Character relationships

Here, you can read about the relationships between Sarfraz Manzoor and some of the characters mentioned in his autobiography Greetings from Bury Park.

Sarfraz and Mohammed

The relationship between Sarfraz and his father is complex and changes through the years. Mohammed wants Sarfraz to act like a dutiful Pakistani son, which means Sarfraz is supposed to pursue his studies, find a respectable job, and marry a good Pakistani wife. Although Sarfraz wants to please his father, their relationship is mainly defined by Sarfraz’s feeling that he has failed his father’s expectations:

I was too scared to get angry in front of my father and I was riddled with guilt at the prospect of blaming him for anything. Who was I to complain? When he and my mother had suffered and endured so much. That guilt, the feeling that I ought not to feel like I deserved any better, meant that I never went through that teenage time of rebellion when you think that your parents know nothing and when you tell them that. (My Father’s House, 74%)

Sarfraz’s frustrations make him distance himself from his father both physically – as he moves to Manchester – and emotionally:

I defined myself in opposition to my father. All that he believed, the values he upheld, the ambitions he cherished I rejected as embarrassing and outdated. When he said he was Pakistani, I declared I was British; he was Muslim, I was confused; (My Father’s House, 9%)

By defining himself in contrast to his father, Sarfraz puts a strain on their relationship. Nevertheless, despite their differences, Mohammed ends up supporting Sarfraz and his career pursuits. Sarfraz embraces his father’s legacy after Mohammed’s death when he learns to value his father’s efforts and sacrifices. 

Sarfraz does not really come to terms with his father’s death and the nature of their relationship before it. He ends up writing his biography ...