Ending of Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar ‐ my take, plus questions…
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Ending of Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar ‐ my take, plus questions
I know there's already been a post on the ending, but it's been two years and I want to bring it a little further with evidence.
In reality, I know the ending was probably intentionally left vague enough that it could have been anything. However, because it is vague, I feel like every interpretation is valid, including the one I want to bring up.
>!My interpretation is that Cyrus really did die in that scene in an intentional overdose, but also Zee really was there.!<
>!The final smoke he had after earlier saying he only wanted to smoke again when he was dying, the fainting at the museum, the mention of living more than he "should have", I think it all points to death, but narrative closure, Zee wiping away his tears, and the final poem, "[...] for now,/it's strawberry season" also hint at Zee really being there and the two making amends. I also think Zee's reason for calling seems reasonable enough that it could be real.!<
>!Now, what exactly he died from is harder to pinpoint. I've half a mind to say it was sepsis from the foot injury and half a mind to say it was drugs. For now, I think the needle points a bit further to drugs. In fact, I think he might have fainted [partially] from sepsis at the museum and then taken drugs [partially] to die on his own terms, just like his mother. This is especially supported by his mention of having lived "longer than he should" being mirrored in what Sang said about Janet's own OD. I think the hallucinations at the end are drug-induced, but there are snippets of real in them, such as Zee holding his hand and wiping away his tears. The "angel of death" is also an especially convincing argument for him killing himself so he won't die to sepsis. The "angel" is supposed to stop soldiers from killing themselves when they're dying out already, but Cyrus KNOWS that's not a real angel but a man/boy in a costume. If the angel's not real, then the message isn't real either. It means it's okay to do what he's doing.!<
>!I actually don't think it's supposed to be a sad ending despite this, though. Yes, ultimately his death is meaningless as far as we know, but aren't they all? I think that was the point of the book. Leila's death, Ali's death, all the soldiers, Roya's death, they're all senseless, and even Hussain, the "ultimate martyr" in Cyrus' eyes, Sad James says he'd just kneel and call "take-backsies" later. It's all senseless, and they're all "tragic on the human level"(Sad James again). Also, living longer than one "should have" is a MAJOR part of the book. Roya does that, and that's the whole point she does the death talk exhibition in the first place, which is what really kickstarts the story. I've mentioned this already in the last paragraph, but Janet's also done that, survived a bit longer and eventually relapsed and ODd, but Sang doesn't think it's sad, because she had more years than she would have otherwise. It's the same with Cyrus, I think. He died a senseless, humanly tragic death, and he wasn't a martyr, but because he was so obsessed with martyrdom he held on for a bit longer, and he finally got his closure before dying. It's a beautiful ending.!<
What do you think? Am I on the right track? Am I way off? Do you have another interpretation of it?
#entertainment
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I know there's already been a post on the ending, but it's been two years and I want to bring it a little further with evidence.
In reality, I know the ending was probably intentionally left vague enough that it could have been anything. However, because it is vague, I feel like every interpretation is valid, including the one I want to bring up.
>!My interpretation is that Cyrus really did die in that scene in an intentional overdose, but also Zee really was there.!<
>!The final smoke he had after earlier saying he only wanted to smoke again when he was dying, the fainting at the museum, the mention of living more than he "should have", I think it all points to death, but narrative closure, Zee wiping away his tears, and the final poem, "[...] for now,/it's strawberry season" also hint at Zee really being there and the two making amends. I also think Zee's reason for calling seems reasonable enough that it could be real.!<
>!Now, what exactly he died from is harder to pinpoint. I've half a mind to say it was sepsis from the foot injury and half a mind to say it was drugs. For now, I think the needle points a bit further to drugs. In fact, I think he might have fainted [partially] from sepsis at the museum and then taken drugs [partially] to die on his own terms, just like his mother. This is especially supported by his mention of having lived "longer than he should" being mirrored in what Sang said about Janet's own OD. I think the hallucinations at the end are drug-induced, but there are snippets of real in them, such as Zee holding his hand and wiping away his tears. The "angel of death" is also an especially convincing argument for him killing himself so he won't die to sepsis. The "angel" is supposed to stop soldiers from killing themselves when they're dying out already, but Cyrus KNOWS that's not a real angel but a man/boy in a costume. If the angel's not real, then the message isn't real either. It means it's okay to do what he's doing.!<
>!I actually don't think it's supposed to be a sad ending despite this, though. Yes, ultimately his death is meaningless as far as we know, but aren't they all? I think that was the point of the book. Leila's death, Ali's death, all the soldiers, Roya's death, they're all senseless, and even Hussain, the "ultimate martyr" in Cyrus' eyes, Sad James says he'd just kneel and call "take-backsies" later. It's all senseless, and they're all "tragic on the human level"(Sad James again). Also, living longer than one "should have" is a MAJOR part of the book. Roya does that, and that's the whole point she does the death talk exhibition in the first place, which is what really kickstarts the story. I've mentioned this already in the last paragraph, but Janet's also done that, survived a bit longer and eventually relapsed and ODd, but Sang doesn't think it's sad, because she had more years than she would have otherwise. It's the same with Cyrus, I think. He died a senseless, humanly tragic death, and he wasn't a martyr, but because he was so obsessed with martyrdom he held on for a bit longer, and he finally got his closure before dying. It's a beautiful ending.!<
What do you think? Am I on the right track? Am I way off? Do you have another interpretation of it?
#entertainment
source
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