Homeland Elegies Characters
The main characters in Homeland Elegies are Ayad Akhtar, Sikander Akhtar, and Fatima Akhtar.
- Ayad Akhtar is the author and protagonist of the novel. He is a Pakistani-American writer who struggles to find his place in a society that often pushes him away due to his ethnicity.
- Sikander Akhtar is Ayad’s father, a cardiologist who pursues the American dream with great conviction.
- Fatima Akhtar is Ayad’s mother, a doctor who never feels at home in America and who longs to return to Pakistan.
Characters
Ayad Akhtar
Ayad is both the narrator of the novel and the author whose autobiographical voice can be heard through the conflicts he faces. The lines between fact and fiction are intentionally blurred in this work, thereby also blurring the distinction between art and reality. Ayad is an American-born citizen, the child of Pakistanian immigrants who have divided loyalties between their homeland and their new country. Little of Ayad’s childhood is mentioned in the novel, but it is clear that his childhood memories of visiting Pakistan provided great joy and a deep love for his extended family, many of whom have remained in Pakistan.
Ayad is a writer, and he finds initial success by writing plays which examine the complexities of living as a Muslim in America. Through his work, he is introduced to Riaz Rind, a wealthy businessman who provides a business opportunity that allows Ayad to achieve extraordinary wealth, though he has misgivings about his riches. Ayad cares for his mother through her final cancer battle, helping her come to terms with his own happiness in America while also recognizing her sense of displacement. Ayad’s father, Sikander, struggles with a gambling addiction and then a malpractice lawsuit, and Ayad helps his father return to Pakistan, where he finally finds the peace that has always eluded him in America. Unlike his parents, Ayad believes that America is his true home and never considers leaving it, despite all of its shortcomings.
Sikander Akhtar
Sikander Akhtar is Ayad’s father and a well-respected cardiac researcher, specializing in Brugada diagnosis and treatment. In many ways, Sikander’s narrative arc symbolizes the fruitlessness of the pursuit of the American dream. Through his work, he becomes a part of Donald Trump’s medical team and is drawn to the sense of power and status associated with him. Sikander thus becomes a Trump supporter for years, defending him to his son, who is critical of Trump’s demeanor and policies. Only after Trump’s election does Sikander become disillusioned by the president’s vision. Although Sikander is an accomplished physician, he struggles to remain financially secure, and he constantly feels the American dream slipping through his grasp. Sikander falls into debt because of a gambling addiction, eventually losing all of his wealth and having to borrow money from his son to pay for expenses. When his debt is paid by Ayad, Sikander agrees to move back home to Pakistan, living on land he has inherited from his family. It is only then that he finds the solace that he has sought for decades.
Fatima Akhtar
Fatima Akhtar is Ayad’s mother, a trained physician whose medical practices are not mentioned nearly as much in the novel as her husband’s. Unlike Sikander, Fatima never feels at home in America and is drawn to her native Pakistan and to the people who remind her of her home. After her death, Ayad finds and reads her diaries, realizing that the great love of Fatima’s life was not Sikander but Latif, whom she met in medical school. At the end of her life, Fatima worries that her son has never been happy with life in America, feeling that she forced him to settle for less than he deserved. Instead, Ayad tells her that while he treasures memories of visits to Pakistan throughout his childhood, he has always found his home in America. Thus, Fatima must recognize that her son’s ultimate alliances differ from her own.
Mary Maroni
Ayad first meets Mary Maroni when she is his professor in college. Mary strives to think independently, and she encourages her students to do the same, despite the attendant...
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challenges. Ayad keeps in touch with Mary following his college years, often reaching out to her in times of personal conflict. Although Mary and Ayad differ greatly in their identities, her perspective as a lesbian woman allows her to understand Ayad’s experience of living outside the mainstream of American culture. Mary provides guidance to Ayad following the September 11 attacks, telling him that she foresaw the difficulty he would face because of his ethnic background and encouraging him to use that difficulty and “make it [his] own.”
After decades of teaching, Mary confides in Ayad that she is disappointed with the changes she has seen in American students over her career. The methods that she used to teach Ayad, such as dream recreation, would have gotten her fired later in her career, she believes. She laments the way students are no longer willing to consider ideas that they find difficult or challenging, believing that much of their reluctance reflects a lazy or consumerist mindset more than a moral high ground. Throughout the novel, Mary pushes Ayad to become a better writer by connecting to every aspect of himself, including those parts he tries to push into his subconscious.
Latif Awan
Latif Awan is a friend of the Akhtar family. Fatima was in love with Latif in college, though she never divulged this; his betrothal to a cousin prevented her from ever acting on those feelings. Unlike Sikander, Latif is a practicing Muslim, and he grows in his faith as he ages. Latif longs to serve the poor and underprivileged, opening a clinic on Sundays so that he can better serve his community. Eventually, he is compelled to move his family home to Pakistan so that he can better serve the efforts of the Pakistani resistance against Russian forces. Latif is killed by the CIA and labeled a terrorist in American news reporting.
Anjum Awan
Anjum Awan is Latif’s wife. Her political views align closely with those of Sikander in that she is thankful for the opportunities her children have been afforded by growing up in America. When Latif decides to move the family to Pakistan, Anjum is essentially powerless to change their fates. She watches her children suffer death and abuse, and her own appearance quickly declines because of the personal turmoil that their return to Pakistan brings. After Latif’s death, Anjum looks forward to returning to America. Unfortunately, she learns that her citizenship has been revoked, leaving her trapped in a “homeland” which no longer feels like home.
Riaz Rind
Riaz Rind is a wealthy friend of Ayad’s. After winning the Pulitzer, Ayad is approached by Riaz, who initiates a mutually beneficial relationship which Riaz hopes will ultimately benefit the Muslim community in America. An extremely wealthy businessman, Riaz uses strategic business associations and transactions to directly impact Muslim policies, perceptions, and people. He introduces Ayad to the life of the incredibly wealthy, and this affluence becomes an addiction of sorts that Ayad longs to secure for himself. Because of his insights, Riaz is able to tell Ayad about an upcoming investment opportunity; Ayad trusts Riaz’s direction and becomes a multi-millionaire. However, Ayad discusses the negative social effects of Riaz’s investments, revealing the immorality in his friend’s business dealings.
Asha
Asha is a Pakinstani-American woman with whom Ayad falls deeply in love. Though their relationship lasts only a few months, Ayad proves more emotionally vulnerable with Asha than he does with any other woman in the novel. Asha is emotionally committed to a white American man who has been unfaithful numerous times. She eventually tells her boyfriend about her affair with Ayad, which she acknowledges she used simply to elicit feelings of jealousy in her boyfriend.
Mike Jacobs
Mike Jacobs is a longtime friend of Ayad’s. He is a Black man who does not conform to the political ideologies Ayad would have expected, given his racial identity. Mike votes Republican, because he values their tendency to lower his taxes. He reasons that by keeping more of his own income, he can more directly support the Black community, which neither political party has done in any meaningful way. Moreover, Mike believes that both political parties serve the interests of the wealthy and suppress Black advancement by fostering an increasing reliance on the government, which does not help to improve the lives of Black citizens.
