Martyr!
Chapter Eleven: Hypatia of Alexandria
by Kaveh AkbarThe chapter follows Arash Shirazi, a young Iranian man conscripted into military service during the Iran-Iraq War in 1984. With no means to avoid enlistment, Arash reflects on the absurdity of war and the shift from a revolution led by idealists to one controlled by armed zealots. He resigns himself to his fate, imagining his future as just another martyr’s photo on the mosque wall. His observations highlight the senselessness of war, where men like him—poor, uneducated, and without special skills—are deemed expendable, referred to as “zero soldiers.”
Arash’s introspection deepens as he witnesses a young conscript being berated by a woman, possibly his wife or sister, for choosing to enlist. The scene contrasts sharply with Arash’s own acceptance of his fate. He imagines the young man as a pianist, his delicate hands meant for music, not war. This moment underscores the tragedy of wasted potential and the arbitrary nature of conscription. Arash muses on the motivations for enlistment—ideology, family pressure, or sheer inevitability—and concludes that for him, resistance is futile.
The narrative shifts to Arash’s departure for training at a makeshift camp in the Alborz Mountains. His mother’s silent grief during his head-shaving ritual reveals the personal toll of war. Arash carries a family photo, a snapshot of happier times marred by political tensions. At the camp, he is grouped with other “zero soldiers,” those with minimal education, reinforcing his expendability. The harsh, transient nature of the camp mirrors the disposability of their lives, yet Arash finds a strange liberation in having no expectations placed upon him.
Arash’s reflections blend resignation and existential acceptance. The mountains, unreal in their grandeur, symbolize the surreal nature of his circumstances. The chapter captures the dissonance between individual humanity and the machinery of war, where young men are reduced to numbers and statistics. Arash’s voice—wry, observant, and devoid of self-pity—paints a poignant picture of a generation caught between revolution and war, their lives dictated by forces beyond their control.
FAQs
1. What does the term “zero soldier” mean in the context of this chapter, and why does Arash Shirazi find this designation liberating?
Answer:
A “zero soldier” refers to recruits with no education (less than high school), no special skills, and no family responsibilities, making them expendable in war. Arash explains this includes men like himself who “didn’t finish high school” and have “zero responsibilities outside of [their] country.” The chapter mentions a grim military adage: “If a zero soldier has to use a grenade to escape with their life, they shouldn’t waste the grenade.” Paradoxically, Arash finds this label liberating because it removes societal pressure to achieve or “become” something—it “vents away all pressure to become” and “asks only that you be.” This reflects his resigned acceptance of fate amid the Iran-Iraq War’s brutality.2. Analyze the significance of the piano prodigy scene in the vaccination waiting room. How does this encounter reveal Arash’s worldview?
Answer:
The scene where Arash observes a young man with “cathedral hands” being berated for enlisting serves as a contrast to Arash’s own passive acceptance of conscription. While Arash sees himself as having “no great talent” and thus belonging in war, he romanticizes the prodigy’s potential (imagining him “swimming through an underwater cathedral” playing Debussy). This reveals Arash’s nuanced perspective: though he dismisses ideological fervor (noting the boy lacks a “nationalist” demeanor), he still recognizes the tragedy of wasted potential in war. His musings about Beeta (a possible daughter, teacher, or mother) underscore war’s indiscriminate destruction of personal narratives.3. How does the chapter use physical descriptions to convey themes of identity and mortality? Provide specific examples.
Answer:
Physical descriptions serve as metaphors for erasure and anonymity in war. Shaved heads dominate the narrative: Arash’s mother shaves his head while sobbing, and he envisions his future martyr photo as one of many “bald dead martyr[s]” distinguished only by scars or moles. The “hairless” skulls make soldiers interchangeable, emphasizing their expendability. Conversely, the piano prodigy’s “long soft fingers” symbolize individuality and artistry—qualities war destroys. Even Arash’s self-description (“ugly in a way that works”) hints at how war reduces men to utilitarian objects. These details reinforce the dehumanizing machinery of conflict.4. What historical and political context does Arash provide for the Iran-Iraq War, and how does his personal stance complicate this narrative?
Answer:
Arash contextualizes the war as a betrayal of Iran’s revolutionary ideals: after a revolution led by “pacifists with hyacinths,” “idiot zealots ended up with all the guns.” He acknowledges Iraq’s invasion (Saddam wanting Iran to “bow”) but critiques the Ayatollah’s regime, noting most citizens “didn’t believe the Ayatollah’s nonsense” yet resented foreign interference more. His ambivalence reflects the chapter’s tension between patriotism and disillusionment—he enlists not out of zeal but because it’s “inescapable, a thing like sickness or death.” This contrasts with the piano prodigy’s implied coercion, showing war’s multifaceted oppression.5. Compare Arash’s family photograph memory to his observations of the piano prodigy’s family dynamics. What do these parallels suggest about the role of family in wartime?
Answer:
Both scenes reveal family as a site of silent suffering and fractured communication. Arash’s photograph memory captures discord (his sister Roya’s fake smile, parents “like stone lions,” and a week-long silence after a political fight). Similarly, the prodigy’s companion (possibly a wife or sister) “seethes” at his enlistment, their relationship strained by unspoken trauma (possibly involving “Beeta”). These parallels suggest war amplifies familial tensions while eroding emotional expression—Arash’s mother sobs silently during his haircut, just as the prodigy’s “flinch” is suppressed. Family becomes both a tether to humanity and a reminder of what war destroys.
Quotes
1. “I enlist because I have to enlist. The few ways out—chronic illness, being the eldest son of a widowed parent, being rich—aren’t available to me.”
This opening statement captures the protagonist’s resigned acceptance of conscription, establishing the chapter’s central theme of forced participation in war. It introduces the harsh realities of draft evasion and societal pressures in revolutionary Iran.
2. “How did this happen? Zealots. Guns, tanks. And now, war.”
This terse, impactful reflection represents the narrator’s disillusionment with Iran’s political transformation. The fragmented syntax mirrors the suddenness of change from idealistic revolution to militarized conflict, a key historical context for the chapter.
3. “I imagine him swimming through an underwater cathedral, stained glass and tiny fish, with just his fingers, just his soft hands making sunken cathedral sounds.”
This lyrical passage demonstrates the narrator’s poetic sensibility amid harsh circumstances. The contrast between this artistic imagination and the reality of war preparation highlights the tragedy of wasted potential in conflict.
4. “The way it vents away all pressure to become. How it asks only that you be.”
This philosophical reflection on being deemed “expendable” reveals the narrator’s surprising existential liberation. It represents a key turning point where he transforms military dehumanization into a form of radical acceptance.
5. “I wonder what they imagined that place being, before they arrived there. I wonder if they were disappointed, or if there was no place to arrive to at all.”
This meditation on mortality and afterlife captures the chapter’s existential undercurrent. The narrator’s questioning of martyrdom’s promises serves as subtle critique of wartime propaganda and its empty ideals.