To make the Iranian inferior, as the treatment of the Prospero Complex, the British began boycotting them Kinzer 2010 tells:
“They withdrew their technicians from Abadan, blockaded the port, cut off exports of vital goods to Iran, froze the country’s hard currency
accounts in British banks, and tried to win anti-Iran resolutions from the U.N. and the World Court. This campaign only intensified Iranian
determination. Finally, the British turned to Washington and asked for a favor: please overthrow this madman for us so we can have our oil
company back.” Finally, the British succeeded making the Iranian inferior. British Petroleum
reauthorized Iranian oil, the Iranian became dependent again to the British. “The oil company re-branded itself as British Petroleum, BP Amoco,
and then, in 2000, BP. During its decades in Iran, it had operated as it pleased, with little regard for the interests of local people. This
corporate tradition has evidently remained strong Kinzer, 2010.”
4.2 Dumas’s Stories Reflecting Iranian-American’s Experiences
The stories in Funny In Farsi are partly influenced by the context of the Iranian’s real life. Those include racism, anti-Semitic mentality, and Prospero
Complex as the backgrounds of the stories. Here are the stories reflecting the experiences related to racism, anti-Semitic mentality, and Prospero Complex.
4.2.1 Racism Dumas’s story which clearly shows the same moment with the Iranian’s real
life is when the hostage crisis happened. During and after the crisis, the Iranian living in the United States got discriminated and hated. Dumas 2003:39 tells:
“During our stay in Newport Beach, the Iranian Revolution took place and a group of Americans were taken hostage in the American Embassy
in Tehran. Overnight, Iranians living in America became, to say the least, very unpopular. Fot some reason, many Americans began to think
that all Iranians, despiteoutward appearances, to the contrary, could at
any given moment get angry and take prisoners.”
The racial discrimination continued but it was still in the low level. Dumas 2013:40 says, “In Barkeley, people were either thrilled or horrified to meet an
Iranian,” and “People see my husband and think of Gene Kelly dancing with Leslie Caron. People see me and think hostages Dumas, 2003:41.” This level can also be
seen when many Iranians got the impact of the hostage crisis. “Nobody asked our
opinion of whether the hostages should be taken, and yet every single Iranian in America was paying the price Dumas, 2003:118,” and when everything about Iran
was considered terrible: “In 1980, however despite my father’s staunch devotion to
freedom and fairness, he was still a foreigner with an accent, an accent that after the Iranian Revolution was associated with all things bad Dumas, 2003:36.”
The racism grew to more extreme level when the American obviously showed this hatred. “They saw Americans who had bumper stickers on their cars that
read “Iranians: Go Home” or “We Play Cowboys and Iranians” Dumas, 2003:36.” The similar moment is also shown through the moment, “Vendors started selling T-
shirts and bumper stickers that said “Iranians Go Home” and “Wanted: Iranians For
Target P ractice.” Crimes against Iranians increased Dumas, 2003:117.”
The level of the discrimination got in the highest point when the hatred became an action of terrorism. This happened when the Shah would came to the
United States and the Iranian living in America were invited to attend the meeting with the Shah. “We arrived at the White House to find a group of masked
demonstrators carrying signs denouncing the Shah and his government Dumas, 2003:112.” After that, when the Iranian were in the hotel which was reserved by the
Iranian government for the meeting with the Shah, they got mysterious letters that said, “Dear Brainwashed Cowards. You are nothing but puppets of the corrupt Shah.
We will teach you a lesson you will never forget. Death to the Shah. Death to you Dumas, 2003:112.” The haters started to terror the Iranian. The level came to the
most extreme level. They wanted to bomb the Iranian. “Dear Brainwashed Cowards. We are going to blow you up Dumas, 2003:114.”
Because of the hostage crisis, many Iranians got difficulties in life. As explained in the previous chapter, during and after the hostage crisis, the American
began to make the Iranian’s life difficult. Dumas’s father got fired from his foreign company where he had worked for long: “But with the Iranian Revolution, my
father’s world turned upside down. The building of more refineries in Iran was halted and overnight my father’s expertise was no longer needed Dumas, 2003:116.” The
other difficulty is shown when Dumas and her father were difficult to find jobs after the hostage crisis:
“When I went to college, I eventually went back to using my real name. All was well until I graduated and started looking for a job. Eventhough
I had graduated with honors from UC- Barkeley, I couldn’t get a single
interview. I was guilty of being a humanities major but I began to suspect that there was more to my problems. After three months of
rejections , I added “Julie” to my resume. Call it coincidence, but the job
offers started coming in. Perhaps it’s the same kind of coincidence that keeps African Americans from getting cabs in New York Dumas,
2003:65.” Moreover, the other nation in the same continent with Iran followed the American
attitude. Iran was hated by not only the American but also the Asian: “Before signing the final papers, the lawyer asked for his passport, a
requirement for any overseas job. At the sight on the Iranian passport, the lawyer turned pale and said, “I am sorry, but the government of
Saudi Arabia does not accept Iranians at this time. We thought you were an Arab Dumas, 2003:58.”
These moments really show that nobody seemed wanting to hire the Iranian. Racism was very strong at that time.
Such racism experience leads Dumas to make stories with racism background. She tells her experience when she was in the first time coming to the
United States. Without obvious reason, the new people Dumas and her mother met stared strangely to them
. “My mother and I sat in the back while all the children took their assigned seats. Everyone con
tinued to stare at us Dumas, 2003:4.” Then the discrimination grew to joking what Iranians had, physically and
mentally:
“ “Hey, can I ask you a question?” he said. “Sure” I answered.
“Well,” he said, “do you look down a lot?” “No, why?” I asked.
“Well, your nose points downward so I figured that’s because you’re always looking at the ground or something.”
Upon hearing this, all the kids around me burst out laughing Dumas, 2003:46.”
The joke grew to mocking the Iranian’s name:
“My cousin’s name, Farbod, means “Greatness.” When he moved to America, all
the kids called him “Farthead.” My brother Farshid “He Who Enlightens” became “Fartshit.” The name of my friend Neggar
means “Beloved,” although it can be more accurately translated as “She Whose Name A
lmost Incites Riots.” Her brother Arash “Giver” initially couldn’t understand why everytime he’d say his name, people
would laugh and ask him if it itched Dumas, 2003:62.” Those are Dumas’s stories showing racism background which becomes the
reeot of the appearances of Inferiority complex and the unconscious. Racism that happened to the Iranian’s real life really influenced Dumas to write story with racism
in it. Although some stories are not documented through historical documents, discriminatory experiences really affect her to make stories based on this experience.
In conclusion, it can be said that racism is the inspiration of Dumas’s stories.
4.2.2 Anti-Semitic Mentality and Prospero Complex Dumas’s stories about anti-Semitic mentality and Prospero Complex are not
far different from what Mobasher has told in the previous chapter. These stories are when the British came to Iran for the oil. This experience absolutely influenced her
to make the story of the British’s arrival in her book. That’s why Dumas put this story because it was plated so deeply.
“What brought the Shah to Abadan was its seemingly endless oil supply. This national gift was a mixed blessing, a bit like having a
garden that stands out in the entire neighborhood. You know that,
eventually, somebody’s going to come and pick your flowers while you’re sleeping. In our case, It was the British who came for the oil
Dumas, 2003:83.”
This moment shows that the British really wanted to authorize Iranian oil but Dumas uses figurative language in her writing which is quite different from the writing style
of historical document. Part of Dumas’s stories also tells the Prospero complex of the British. It can
be seen when the British’s arrogancy appeared to take Iranian oil and gave low payment to Iran. This is an action of showing power which means they were the only
people who had to be respected. Dumas 2003:83-84 tells: “The British were the first to realize the huge financial potential of the
vast Iranian oil reserves. With the sound of cash registers ringing in its executive’s ears, British Petroleum negotiated an agreement with the
Iranian government that allowed the British to drill for and sell the oil in exchange for a small sum.”
The Prospero complex and the anti-Semitic mentality of the British were combined then greed was created. This greed leaded to the disaster breaking the
agreement between British and Iran. “The British applied a different universal concept, greed. The agreement between British Petroleum and the government of
Iran was destined for disater Dumas, 2003:84.” Then Iran declared it, They became angry.
The British’s Prospero complex gained to be high. They wanted to show their power by boycotting Iran which made Iran in a difficult situation.
“Unwillingly to simply walk away from their golden-egg-laying goose, the foreign oil companies banded together and boycotted Iranian oil
resulting in a huge economic downturn. Within two years after the nationalization of its oil, the Iranian economy lay in shambles. Political
upheaval ensued Dumas, 2003:84.” The Iranian crisis made them very inferior. The British showed their anti-
Semitic mentality again by succeeding making Iran inferior and authorizing Iranian oil again. “History partly repeated itself and the foreign oil companies once again
took over the operation and exploitation of the Iranian oil industry Dumas, 2003:84.”
Those are the stories of Dumas which were really influenced by the Iranian- American’s experiences. The stories show that the real life becomes the inspiration in
the process of Dumas ’s writing. If there is a question asking how the relationship
between Dumas’s stories and Iranian-American’s real life is, the answer must be that the real life is an obvious influence and inspiration to her stories in Funny In Farsi.
4.3 Processes of Backgrounds Leading to Signs of Dependency Complex
