Zee Novak in Martyr!: Character Analysis

Overview of Zee Novak in Martyr!

Zee Novak is Cyrus Shams's roommate, best friend, and eventual lover—a recent graduate who lives with Cyrus in Indiana before accompanying him to Brooklyn. He is a grounding presence in Cyrus's life, a person who sees Cyrus clearly and loves him without illusion. Zee challenges Cyrus's suicidal ideation with blunt honesty and fierce tenderness, and he shares a deep, nonsexual intimacy with Cyrus that gradually becomes romantic and physical. While Cyrus is consumed by questions of martyrdom, meaning, and death, Zee represents the pull of life, connection, and the ordinary pleasures of being alive. His role in the novel is both supportive and confrontational: he urges Cyrus toward the Brooklyn Museum, forces him to face the selfishness of his death wish, and ultimately helps Cyrus step into a love that feels like a new beginning.

Zee is not a passive sidekick. He has his own history, his own humor, and his own way of seeing the world. He is the one who calls out Cyrus's self-absorption, who refuses to let Cyrus romanticize his own suffering, and who, in the novel's climactic scene, becomes the catalyst for Cyrus's transformation. Through Zee, Akbar explores the possibility that love—not martyrdom—might be the answer to the question of how to live.

Plot Role

Zee appears in several key chapters, often as a counterweight to Cyrus's darker impulses. In the flashback chapter titled Zee Novak (Chapter 14), we see him in April 2014, living with Cyrus in Indiana, working odd jobs, and sharing a weekly ritual of doing yard work for a man named Jude in exchange for groceries. This chapter establishes Zee's perspective and his growing awareness that he might love Cyrus. Later, in Chapter 13 (Tuesday), Zee is present at the Naples Café when Cyrus announces his new writing project on martyrdom. It is Zee who urges Cyrus to go meet Orkideh, the dying artist at the Brooklyn Museum, arguing that Cyrus is available and that this is a sign. Zee offers to accompany him, and Cyrus agrees.

In Chapter 31 (Sunday), Zee meets Cyrus at a Brooklyn café, carrying vinyl records, and listens as Cyrus recounts his conversation with Orkideh. That night, in Chapter 33, they share pizza, watch TV, and have sex—a moment of intimacy that quickly turns into a bitter argument when Cyrus reveals that nothing compels him to stay alive. Zee confronts Cyrus with raw anger, calling him selfish, and then leaves the hotel room. In Chapter 53 (Monday), after Orkideh's death, Zee calls Cyrus, and they meet in Prospect Park. There, they reconcile, and the world around them transforms into something surreal and beautiful—trees bloom, wild horses pass, and a golden pool appears. Zee's presence is essential to this moment of grace.

Motivations and Traits Shown Through Actions

Zee's motivations are rooted in love and loyalty. He cares for Cyrus deeply, and his actions consistently reflect a desire to protect Cyrus from himself. In Chapter 14, when Cyrus injures his foot while chopping wood, Zee cleans the wound and helps him negotiate with Jude for cash and supplies. He laughs at Cyrus's absurd retellings of the story, admiring his enthusiasm and haplessness. Zee is also pragmatic: he suggests they ask for more money, and he goes along with Cyrus's schemes, even when they are reckless.

Zee is perceptive and honest. In Chapter 33, he sees through Cyrus's rationalizations about wanting to die. He points out that Cyrus's “poor little orphan boy” narrative is selfish and that Cyrus is using history to justify his own despair. He says, “You can't use history to rationalize everything. You realize that's what countries do, right? What America does? And what Iran does, specifically?” This moment shows Zee's ability to connect Cyrus's personal struggles to larger political patterns, but also his refusal to let Cyrus hide behind abstraction.

Zee is also fiercely independent. He has his own life—waiting tables, playing drums, buying vinyl records—and he does not simply orbit around Cyrus. When Cyrus dismisses his life as unimportant, Zee reacts with hurt and anger, gathering his belongings and leaving. This decision to walk away is a key action that forces Cyrus to confront the consequences of his words.

Chronological Arc

Zee's arc in the novel moves from quiet devotion to active confrontation to reconciliation. In April 2014 (Chapter 14), Zee is living with Cyrus, and we see the early stages of his love—he notes that he “first thought I might love him” during that spring. They are both drinking heavily, and Zee is beginning to realize how much energy he spends making things easier for Cyrus.

Two years later, in the novel's present (around 2017), Zee has stopped drinking in solidarity with Cyrus's sobriety. He accompanies Cyrus to Brooklyn, where he encourages him to meet Orkideh. The relationship becomes sexual in Chapter 33, but that same night, Zee confronts Cyrus about his death wish and leaves. The separation lasts only a day; in Chapter 53, Zee calls Cyrus, and they meet in Prospect Park. There, Zee admits he had planned to talk to Orkideh himself, but she was already gone. He listens as Cyrus pours out the story of his day, and then they share a moment of profound connection as the world around them transforms. Zee's final words in the scene—about the wages of virtue and the futility of imagining heaven and hell—suggest a philosophical grounding that complements Cyrus's artistic and spiritual searching.

Relationships

The central relationship in Zee's life is with Cyrus. Their bond evolves from friendship to romantic partnership, but it is always marked by a deep, almost familial intimacy. Zee knows Cyrus's history—his mother's death, his father's trauma, his struggles with addiction—and he loves him anyway. In Chapter 53, Cyrus reflects that “whatever was merciful in the universe lived in Zee,” and that Zee “really saw Cyrus, really heard him, beneath all his beneaths.”

Zee also has a relationship with the world around him. He is observant and present, noticing details that Cyrus misses. He is the one who points out the absurdity of Cyrus's self-pity, and he is also the one who can laugh at the ridiculousness of their situation. His relationship with Cyrus is not one-sided; he demands reciprocity and honesty. When Cyrus fails to see Zee's devotion, Zee calls him out on it.

Key Decisions and Consequences

One of Zee's most significant decisions is to urge Cyrus to go to the Brooklyn Museum. In Chapter 13, he argues that Cyrus is available and that this is a sign. This decision sets the novel's plot in motion, leading Cyrus to meet Orkideh and ultimately to confront his own feelings about death and meaning.

Another key decision is Zee's choice to leave the hotel room after the argument in Chapter 33. This act of self-respect forces Cyrus to realize how negligent he has been with Zee's loyalty. In Chapter 53, Cyrus apologizes, and Zee accepts, but only after Cyrus truly believes his own apology. Zee's decision to return—and to be present for Cyrus in Prospect Park—allows for the novel's climactic moment of transformation.

Zee also decides to stop drinking in solidarity with Cyrus's sobriety, a choice that shows his commitment to Cyrus's well-being. This decision is mentioned in Chapter 14, where Zee notes that he “osmotically stopped drinking in solidarity.” It is a quiet, selfless act that underscores his devotion.

Theme and Symbol Connections

Zee is a counterpoint to the novel's central themes of martyrdom and death. While Cyrus is obsessed with the idea of dying for a cause, Zee represents the value of living for someone. He embodies the theme of art as a response to mortality and trauma in his own way—not through art, but through presence and love. Zee's insistence that Cyrus's death wish is “fucked up” challenges the romanticization of martyrdom that Cyrus is drawn to. He argues that using history to rationalize one's own death is what countries do, not what individuals should do.

Zee also connects to the theme of addiction, sobriety, and the reconstruction of self. He supports Cyrus's sobriety and, in doing so, helps Cyrus see himself more clearly. In Chapter 53, Cyrus reflects that “sobriety meant Cyrus couldn't help but see himself, eventually. And it hurt.” Zee is part of that seeing.

Symbolically, Zee is associated with life and growth. In the final scene, the park around them bursts into bloom, and Zee is the one who notices it. He says, “Are you seeing this?” and Cyrus responds that it might be because of them. Zee's presence is linked to the possibility of renewal and transformation.

Five Book-Specific Questions and Answers

1. Why does Zee call Cyrus selfish in Chapter 33?

Zee calls Cyrus selfish because Cyrus claims that nothing compels him to stay alive, ignoring the love and devotion Zee has given him. Zee points out that he has Cyrus's cum on his chest at that very moment, and that Cyrus is acting as if he lives in a vacuum. He says, “You have no idea how selfish you can be.”

2. What does Zee do after the argument in the hotel room?

Zee gathers his belongings, clips his wallet into his backpack, and leaves the hotel room without looking back. He spends the night wandering Brooklyn, eventually passing out on a train station bench.

3. How does Zee react to Orkideh's death?

In Chapter 53, Zee tells Cyrus that he had planned to talk to Orkideh that day, to see her with his own eyes, but when he got to the museum, she was already gone. He says he didn't know what he would have asked her, but he believed seeing her would make a difference.

4. What does Zee say about the “wages of virtue”?

In Prospect Park, Zee says, “All those severe poets talking big about the wages of sin all the time, but nobody ever brought up the wages of virtue. The toll of trying really really hard to be good in a game that's totally rigged against goodness.” He is reflecting on the difficulty of living a good life in a world that seems to reward cruelty.

5. How does Zee support Cyrus's sobriety?

Zee stops drinking in solidarity with Cyrus, as he mentions in Chapter 14: “before I osmotically stopped drinking in solidarity, to make things easier for Cyrus.” This act of support is part of his broader devotion to Cyrus's well-being.

For further exploration of the novel's themes, see the main book page, the ending explained, and the questions and answers.