Chapter 5 Summary and Analysis
Chapter 5: Riaz; or, The Merchant of Debt
Leaving Scranton with a debt that exceeded his salary for the next two years, Ayad decided to make some pivotal changes in his work. He decided that his writing would now focus on the reality of his conflicting feelings about America and his place in it.
In 2012, Ayad met Riaz Rind, the extremely wealthy founder of a Wall Street hedge fund named Avasina. He also led the Riaz Rind Philanthropic Trust, whose mission was “changing conversations and improving lives”—specifically regarding Islam and Muslims in America. By this point, Ayad’s play was gaining enormous popularity in New York. Numerous celebrities visited the performance, including Salman Rushdie, Tyra Banks, and Chelsea Clinton. Ayad received an email asking to meet with a prospective donor and offering twenty thousand dollars for house seats.
The donor was Riaz Rind, and he immediately impressed Ayad with his confidence and striking impression. Ayad recognized him immediately as Pakinstani, and Riaz interacted amiably with all the actors backstage, taking a particular interest in the lead, Emily. Ayad finally excused himself to go home, but Emily ended up leaving with Riaz; she was treated to his elaborate lifestyle, including his lavish apartment, extremely expensive bourbon, and a dinner where Johnny Depp and Kate Upton entertained their own private parties.
When Emily later provided the details of her opulent evening, Ayad took a particular interest in her friend Julia, who was accompanying Emily. Realizing that Julia was also interested in him, Ayad swept her into a private area where the actors often rehearsed a violent scene. Encouraged by Julia, Ayad’s sexual advances were both ravenous and angry. He took particular note of the way his dark body towered over her “glimmering whiteness.” In the end, Ayad recognized that he had never experienced sex like his encounter with Julia on that evening—and has not experienced anything like it since.
Ayad learned that Riaz made his fortunes primarily through purchasing and selling debts. He had become quite adept at assessing loan viability and had gained national recognition for his business strategies. Eventually, Ayad would share with Riaz his own views about the future of Muslims in America, and in this conversation, he realized that he was “attacking what [Riaz] saw as his purpose in the world.” Ayad told him that Muslims refuse to acknowledge their own failings, such as living with a sense of anger and inferiority which prevents them from ever making real progress. Although Riaz disagreed with Ayad’s assessment of their culture, the friendship between the two men continued to grow.
Riaz introduced Ayad to numerous remarkable Muslim Americans. Ayad was then elected to Riaz’s board, which put him on the fast-track to a world he had only imagined until this point. He met people like Hillary Clinton and Elon Musk; he flew in first class to places like Venice, Abu Dhabi, and Frankfurt. After eight months of this lifestyle, Ayad also realized that he did not want to go back to his mediocre lifestyle. However, he was also cognizant that his ability to access this lifestyle depended on the generosity of Riaz, which could expire at any time. When Ayad’s mother died, he reached a pivotal moment of opportunity. She left him three hundred thousand dollars, and Ayad initially tried to invest the money himself with the help of a financial planner. After months of watching his money, he had gained about fourteen dollars. Ayad mentioned this to Riaz, who offered him an opportunity to invest his money in a new company he was starting up. Ayad accepted the offer...
(This entire section contains 1197 words.)
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and bought into Timur Capital at $2.40 a share, investing his entire inheritance. Months later, he sold those same shares for twenty-two dollars each, making him a multimillionaire.
Timur Capital soon came under investigation, and a woman named Zakeeya Watkins from the Securities and Exchange Commission paid him a visit. Ayad answered all of her questions honestly and found that she was rather amiable with him considering the circumstances; he suspected that she was Muslim, too. She told him that various cities were filing class action lawsuits against Riaz for selling them “junk debt” which they believed Riaz knew was going to default.
Ayad paid for transcripts of depositions regarding the case, and he was astounded at the bribery and incompetence that had transpired at the municipal level. Ayad’s father had always been critical of Pakistan, because he felt the corruption was “endemic.” He had come to America in great part because he believed he was escaping this environment; after reading through the depositions, Ayad believed that his father’s assessment of American business dealings was a bit idealistic.
Ayad makes no excuses for Riaz’s dubious business dealings. He recognizes the many innocent people who were harmed, including children and elderly citizens who were forced to live in communities where property taxes were raised thirty percent and salaries were slashed to make up for the financial loss they suffered because of Riaz’s profits. Ayad also recognizes his own role in this unfortunate situation but believes that his liability is no different than those who own stakes in companies like Nike, Apple, or Exxon. Ayad is amazed that Riaz got away with it all, only becoming richer following the investigation.
Analysis
The “fundamental contradictions” of American culture are explored in this chapter. Ayad considers how American businesses succeed in great part because they have the power to make others suffer in order to ensure their own success. While large companies make headlines for their “progressive giving” and “canny political stances,” they also fundamentally take advantage of the American public, selling inadequate products, paying subminimum wages, and inflicting damage on the environment. Ayad also touches on the disillusionment of immigrants who come to America, believing in the promise of the American dream. They believe that by coming to America, they are leaving behind the greed and corruption which has often plagued their lives, making it impossible for them to thrive in their homelands. And while there are some success stories, including Sikander at one point, Ayad asserts that these problems are innately human, existing across cultures and space.
Ayad’s friendship with Riaz proves to be a contradiction in itself. They have differing views about what it means to be Muslim American, and Ayad is aware that his own views put him in jeopardy of eventually losing access to the lifestyle that he was able to access through Riaz’s influence. Yet Riaz continues to support Ayad, perhaps partly because he is romantically interested in him, and Ayad eventually attains great financial success because of Riaz’s business insights. Ayad is aware that he has gained great wealth through no particular effort of his own, and he acknowledges that many people have suffered indirectly because of his investments. Ultimately, Ayad views this conflicting reality as being innately tied to the American dream, which is not even a particularly American phenomenon. He finds himself part of a great contradiction, enjoying great financial success because of his connections while those who lack such relationships and means of influence suffer.
