Disgraced

In a lavish apartment on the Upper East Side of New York City, Emily, a White woman in her early 30s, is painting her husband, Amir, who is 40 and of South Asian descent. Emily is mimicking the style and pose of Spanish painter Diego Velásquez’s Portrait of Don Pareja (1650), which depicts Velásquez’s slave. Amir notes that it’s odd that Emily is painting him as a slave, and Emily points out that Velásquez freed Don Pareja. She was inspired by an interaction that happened the night before, when a waiter treated Amir as if he were inferior because he isn’t White. Amir jokes that Emily ought to call her last boyfriend, who was Black and Spanish, to pose. He adds that José had made Amir look better to Emily’s family because, as he says, “I mean, at least I spoke English” (8). Emily comments that no one will see the painting, suggesting that she is not succeeding as a professional artist.

Amir’s phone rings, and he speaks with cocky self-assuredness to a client who is having second thoughts. Amir’s (very well-paid) paralegal calls on the other line, and Amir answers, berating him for a small mistake in the contract that had the potential to cost the client $850,000. Amir calls Mort, his boss, to update him on the situation and mentions that he and Emily already have plans for Labor Day weekend. After ending the call, Amir reminds Emily that their plans are with Jory and Isaac. Emily is nervous about spending time with Isaac, who she implies has influence over her career as an artist. They discuss Mort, who hands most of the responsibility of the firm to Amir and gives him small gifts in return, including a statue of Siva because Amir has given him the impression that he is Hindu. Amir comments that Mort is foolishly spending his time trying to use meditation to lower his cholesterol. Amir expects to become a partner in the firm eventually and mentions that his deceased mother would be upset to see his name, Kapoor, listed with the names of three Jewish men. Although, he adds, “It’s not the family name, so she might not care” (11).

The intercom buzzes, and Amir indicates that he didn’t know that his nephew, Abe, would be stopping by. Abe is 22 and also of South Asian descent, but his style is fully Americanized. Amir insists on calling him Hussein, despite the fact that his nephew asserts that name is now Abe Jensen, which he changed in order to make life easier in the United States. Emily reminds Amir that he changed his own last name to Kapoor. Abe wants his uncle to join the legal team of the Imam Fareed, who had been accused under the Patriot Act of raising funds for Hamas, a Palestinian fundamentalist organization. Amir works in mergers and acquisitions now, but he began his legal career as a public defender. Abe insists that Fareed was only raising money for his mosque and that he would be more comfortable with a Muslim working alongside the Jewish men who are already representing him. Amir replies that he is no longer Muslim, and Abe says that his mother claims that Amir was a devout Muslim as a child and that both Amir’s sister and mother always believed that Amir would return to the faith.

Amir tells Abe the story of his first crush on a girl named Rivkah. Amir and Rivkah had been flirting and passing notes in school until Amir’s mother had found one of the notes and been appalled that Amir was interested in a girl with a Jewish name. Amir notes that, as a child who had been born in the United States, he had had no idea about the fight between Israel and Palestine. His mother had forbidden Amir to date a Jewish girl and then spat in his face, exclaiming, “That’s so you don’t ever forget” (16). At school the next day, Amir had seen Rivkah in the hallway and told her that she had a Jewish name. When she had agreed that she was Jewish, Amir had spat in her face. Emily and Abe are horrified, and Amir explains that his departure from Islam is “called intelligence” (17). Emily notes that his mother seemed to like her, and Amir argues that Emily had won her affection and that most Muslims see White women as prostitutes who don’t respect themselves. Abe interjects that Imam Fareed doesn’t treat women that way, and Emily agrees that he had allowed her to sit in the mosque and draw.

Abe pleads with his uncle to think of the imam as a sage man rather than a religious leader, but Amir repeats that he cannot help. Abe leaves, and Emily wonders if Amir had believed in the cause of justice when he had been a public defender. She comments that Amir seems to think of the imam as less than human. Amir tells her that when he went to see Fareed in prison, he wouldn’t stop trying to convince Amir to pray. Emily argues that Fareed was just comforted by the presence of “one of his own people” and Amir replies, “I’m not one of his own people” (17). Emily insists that he is and that he has a unique ability to help him. Amir tries to end the discussion and Emily responds that they never talk about this issue. Amir stares at her, and she tells him that she loves him.