Kaveh [analysis]

I was bored and I've wanted to do this for a very long time. It's just a lot of text and my thoughts about Kaveh and his story.

(«If Kaveh were a sculpture, he would be one that appeared all but flawless, but which would suffer utter destruction if the weak point in its core were to be found»)

His father was a very loving and sociable man who brought the whole family together. His mother was a famous architect, with her principles, but selfish and very demanding. Because of her character, she often didn’t understand how to communicate properly with Kaveh (meaning how to communicate with/raise a child). She was a rather closed but intelligent woman, an example and model of behavior for Kaveh. He tried to get her attention, but most of the time she was busy with her projects, and when she did have time, she was teaching Kaveh more about architecture than socializing, but Kaveh was fine with that since his father gave him attention and socializing. His father taught him to be kind and to help those close to him.

«His mother would say that her husband was a man with a good heart, and that life at such a person's guide made her happy.» (Character Story 2)

 

«Zaha Hadi: Being the awkward person that she is, I suppose there were many things that Faranak could never say out loud.» (Kaveh Hangout)

 

«Kaveh: …It seemed she was only good at talking about her own work, and found it difficult to join into other conversations.» (Kaveh Hangout)

 

«Faranak: We decided to name our son Kaveh. I don't think a younger me would have ever imagined forming such an intimate bond with another person… Back then, I lived only in the shadow of myself, as well as that of the dream in my heart.» (Kaveh Hangout)

 

«Kaveh: I was super proud of myself when I finished it, and put it in the same pile as my mother's sketches, hoping she'd notice and compliment me for my good work. Unfortunately, my mother didn't realize that I had put it there. When she had a meeting with a client the next day, she handed my blueprint to him by mistake…» (Kaveh Hangout)

When he was 13-14 years old, he lost his father, which hit him hard morally. His mother could not support him at that time, for she suffered from grief and closed herself off even more from her son. This was the first step towards Kaveh's self-destruction - the beginnings of his guilt.

«All these things that could no longer be taken back were on the account of a single thing he had said. From that day forward, he would live under the shadow of that guilt.»  (Character Story 2)

For 2 years Kaveh cared for his mother. He tried to support her morally, but who supported Kaveh? A boy who had lost his father so early and had effectively lost his mother. A boy who took all the blame, who blamed himself every day for the KILLING of his father and his mother's poor condition.

«Each time this happened, Kaveh would feel like a giant hand was crushing him to the ground, and he would question himself: Were it not for me, would the family have ended up like this?»  (Character Story 2)

He hid all his emotions in front of his mother, but alone he let his emotions come out. Too young for such a burden. He couldn't even ask her for advice, which later turned into him not being able to confide in anyone.  As time passed, Kaveh began to realize that he couldn’t help his mother. She saw him as a father, her favorite husband, and it hurt her. He began to prepare for the Academy, spending less and less time with his mother and by the time he entered Kshahrewar, she decided it was time to move on and decided to have a change of scenery, traveling to Fontaine.

«She would thus travel to Fontaine to ease her soul a little. There, she would receive a job offer, and upon returning to Sumeru, she informed Kaveh of the good news.»  (Character Story 2)

 

«Kaveh: Unfortunately, I've barely had any contact with her since she remarried and moved abroad… Even if I wanted to ask her about her ability to stay positive after an argument, it would seem rude to barge into her life again over something as trivial as that.»  (Kaveh Hangout)

Kaveh was genuinely happy for her. He had been living with guilt for a couple of years, thinking that his loneliness and pain were his punishment for his father's death. If his mother had been able to support Kaveh during that difficult period, to share his pain and grief, Kaveh's life would have turned out differently. But unfortunately, she was too caught up in her grief to notice her son's condition. Kaveh let his mother go, believing she would be better off in Fontaine, but what would happen to himself was of no interest to him. He knew it would be painful, he knew it would be lonely, he knew it would be unbearable, but he BELIEVED he DESERVED it.

«And if he should be kept awake at night by loneliness, pain, or memories of their now-broken family, why, it was his just desserts for egging his father on to take part in the competition. One guilty of charming his parents so deeply disturbed all that came to them, and so he must live on hearing that brand.»  (Character Story 2)

His mother decided to leave Kaveh. He denies it to this day, though he understands it deep down (but since he sees all bad things as punishment, he has accepted it), but he loves his mother too much to blame her for anything. With Kaveh, she left her past life behind and started fresh in Fontaine. She took nothing with her, nothing that could remind her of Kaveh, not even his childhood drawings (usually parents like to look at what their children did and get nostalgic, but for Kaveh's mother, she didn't need to because everything about him hurt). It is also important to note that home is very important to Kaveh. To him, home is not a building, it is the loved ones who live in it. And this is a definition he learned from his family. So when his mother decided to leave Kaveh their home, which no longer included his family, she permanently destroyed their family.

«And what was a "home," anyway? An architect like I knew better than most that a construction bereft of a family or people to dwell in it was no "home." It was simply a building.»  (Character Story 4)

 

«Kaveh: "Home," huh… I've designed many houses for others, but a house isn't really the same thing as a home. A house can simply be a pile of wood on a plot of land, but a home cannot exist without inhabitants - the presence of people is what turns a house into a home.»  (Teapot Talk)

Walking into the empty and cold house after his mother's departure, Kaveh was already on the verge of despair. He decided to look at the things his mother had left him in a box. He hoped that there would be something in that box that could save him from the terrible loneliness that was eating and killing him. But unfortunately, all he found were his childhood drawings, cubbies, and his mother's diary. It seemed like a bad joke, he had been abandoned, left behind as part of a painful past, but he was too sick to realize it. Trying to find the code for the diary he despaired more and more until he gave up trying.

«Kaveh: I've even tried stuff like "LOVEYOUKAVEH," "TAKECARE," and "YOURSTRULY." I've tried every cheesy phrase and well wish in the book, but this lock has refused to budge.»  (Kaveh Hangout)

From that day on, he never touched the box again. It was too hard morally, and what was the point of the box now, when there was no one to share emotions with and show his old drawings.

During this period his ideals were finally formed. Kaveh was initially raised to be a kind and sympathetic person, but later on he developed a strong guilt. So he began to help those around him to dull the pain and guilt that plagued his soul, but unfortunately, it didn't help. He blamed himself even more strongly for acting out of "self-interest" to alleviate his condition, but he couldn't afford it. By his idealism, he hurts himself and punishes himself. Often his idealism turned out to be to Kaveh's own detriment, that he was pulling on people to help them reach Kaveh's level, yet he needed to do so to redeem himself.

«More than this, he cannot accept pure goodwill, for when he makes choices, he believes that he should be punished, and find some comfort in the pain.»  (Character Story 2)

With these thoughts in mind, he began his studies at the Academy. Part of what saved Kaveh was his studies, for he was completely immersed in the process. He wore a mask and tried to help everyone he could. That was the year he met Alhaitham. His altruistic nature couldn't get past the quiet boy sitting away from the main company. It was truly a fateful meeting that greatly influenced the destiny of both of them. They are like two sides of the same coin, like a mirror of each other. Alhaitham noticed at once that Kaveh wore a mask, and the more he talked to him, the more he became convinced of it. He saw through Kaveh and was not going to keep silent about it. This was the basis of their numerous conflicts. While Kaveh helped others to his own detriment, Alhaitham saw no point in it, and he spoke openly about it. Because neither of them was willing to make concessions and accept the other's point of view, they had a big fight.

The main conflict between Alhaitham and Kaveh is because of the opposing beliefs of these two. But there is a difference. Alhaitham sees that Kaveh's beliefs (his ideals) are hurting him (ruining his life), so he wants Kaveh to give them up. But Kaveh believes in people, in the good things they have. He is a dreamer, a maximalist, and an idealist. He wants to believe that all people are equal and that everyone can become a genius if only he tries harder and puts in more effort. But that's not true. Alhaitham understands this very well. Because of his observation and shrewdness, he immediately sees the difference between people, sees the difference between Kaveh and other people. Kaveh has talent, he is a genius and he will never be on the same level as others because he is initially a step above. And here begins the contradiction of Kaveh himself, he believes in the best, and he wants all people to be on the same (his) level because he is very afraid of being alone. Because of his low self-esteem, he doesn't see from the outside how brilliant he is, but he feels the gap between him and other people. He wants to be with other people, but he can't. Unfortunately genius often goes hand in hand with loneliness.

«As Alhaitham liked to put it, certain matters have their upper limit determined by talent and their lower bound determined by hard work. Ordinary people and geniuses would be separated by various practical realities, and they did not have to force themselves to fit into a group they did not belong to. Kaveh, however, was resolute in his belief that this was all the result of obstacles that appeared during the process, and that wisdom should be uncovered by many people.»  (Character Story 5)

 

«To prevent the other students from backing out, Kaveh spent much time and effort helping them with their work, placing a great burden on his own shoulders. Alhaitham persisted in upholding the opposite view, believing Kaveh to be too idealistic in his ways — academia was not charity work, and temporary salvation would not change the reality of their differences in ability.»  (Character Story 5)

The catharsis of their conflict was the moment when Alhaitham could finally see why Kaveh wanted so badly to help others and be part of the group. That all of Kaveh's actions were tied to his guilt and he would not keep quiet about it. It was unbearable for Kaveh. His whole image, his mask shattered in a second.

«…Kaveh's impractical idealism was just a flight from reality … the source of Kaveh's altruism was naught but his inescapable sense of guilt. Alhaitham had seen through the reality that he (Kaveh) had never been able to face, causing him to feel reality's bite for the first time…»  (Character Story 5)

 

«...Kaveh would rip his copy of the thesis apart in a fury — only to put it back together with deep regret.»  (Character Story 5)

He was frightened, and uncomfortable because someone had been able to lift his mask and look deep inside. He spent years trying to deny who he was, trying to prove to himself that he was good, that he was just trying to help others. And all of those emotions poured out in aggression, guilt, and regret. He tore apart their shared work, but he regretted it greatly in the aftermath and tried to glue back together what had already been ruined. The statue representing Kaveh crumbled the instant someone was able to see its core and point it out.

After his studies, Kaveh was swamped with work, so he had no time for himself and his self-destruction. For a couple of years he went to work with his head, even opened his own office, and life was supposed to get better, but everything went wrong. For Kaveh, architecture is not only a functional building but also an art, a flight of ideas. And he can't create one without the other.

«His original pursuit was to make good designs for all that incorporated both artistic beauty and practicality, but now that the arts had become a joke, and people rejected their necessity and value, no one would give him freedom to work on his designs. Kaveh, believing that architecture was indeed art, resolutely opposed such viewpoints.»  (Character Story 3)

For his ideals, architecture is an art form, but at that time the market did not think so. Thus his work forced him to betray his ideals, and this was like death for Kaveh, for it was only because of his ideals that he continued to live. His ideals were the last thing left of his parents. And if he betrayed his ideals, he would betray his family. But at the same time, he's trapped by his ideals. In order not to burn out at work and regain his inspiration, he took a vacation. At the same moment, his mother stunned him with the news of her wedding. Because of his genuine love for her and kindness, he rejoiced that she was finally able to move on and enjoy her life, in turn Kaveh's life began to fall apart. After returning from Fontaine, Kaveh finally realized that he was alone.

«Seeing his mother smile once more, Never felt good, but fall lost again almost immediately afterwards. His mother would leave all her property in Summer to him. Three days later, he would return to Sumeru, and once again felt the terror of the empty home — the mere act of sitting on the sofa tormented him with heretofore unmatched solitude.»  (Character Story 3)

 

«Everything that happened after flowed like a stream of water, dull and unchanging. He would buy himself with design work, for a while becoming overwhelmed, with the lack of acknowledgment of the arts causing him to feel fatigued. His mother would set up a new family in Fontaine, leaving the house and her other possessions to him, her son... He could do nothing about these things, and they also felt unremarkable and unworthy of mention.»  (Vision)

The turning point in his life was the project - the Palace of Alcazarzaray. Complete creative freedom, unlimited budget, the kind of thing you can only dream about in your dreams. For a man who had lost his inspiration, it was like a gift from heaven. He wanted to make this project unforgettable. He insisted on the most daring decisions and gave free rein to all his ideas. You could say that this time was one of the happiest, but the happiness didn't last long. Overnight, everything Kaveh had worked so reverently for was destroyed. A cruel joke of fate. Dori had offered to give up the project, but to Kaveh, this wasn't just another project. It was the one thing his life hung on. His ideals. With this building, he was defending his ideals. And if he loses this project, he loses his ideals. He just couldn't survive it. He had a choice without a choice.

«His heart was once again consumed by that old guilt, and Lord Sangemah Bay, shrewd merchant that she was, could immediately perceive that he was paying not for her sake, but for that of his ideals.»  (Character Story 4)

 

«And if someone wanted to martyr their entire fortune on the altar of their ideals, who was she to stop them? Construction was ultimately just business, but ideals were priceless.»  (Character Story 4)

Having built the Palace of Alcazarzaray, yet finding himself at rock bottom, was it worth it? Whatever choice Kaveh made, the ending would be the same. He was already slowly dying, and the Palace of Alcazarzaray only prolonged his life a little longer.

«The Palace of Alcazarzaray had ever so briefly filled the hole in his heart that had been ripped open by so many things, but it had also proved to him once again that no matter what he gave to attain his ideals, it wasn't enough.»  (Character Story 5)

Kaveh was used to wearing a mask from a young age to keep his reputation intact. It was so important to him as he wanted to replace his family's place with a group of "talented people/geniuses". And to be part of that group, one must have a certain reputation/mask. Kaveh lost his ladder, but still stepping on it, falling every time.

«A person who wished to ascend to the garden of heaven upon steps made of thin air would inevitably plant their feet on an empty stair and fall to their death. As a genius, Kaveh longed to belong in a crowd, subconsciously fearing separation from it.»  (Character Story 5)

Kaveh sacrificed everything he had for them, but never achieved his ideals. Even so, even at rock bottom, he still can't give them up. Just as a dying man in the desert will not give up a sip of water, Kaveh will hold on to them to the end.

«Only reality can force a researcher to admit that they were wrong, but Kaveh did not know what he should consider reality. He yearned for a fantasy so perfect and beautiful that none need flee it, even if the price of this dream was losing himself. He still firmly believed that his ideals were in themselves not mistaken, and that the fault lay only in the methods used to achieve them ... Even if he could not enter that promised land of his ideals, that did not mean the radiance and the attraction of such a realm should be denied.»  (Character Story 5)

Kaveh's emotional state and alcohol are closely linked. In alcohol he wants to forget himself, to escape from the reality that frightens him and in which he is drowning. He drinks to stop feeling pain and guilt, if only for a moment. Kaveh's alcoholism is NOT due to the fact that he cannot live without a bottle of wine, it is controlled. Kaveh needs alcohol when he can't emotionally get through a particular moment sober. But since Kaveh has an anxiety-depressive disorder and is often on edge due to various life circumstances, he resorts to alcohol quite often.  

«I like to have a drink or two when I've got the time — it's a good way to de-stress. Hm? Oh, yeah, I mean, mostly just to pass the time, heh .... I admit it! Maybe I do drown my sorrows a little more often that I was letting on. It all gets a bit too much sometimes, what with the unfinished projects, obstacles that I can't overcome, misunderstandings with other people... »  (More about Kaveh: V)

 

«Various bottles of alcoholic beverages stored in a wooden basket ... It is said that there is a blond-haired guest who has managed to catch the discount every time, thus sparking a certain rumor amongst tavern patrons: If you see a blond-haired customer appearing near the tavern with a basket of wine, it means that the time for discounts has come!»  (Monthly Frustration-Be-Gone)