![]() ![]() Awards-Pushcart Prize National Magazine Award-Fiction,.Combining unadorned realism with profound empathy, House of Sand and Fog marks the arrival of a major new voice in American fiction. Sheriff Lester Burdon, a married man who finds himself falling in love with Kathy, becomes obsessed with helping her fight for justice.ĭrawn by their competing desires to the same small house in the California hills and doomed by their tragic inability to understand one another, the three converge in an explosive collision course. Kathy Nicolo is a troubled young woman whose house is all she has left, and who refuses to let her hard-won stability slip away from her. While being rather dark and somber, the novel also offers a glimpse of hope in regard to managing the problem of discrimination and racism in American society.In this riveting novel of almost unbearable suspense, three fragile yet determined people become dangerously entangled in a relentlessly escalating crisis.Ĭolonel Behrani, once a wealthy man in Iran, is now a struggling immigrant willing to bet everything he has to restore his family's dignity. The author points to the presence of cultural differences that cannot be overcome currently and insists that these differences can be used for both sides to benefit and learn from each other’s experiences. Portraying Behrani both as the side affected by discrimination and the one who succumbs to stereotyping, Dubus purports the complexity of the problem of racism and provides an incentive for a social change. Thus, Behrani refuses to develop the strength and resilience needed to withstand the pressure of racial stereotypes and, instead, reverts to the idea of incessant hatred, which leads to his demise. The death of his son becomes the pivotal moment in the novel, as Behrani loses his hope and the will to live, which is signified later on in the book with four poignant words: “The colonel was dead” (Dubus 745). The character arc of Behrani is twofold, with him developing resilience toward discrimination and facing his own biases being the leading destination of his journey. As a result, the character faces a complex moral dilemma, yet ultimately yields to drowning his pain and hatred for others.Ĭhoosing the latter option, Behrani gradually experiences personal growth. However, this time, they are directed at him, with Les calling him a “sick bastard,” even though in his mind (Dubus 511). ![]() Moreover, apart from the pressure of racial biases in the confinement of his own home, Behrani also has to experience racial preferences in the new community. For instance, in her argument with Behrani, she vocalizes her disdain for Gypsies and Arabs: “She did not come to America to live like a gypsy, but I did not come here to work like an Arab!” (Dubus 54). Behrani’s wife, Nadi, also seems to have a distinct air of ethnic superiority over certain people at the beginning of the novel. In addition, Behrani has to cope with a significant amount of racism around him, both from his family members and his new community. While his opinions change as he faces numerous instances of racism and ethnic prejudices, yet his initial stance on the subject of race is far from being impeccable. Furthermore, he is unwilling to yield even after being integrated with a more diverse environment. Behrani is quite prone to racism himself, primarily due to the persistent stereotypes that he accepted along with other aspects of his culture: “I look over the pig’s head of Mendez – he stares at me with the table eyes” (Dubus 22). However, the character is far from being an innocent bystander, too. Thus, Behrani is forced to encounter instances of discrimination and racism, whether implicitly or explicitly, on a daily basis due to his ethnicity. One of the critical instances of discrimination and prejudice applied against Behrani occurs when others refuse to perceive him as the owner of his house until he claims it directly: “She said she’s the owner” (Dubus 160). The issue of racism remains implicit yet persistent throughout the novel, with subtle hints of the challenges that the protagonist faces being scattered across the narrative. ![]()
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