Summary

In this section, we learn that Ayub “had been planning the rally for months” (183) with Tara. The couple is certain that the protest will be large, and that there will be many arrests. On the morning of the rally, Ayub goes to the protest and finds that the police are already breaking up the crowd. Ayub asks a policeman to arrest him, but the policeman says “You’re not worth an arrest” (184).

The crowd disperses and Ayub begins to realize that nonviolent protest is ineffective: “He believed nonviolence suffered the fundamental problem of having no traffic with the media. The media reveled in sex and violence—how could nonviolence, with its graying temples and wise posture, match up?” (184-185).

After the rally, Tara breaks up with Ayub. We learn that she had secretly applied...