Middlesex

by

Jeffrey Eugenides

Jimmy Zizmo a.k.a. Minister Fard Character Analysis

Jimmy Zizmo is Sourmelina’s husband and Tessie’s father. He changed his name from Zisimopoulos while immigrating to the U.S. A mysterious man, he has a criminal record and is involved in various criminal operations, particularly bootlegging. He is a teetotaler and vegetarian, and is obsessed with herbal medicine. During Prohibition, Jimmy gets into the alcohol-smuggling business with Lefty, but Jimmy’s behavior grows increasingly erratic and he eventually accuses Lefty of getting Sourmelina pregnant. During a bootlegging trip gone wrong, Zizmo appears to die by driving his car into a frozen lake. However, later Desdemona learns that he actually faked his own death, and reappeared with a new identity: Minister Fard, the Founder of the Nation of Islam (who was a real person, although in reality this person was, of course, not Jimmy Zizmo). While working at the NOI temple, Desdemona listens to Fard’s lectures about the white race, which he claims are the invention of an evil scientist named Yacub. After getting in trouble for his association with a human sacrifice performed by a cult, Fard briefly reveals his identity to Desdemona, then disappears.

Jimmy Zizmo a.k.a. Minister Fard Quotes in Middlesex

The Middlesex quotes below are all either spoken by Jimmy Zizmo a.k.a. Minister Fard or refer to Jimmy Zizmo a.k.a. Minister Fard. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Rebirth vs. Continuity Theme Icon
).
Book 2: Minotaurs Quotes

Parents are supposed to pass down physical traits to their children, but it’s my belief that all sorts of other things get passed down, too: motifs, scenarios, even fates.

Related Characters: Cal/lie Stephanides (speaker), Desdemona Stephanides, Eleutherios “Lefty” Stephanides, Sourmelina Zizmo, Jimmy Zizmo a.k.a. Minister Fard
Page Number: 109
Explanation and Analysis:
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Jimmy Zizmo a.k.a. Minister Fard Quotes in Middlesex

The Middlesex quotes below are all either spoken by Jimmy Zizmo a.k.a. Minister Fard or refer to Jimmy Zizmo a.k.a. Minister Fard. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Rebirth vs. Continuity Theme Icon
).
Book 2: Minotaurs Quotes

Parents are supposed to pass down physical traits to their children, but it’s my belief that all sorts of other things get passed down, too: motifs, scenarios, even fates.

Related Characters: Cal/lie Stephanides (speaker), Desdemona Stephanides, Eleutherios “Lefty” Stephanides, Sourmelina Zizmo, Jimmy Zizmo a.k.a. Minister Fard
Page Number: 109
Explanation and Analysis: