tells Amir that Mort is retiring. She’s taking over his caseload instead of Amir, because Amir can’t be trusted.
The entire evening has resurfaced Amir’s trauma surrounding his Muslim upbringing and his internalized shame about his identity. He felt pressured to defend and explain himself, which prompted Emily to be dismissive and Isaac to be outwardly hostile. Meanwhile, his career is imploding because he’s being discriminated against at work. The play has continuously hinted that Amir struggles to control his anger when he’s triggered by the topic of Islam—and here, Amir completely loses control by yelling at Jory and spitting in Isaac’s face.
Themes
After Jory leaves, Amir asks Emily if she’s sleeping with Isaac. Emily admits that she had sex with him went they went to London for the Frieze Art Fair. She says that she’s disgusted with herself and scrambles to apologize—but suddenly, in a fit of blind rage, Amir hits Emily in the face. Overcome by rage, he keeps hitting her, releasing “a lifetime of discreetly building resentment.” Suddenly, Amir comes to his senses; he can’t believe what he’s done. Then, there’s a knock on the door: Abe walks in to see Emily on the ground with a bloody face.
The stage directions indicate that in beating Emily, Amir is releasing a lifetime of pent-up aggression through physical violence. He’s been unsuccessfully trying to reject his cultural heritage and free himself from the shame and anger he feels surrounding it. Yet Amir’s efforts to suppress his Muslim roots haven’t helped him process and release his complicated emotions about his past and his identity. In fact, trying to cover up who he is has only caused personal and professional conflict in his life. At best, he’s repressed his feelings, and now they’ve come out in a horrifically violent way—leaving him (as the play’s title suggests) in disgrace.
Themes
