The New and the Old

The theme of aging, and contrasting the new against the old, explores the relationship Niloo has with Iran and her father. It also emphasizes that though people age, they are still able to change their lives and start again, especially with the symbol of Donya Norouzi. This theme is literally and metaphorically highlighted with the use of the color green to contrast the new and the old.

Though Niloo loves her father, every time she sees him he has aged significantly, which says at the beginning of the novel while reflecting on her 8 years of childhood in Iran, as well as her relationship with her father, “Iran is like an aging parent, they say” (27). Niloo’s whole life represents the possibility of a new world - a girl plucked from a village in Iran - to a new country (America); whereas her...