Funny in Farsi Study Guide

Chapter 25: 'œJudges Paid Off'

After one year of marriage, firoozeh and Francois decided to take a vacation to the Bahamas, courtesy of Farshid's business miles. Unfortunately, they arrived right in the middle of spring break with nowhere to stay. When they finally did find a hotel, they were kept up all night by the noise from the college students. They decided to try to get to another island, but the only way to do that was on a mail boat, and the single boat that was leaving in the next two weeks was not an official one. This made firoozeh nervous, but Francois insisted they take it.

The boat took them to Spanish Wells, a much more secluded island where all the residents are white and most catch lobsters. They were the only tourists on the island, and because of this they were asked to serve as judges for the island's beauty pageant. firoozeh was hesitant, since she did not like the idea of young girls in a pageant. She eventually obliged however and judged the pageant, which went along the lines of a typical youth beauty pageant. They ended up selecting the only girl who was articulate, despite the fact she was probably the underdog. When the winner was announced, the crowd was furious, thinking the judges had been paid off. They even gathered around the hotel to chant their disapproval later that night.

Notes: This is the first chapter where the emphasis is not on her family or Iranian culture in some way.

Chapter 26: 'œIf I Were a Rich Man'

In Iran, Kazem's company had taken care of all their needs, meaning they never really had to worry about money. In America, they had to pay for everything themselves, and pay in American currency. When the revolution happened in Iran, the economy there crashed, making everything seem even more expensive in comparison. This led to Kazem wanting to fix things himself, not only at his own house, but at the houses of his grown children as well.

Kazem also liked to calculate the cost of food at restaurants, meaning no one ever ordered drinks in front of him, since he viewed drinks as the biggest rip-offs. Despite how cheap he is in America, Kazem is a millionaire in Iran, so he decided to do as much as he could with his money in Iran as opposed to spending it on barely anything in America. He uses the money to help the needy there whenever he could.

Notes: Dumas ends the book by showing her father's generosity. Despite the fact that the book is her memoirs and is told through her eyes, it's her father's influence that seems to run the deepest, especially in chapters such as this one.