By Reyhane Bayani *
In 2010, Mohammad Hossein Mohammadi’s novel, Nashad (Unhappy) was published by Taak Publications in Kabul. It’s a continuation of his long story, Az Yad Raftan (Forgotten), which recounts a day in the life of Mirak Shah Agha and ends the day after he hears about al-Qaeda’s attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001. In Nashad, the author also focuses on one day of a person’s life, this time the daughter of Mirak Shah Aha. (In 2016, Nashad was published with the name Siyasar (The One Who Wore Black) in Iran by Hekmat Kalam Publications.)
In the beginning of Nashad, Mirak Shah Agha is constantly worried as he listens to the radio news about the 9/11 attacks. Then the focus shifts to his daughter, who has been imprisoned by her father in their basement for five years to keep her safe from the Taliban, who are about to be thrown out of power.
In Nashad, Mohammadi uses a second-person point of view to make the reader a part of the story, and create a sense of intimacy and empathy with the girl. We accompany her for one day and one night, sharing her thoughts, feelings, fears, hopes, regrets, and sorrows. She remains nameless, and this lack of a name reminds us of the undefined identity of girls and women in traditional society, a bitter reality where their identities are summed up in the roles of daughter, wife, and mother.
The girl in the story is more of a “type” than a “character.” She is an oppressed and passive girl who has yielded to the wishes of her parents and has accepted life in a dark, frightening basement. She never protests or attempts to break free. She lacks distinctive personality traits and does not undergo any transformation throughout the novel. This passivity and acceptance of oppression can be considered a symbol and indication of women’s submission to the injustices, discriminations, and violence that have been inflicted upon them for years.
She seems to be a shadow or a ghost of a girl, as if years of living in the darkness have faded and dimmed her. She has had no contact with friends or peers for years and longs to hear the sound of songs and melodies. She attempts to dance once but is so enveloped in depression, listlessness, and lack of motivation that even the slightest movement becomes difficult for her.
Being imprisoned in a dark basement with solitude, silence, and stillness poses the risk of forgetting her femininity. She has long hair after years of confinement. She attempts to remind herself of her womanhood by brushing, braiding, unbraiding, and re-braiding her hair. With strands caught in her wooden comb, she makes butterflies and places them in the cracks of the basement walls.
“Hundreds of butterflies sleep in the cracks of the bricks,” the author writes. The symbol of the butterfly instills a sense of hope for freedom. It’s an insect that emerges from a tight, dark cocoon to fly in the light and beauty of nature. Making these butterflies brings momentary joy and elegance to the girl, as well as to the grim and dark atmosphere of the novel. They inspire hope in the reader that one day all imprisoned butterflies will awaken and fly.
Yet, the young girl has no motivation to break free from the prison of her paternal home. Only once, when she goes outside at night to fetch water from the well, does she momentarily express a desire to go to the road and ride away in a passing car. But she takes no action and returns home. We know she has previously lived in Iran and had a fiancé who abandoned her and went to Iran. It’s natural for her to be upset or disgusted by him, but the unfaithful fiancé has no presence in her memories and feelings.
She thinks only once about the fact that she never knew or chose him. Like her sisters and many other girls in her country who become victims of forced marriages, she holds no feelings for him. We don’t even see any loathing for the miserable life she leads or the inhumane behavior of her parents. Occasionally, she hints at her sorrow, screaming out of anger and getting beaten.
We learn more about her physical difficulties than her emotional pains. Like the days she goes through her menstrual cycle. Her constant craving to eat soil and clay is a sign of iron-deficiency anemia, which worsens during these days due to blood loss. Her desire to connect with the opposite sex is mentioned, but the girl has no wish to have a spouse of her choice.
She is a young, lonely girl who always dreams of having a loving man because, for a woman, the need for attention and understanding is a priority. In this girl, we do not see the dream of love and freedom.
*Reyhane Bayani is a short story writer and literary critic.
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