Amina's Voice

Soojin is Amina’s best friend. She and her family are Korean immigrants. Soojin and Amina became fast friends when Soojin moved to Greendale during the girls’ third grade year. It’s implied that their mutually ostracized positions within a majority white school was a key element in the development of their friendship. Through this concept, Khan explores the intimate, interpersonal effects of racism and white supremacy on the lives of children. She also asserts that children who are targeted by racially-motivated and prejudicial bullying are highly resilient as they form solidarity with one another and persist in learning, growing, and accessing the joys of childhood and tweendom—despite the unique struggles that they face. Khan asserts this idea by depicting both Soojin as a whole and unique person, and the friendship she shares with Amina as one that is deep, joyous, and supportive.

Initially, Soojin differs from Amina in regard to assimilation: She uncritically wishes to change her name to Susan as a part of her naturalization process as an American citizen. Amina does not like this idea, as she feels that it would constitute both a betrayal and a loss of Soojin’s unique Korean-American identity. For much of the narrative, it seems that Soojin is too caught up in the excitement of becoming an American citizen and wanting to belong to truly understand the impact of changing her name to an American one. By the novel’s end, Soojin has realized that her name is an intimate part of her identity. Through this trajectory, Khan illustrates the complexity of the mandate to assimilate in America—and she asserts that even children come up against the tensions inherent to that mandate.

Thaya Jaan is Amina’s paternal uncle. He is Salmeen’s older brother, and he lives in Pakistan with his family. Thaya Jaan has always disapproved of his brother’s decision to settle and raise his family in America, and his Pakistani Muslim orthodoxy conflicts with the Khokars’ more relaxed American practice of Islam. Mr. Khokar’s strong desire to please his orthodox brother represents Mr. Khokar’s struggle as an immigrant. Thaya Jaan’s beliefs and strict manner represent the norms of Pakistan, which cannot and do not hold as much sway over Mr. Khokar and his family-building choices in America. Mr. Khokar still feels beholden to those norms, as depicted through his relationship with his brother.

For the majority of the novel, Mr. Khokar still feels that he must measure up to Thaya Jaan’s more orthodox mandates and practices. Thaya Jaan even goes so far as to tell his brother that Amina should not be involved in her greatest passion—music—because it is forbidden by Islam. This proves to be a major point of conflict within the narrative’s text. It is a conflict that further depicts the complexities of Mr. Khokar’s immigrant experience. By the end of the novel, Thaya Jaan has come to accept both Amina and Mustafa, complete with their hybrid identities, and has relaxed his orthodoxy enough to stop condemning Amina for her musical talents and even to enjoy select American foods. This character arc communicates a sense of hope: Through it, Khan communicates that the practice of Islam is not monolithic, and that there is room for diversity within the faith. Thaya Jaan’s ultimate relaxation and acceptance of his family members with love, affection, and support communicates that, while Muslim orthodoxy is something to be respected, it is not the final arbiter of a true, sincere, and context-respondent Muslim faith.

Mr. Salmeen Khokar is Amina’s father. He is a hard-working, strict parent who, at the beginning of the novel, is highly invested in proving to his brother that his children measure up to Pakistani Muslim standards. This ends up placing Amina in a difficult position, as her father’s efforts to prove his virtues to his brother, using her own behavior and identity as evidence, makes her feel that her father is ashamed of her, and perhaps she is doing something wrong.

With the help of Mrs. Khokar, Mr. Khokar ultimately advocates for the validity and virtue of his children: Although they do not behave in the same way as Pakistani Muslim children, or hold orthodox values and practices in as much esteem as Thaya Jaan, they are still valid and worthy as Muslims. Through his character trajectory, Khan demonstrates the conflicting forces that Pakistani-American Muslim parents must navigate as they raise their families in America. She asserts that these parents can emerge triumphant from their complex struggle.

Mrs. Khokar is Amina’s mother. She is very emotionally sensitive and observant of her daughter and can easily see when something is bothering her. She is less invested than her husband is in forming her children into model Pakistani Muslim children, as she seems to understand the complexities of her children’s Pakistani-American lives with a bit more sensitivity and compassion. She is Amina’s steadfast advocate, who immediately acts to prevent any emotional harm done to Amina as a result of Thaya Jaan’s aggressive orthodoxy. Through her character, Khan depicts an excellent, sensitive, compassionate, and thoughtful mother figure.