Not Without My Daughter

Betty’s faith represents a central theme in these chapters, for she openly turns to God for help when her struggle with Moody reaches a nadir, leaving her bereft and desperate as her husband brutally beats her, locking her in the house and taking her daughter away. Trapped and isolated, Betty turns to prayer as her one remaining solace, seeking guidance and comfort from God. Despite her Christian background, she immerses herself in the Islamic literature that is accessible in the house, and from these sources, she learns of certain Islamic rituals, attempting to understand and adopt Moody’s religion in order to navigate her situation and provide a greater sense of cultural context. Thus, this section of the novel reflects a different angle on the theme of The Cultural Clash Between American and Iranian Lifestyles, for Betty is fueled by both sincerity and desperation to follow the routine of Islamic prayer. In this new stage of adaptation to her ongoing captivity in Iran, she joins Moody when he prays at home. Although she knows that Moody will see her gesture as an attempt to please him, she believes that it does not matter as long as she shows her willingness to adapt to his religious practices. Moreover, Betty’s devotion is sincere, for she convinces herself that she is praying to the same God and is merely using a different practice from Christianity in order to demonstrate her devotion. One key moment occurs when Betty decides to make a nasr, a solemn promise to Allah—a practice she learns about from an instructional guide. When she vows to go to Jerusalem if she is reunited with Mahtob, this act represents Betty’s deep commitment to her newfound faith, and the moment deliberately blends elements of Islamic rituals with her Christian beliefs in a unique syncretic expression of devotion.

Thus, Betty’s nasr stands as a symbol of her resilience and adaptability, transcending religious boundaries and signifying Betty’s determination to navigate the complex cultural and religious landscape in which she finds herself. The nasr, which is deeply rooted in Islamic tradition, becomes a bridge between Betty’s Christian upbringing and the Islamic context that she now inhabits. Her adaptation to Iran’s local religious practices reflects her evolving identity, which is being shaped by her difficult experience in Iran. Moreover, the nasr highlights Betty’s unwavering commitment to securing Mahtob’s safety, even if it means embracing a faith that is not her own. The nasr appears, in a different form, in the novel’s title, Not Without My Daughter, for Betty’s commitment to her mission of saving her daughter requires external help, whether from human sources, or as she believes, from God. Betty’s journey is thus an exploration of the lengths to which a mother will go to ensure the safety of her child, and these tensions come to the forefront of the narrative as she weaves together disparate religious threads in a desperate plea for divine intervention.

Although Betty’s cultural biases do not fundamentally change, these chapters nonetheless reflect her attempts to adapt to and understand Iran’s culture and customs in a more meaningful way. Her long isolation, which is followed by the relative freedom she later experiences in the new apartment in Tehran, forces her to consider the positive aspects of Tehran’s complex social landscape. Betty’s relentless pursuit of an escape from Iran brings her into contact with many people who constantly want to help her. Such people as Miss Alavi and Amahl show that Tehran’s society is in fact highly diverse, with individuals of all kinds of mindsets who are willing to risk their lives to help a stranger.

In Chapter 18, the introduction of the new apartment foreshadows increased success that Betty will find in her ongoing quest for independence. As she once more recovers, at least partially, a status of near-equal partnership with Moody, Betty nevertheless remains vigilant. Her ongoing struggle to balance the façade of normalcy with her pressing urgency to escape Iran with her daughter forms a tense undercurrent to her every action. This delicate equilibrium reveals Betty’s strategic mindset as she maneuvers through the intricate challenges of her circumstances while maintaining the outward appearance of willingly adapting to her surroundings. This strategic mindset echoes the heroines of traditional captivity narratives, a genre in American literature in which women’s internal resilience is often measured against the adversity of their external circumstances. Over the centuries, captivity narratives have celebrated the actions of courageous women who overcome different obstacles. By adapting her account to include elements of this tradition, Betty Mahmoody positions her narrative to emphasize her ability to adapt to and eventually triumph over the adversities she faces within a rigid societal structure. Thus, Betty’s period of adaptation in Chapters 16-20 showcases her ability to navigate even the most challenging cultural, religious, and material circumstances while actively planning her escape.