Chapter 7 Summary: Bandar Abbas, Iran

⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.

Summary

On Sunday, 3 July 1988, a woman who has never flown before boards her first airplane, a half-empty flight from Tehran to Bandar Abbas. The journey is uneventful, and she recalls the hardships of wartime Tehran: meat shortages so severe that families raise chickens in bathrooms and closets, old matriarchs selling their family rugs for next to nothing, and long lines for baby chicks sold from a truck bed. She remembers a disturbing incident on Revolution Street—formerly Reza Shah Street—where she and her husband witnessed a teenage girl being pushed into a white van by men while she screamed, “Why?! I am peaceful! I am peaceful!” The memory gives her chills.

After landing in Bandar Abbas, she boards a second, nearly full flight to Dubai. She initially sits in the wrong seat next to a portly man with yellow-tinted glasses who glares at her, but an attendant redirects her to seat 27D, a window seat beside an older Arab woman in a black chador who is reading. The woman checks her passport, patting her coat pocket to confirm it is still there, and then flips through the Iran Air magazine, reading articles about Kashan rugs and the ancient city of Shush, including a photo of a winged sphinx from the Palace of Dariush. She reflects on recent events in Iran: soldiers in Isfahan informing mothers that their sons have been martyred, and public executions in Tehran’s Revolution Square, where sons of other mothers hang from cranes.

Once the plane is airborne, she finally relaxes. She feels relief at leaving the horror behind, noting that horror lives on the ground and in the past, while the air is calm and present. She tries not to think about the people she is leaving behind, refusing the guilt rising in her throat. For the first time in a long while, she can inhale fully, and breathing feels meaningful. She recalls the word “emkanat”—possibilities—and realizes she hasn’t used it in a long time. Despite the cynicism of her husband, family, and friends, who believe hope is naïve, she begins to believe that tomorrow will be better than today.

Key Events

The woman takes her first-ever flight, from Tehran to Bandar Abbas, which is half-empty and uneventful.
She recalls wartime Tehran’s economic scarcity: meat shortages, chickens raised indoors, and families selling rugs.
She remembers witnessing a teenage girl being forced into a white van on Revolution Street.
She boards a second flight from Bandar Abbas to Dubai, which is nearly full.
She sits in the wrong seat, is redirected by an attendant to 27D, and settles next to an older Arab woman.
She checks her passport and reads the Iran Air magazine, including articles on Kashan rugs and Shush.
She reflects on soldiers delivering martyrdom news to mothers in Isfahan and public executions in Revolution Square.
Once airborne, she experiences relief and a sense of liberation, thinking about “emkanat” (possibilities) and feeling hope for the future.

Character Development

The unnamed woman undergoes a significant internal shift in this chapter. Initially anxious and burdened by memories of state violence and economic hardship, she transitions to a state of cautious hope once the plane is in the air. Her actions—checking her passport, reading the magazine, and eventually relaxing—show a deliberate effort to distance herself from the trauma of the ground. The memory of the girl in the van and the soldiers’ announcements highlights her deep awareness of the regime’s brutality, but her refusal to let guilt consume her marks a turning point. The older Arab woman beside her serves as a quiet, calm presence, contrasting with the hostility of the portly man and the chaos of the ground. The woman’s final belief that “tomorrow will be better than today” signals a new openness to possibility, a departure from the cynicism she attributes to everyone she knows in Iran.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Flight as Liberation: The airplane represents escape from the horrors of the ground. The woman’s first flight is described as “mercifully dull,” and once airborne, she feels relief and calm. The contrast between ground and air is explicit: “Horror, which lived on the ground. In the past. In the air, in the present where she was, it was calm.”
Ground vs. Air: The ground is associated with state violence, economic scarcity, and historical destruction—soldiers, executions, and the girl in the van. The air is a liminal space of present calm and potential.
Plane as Liminal Space: The airplane is a threshold between Iran and Dubai, between past and future. The woman’s seat, 27D, becomes a temporary refuge.
Passport as Identity: The woman repeatedly checks her passport, treating it as precious and protective. It symbolizes her identity and her ticket to a new life.
State Violence and Martyrdom: The chapter references soldiers informing mothers of their sons’ deaths and public executions, highlighting the regime’s use of martyrdom as a tool of control.
Economic Scarcity: The descriptions of meat shortages, chicken-raising, and rug-selling illustrate the material hardships of wartime Tehran.
Hope vs. Cynicism: The woman’s belief in “emkanat” (possibilities) contrasts with the cynicism of her family and friends, who view hope as naïve.
Historical Cycles of Destruction: The magazine article about Shush and the sphinx suggests that civilizations have always destroyed themselves, offering a grim but also a comforting perspective—that destruction is inevitable, yet life continues.
Breathing as Meaningful: The woman’s ability to inhale fully becomes a symbol of freedom and renewed vitality, “the way money means more to the poor than the rich.”

Why This Chapter Matters

This chapter is pivotal because it marks the woman’s physical and psychological departure from Iran, setting the stage for her future in Dubai and beyond. It establishes key themes that resonate throughout the novel: the tension between hope and cynicism, the weight of state violence, and the search for possibility. The chapter also introduces the concept of martyrdom in a personal context—the mothers who must smile through grief—and contrasts it with the woman’s own act of survival. By placing her on a plane, Akbar creates a liminal space where she can begin to imagine a different life, making this chapter a turning point in her character arc.

Study Questions and Answers

How does the woman’s memory of the girl in the white van shape her emotional state on the flight?

The memory of the girl being pushed into the van, screaming “I am peaceful,” gives the woman chills and reinforces her awareness of the regime’s arbitrary violence. It contributes to her anxiety and guilt about leaving, but also strengthens her resolve to escape. The memory is a reminder of what she is fleeing, making her relief once airborne more profound.

What does the woman’s reaction to the Iran Air magazine reveal about her mindset?

Reading articles about Kashan rugs and Shush, she finds “some solace in history,” noting that other civilizations have also destroyed themselves. This suggests she is seeking perspective on Iran’s current turmoil, and it hints at a fatalistic acceptance of cyclical destruction. Yet the act of reading also distracts her from her anxiety, showing her attempt to engage with normalcy and culture as a way to cope.

Why does the woman think of the word “emkanat” (possibilities) at the end of the chapter, and what does it signify?

She recalls the word after feeling the air fill her lungs and realizing she can breathe fully for the first time in ages. “Emkanat” signifies her renewed belief in the future, a stark contrast to the cynicism of her family and friends. It represents a shift from survival mode to hope, and it becomes a central motif for her character’s development as she leaves Iran.