Reading the play English this week, I've found interest in one of Toossi's characters—Nader. While he never appears on screen and is only mentioned by Roya ever so often, I think his character adds a lot to Toossi's work as a whole. While Roya is the one sitting in the classroom, it's her son, Nader, who lingers like a shadow behind every sentence she speaks. He never actually appears on stage, yet his absence feels louder than any of the lines. What strikes me about Nader is not that he left Iran. but how he left Roya behind, not just physically, but culturally, linguistically, and emotionally.
While reading the play, I've come to think of Nader as a symbol of the dissonance between generations, the awful choice of adaptation or heritage. He has assimilated so fully that his mother's voice—in Farsi and in sentiment—is no longer welcome. I can't tell if Nader cruel or simply conflicted. But that ambiguity makes his character more significant. He wants his child to speak only English. He wants Roya to remain in the past, even as she tries to get closer to his version of the future. Roya isn't just trying to pass an exam—she's trying to reach her son. She's learning English not for herself, but for him. And yet, the more she learns, the more alienated she feels.
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