Chapter 19: Arash Shirazi — Summary, Analysis, and Themes

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⚠️ This summary and analysis contains detailed information from Chapter 19 of Martyr! that may reveal plot points and character developments. Proceed with caution if you have not yet read the chapter.

Summary

In February 1984, Arash Shirazi, a poor, unmarried man without a high school education, enlists in the Iranian military because he has no exemptions—no chronic illness, no widowed parent, no wealth to buy his way out. He reflects on the revolution that promised idealism but delivered zealots with guns and tanks, and on the ongoing war with Iraq. While receiving vaccinations, he observes a young woman berating a young man for enlisting, and he imagines various reasons—a sick daughter, a dead mother, family pressure—for why the boy might have chosen this path. Arash feels no strong conviction about his own service; he sees it as inescapable, like sickness or death.

His mother shaves his head before he boards a bus with other recruits, heading to a makeshift training camp at the base of the Alborz Mountains. She gives him a family photograph, which triggers a memory of a family argument over a neighbor arrested for Tudeh Party activities. At camp, recruits are divided by education: college graduates go to officer training, high school graduates to infantry, and those with less than a high school education—like Arash—are designated “zero soldiers.” He is assigned the number 11 out of 208, which becomes his name.

During a meal, an older soldier, number 137, tells the story of Alireza, a man who served two conscriptions due to a bureaucratic mix-up. Alireza’s parents had him adopt the name of his dead brother to advance his schooling, and he later served his brother’s military term. When the government later demanded service from the original Alireza, he reenlisted under his own name rather than expose his parents’ deception, and he was killed in a training accident. The other soldiers laugh at the story, but Arash finds it darkly humorous, seeing it as a tale about how time flattens everything.

The narrative then shifts to a childhood memory. Arash recalls racing his younger sister Roya down a hill toward a frozen pond. Roya, fearless and laughing, runs straight into the icy water and disappears momentarily before emerging, coughing and laughing, calling him a coward. Arash feels a mix of fury and relief, and he later sneaks her home, distracting his mother with conversation while Roya slips upstairs to shower.

Back at camp, Arash describes the daily routine: waking at 4:30, performing ablutions and fajr prayer, then physical training. He reflects on language as an invented human construct that divides people into “Iranian” and “Iraqi,” and on potential energy—the idea that he is a stone suspended by a string, full of unspent energy with no knife to cut the rope. He envies men who can cry, seeing tears as a release he cannot access.

Key Events

Arash enlists because he has no exemptions, viewing it as inevitable.
At vaccination, he witnesses a woman berating a young man for enlisting.
His mother shaves his head; he boards a bus to a training camp.
At camp, he is classified as a “zero soldier” and assigned number 11.
Soldier 137 tells the story of Alireza, who served two conscriptions due to a name mix-up.
Arash recalls racing Roya down a hill; she runs into a frozen pond and emerges laughing.
He reflects on language as an invention and on potential energy.
Training routine: 4:30 wake-up, prayers, physical exercise.
He remembers sneaking Roya home after she got wet, distracting his mother.

Character Development

Arash Shirazi emerges as a deeply introspective and emotionally suppressed narrator. He describes himself as “expendable” but finds liberation in that label, as it relieves him of the pressure to become anything. His internal conflict is evident in his envy of men who can cry, his inability to access tears, and his reflection on potential energy—he feels like a stone suspended, unable to release his stored emotion. His relationship with Roya reveals a protective yet resentful side; he is furious at her invincibility but ultimately helps her, giving her his coat and sneaking her home.

Roya is portrayed as fearless and defiant, laughing even after nearly drowning. Her invincibility both impresses and angers Arash, highlighting the sibling dynamic of competition and care.

The mother appears briefly but significantly: she shaves Arash’s head while hiding her sobs, and later is easily distracted by his chatter, allowing Roya to sneak in. Her emotional vulnerability contrasts with Arash’s suppression.

The young man at the vaccination serves as a foil to Arash—he seems to have had a choice, with someone (Beeta) who could have exempted him, yet he still enlists. Arash imagines his soft hands and artistic potential, underscoring Arash’s belief that he himself has no talents.

Alireza (from the story) embodies the absurdity of bureaucratic identity and the flattening of time; his martyrdom under his own name is both tragic and darkly comic.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Conscription and Martyrdom: The chapter explores the forced nature of military service and the cultural expectation of martyrdom, as seen in Arash’s vision of his own photo on the mosque wall.
Names and Identity: Arash’s number (11) replaces his name, and Alireza’s story shows how names can be manipulated and lost, yet also reclaimed.
Language as Invention: Arash reflects that language is a human invention that creates divisions (Iranian vs. Iraqi) and enables violence.
Time Flattening: The Alireza story illustrates how time erases distinctions—family, duty, and identity all become “dirt.”
Emotional Suppression: Arash’s inability to cry and his envy of those who can highlight his internal repression.
Sibling Bond: The memory of Roya reveals a complex mix of love, rivalry, and protection.
Potential Energy: Arash uses the physics concept to describe his own stagnant, unexpressed emotions.
State Bureaucracy: The military’s classification of “zero soldiers” and the absurdity of Alireza’s double conscription critique the dehumanizing machinery of the state.

Why This Chapter Matters

This chapter provides crucial backstory for Arash Shirazi, establishing his worldview and emotional landscape. It introduces key themes—conscription, identity, language, and emotional suppression—that will likely resonate throughout the novel. The contrast between Arash’s passive acceptance of his fate and Roya’s fearless defiance sets up a tension that may inform his later actions. The Alireza story, with its dark humor and commentary on bureaucratic absurdity, deepens the novel’s critique of the Iranian state and the war. Additionally, Arash’s reflections on language and potential energy offer a philosophical lens through which to understand his character and the broader narrative.

Study Questions and Answers

1. How does Arash’s classification as a “zero soldier” shape his self-perception?

Arash embraces the label “zero soldier” as liberating rather than degrading. He sees it as a release from the pressure to achieve or become something, stating that it “vents away all pressure to become” and asks only that he “be.” This acceptance reflects his fatalistic view of his own life and his emotional detachment from the war.

2. What does the story of Alireza reveal about the themes of names and time?

The story illustrates how names are arbitrary and can be manipulated by bureaucracy, yet they also carry identity. Alireza’s double conscription shows how the state’s records flatten time, ignoring his education and history while remembering his service obligation. The story also suggests that time erases distinctions, turning family, duty, and identity into “dirt,” which Arash finds both comforting and inescapable.

3. Why does Arash feel both fury and relief when Roya emerges from the pond?

Arash’s fury stems from Roya’s invincibility, which he finds both admirable and infuriating because it contrasts with his own fear and emotional suppression. He wants to make her feel afraid, to strip away her sense of invulnerability. However, his relief is evident when he runs to help her, gives her his coat, and sneaks her home, showing his underlying care despite his anger.