The Submission

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2011

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Chapters 1-2Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapter 1 Summary

The novel begins with a committee in the final stages of selecting the design for the 9/11 Twin Towers memorial. It is chaired by Paul Rubin, a cultured banker. He has arranged this last meeting for the final decision, a historic occasion in a luxurious hotel where the group sits and eats as they make their final arguments.

The 12 committee members consist of an artist, Ariana Montagu; a representative assigned by the mayor; one assigned by the governor; and Claire Burwell, who represents the families of the victims. The main argument occurs between Claire, the wife of one of the victims, and Ariana, the artist. Claire strongly feels that the “Garden” entry should be chosen because it represents life and nature. She also believes that she speaks on behalf of the other families of the victims. She actively solicits support from other members of the committee.

Ariana, however, speaks with more artistic authority than Claire, and she strongly advocates an entry known as “The Void,” which she describes as more raw and visceral than the Garden. She believes that “The Void” is a piece that would stand the test of time. Claire, who sees the Void as an abstraction, wonders if Ariana might know its designer. She quotes poet George Herbert to support her argument that the Garden, with its overtures toward peace and healing, is the most appropriate choice, saying “Who would have thought my shrivel’d heart / Could have recover’d greenness?” (15). Despite her insistence that the Garden “will be a place where we—where the widows, their children, anyone—can stumble on joy,” Ariana objects vehemently, believing the memorial should stir strong, raw, painful emotions because “there was no joy on that day” (15).

When the issue is put to a vote, there is a tie. Paul implores someone to change their vote, insisting that they can’t ask the country to join in healing if the committee can’t come together itself. No one budges, and so Paul breaks the tie: the Garden wins. Finally, Paul calls for the name of the entrant, who has remained anonymous up to this point. He is shocked when he reads it.

Chapter 2 Summary

The name on the entry is Mohammad Khan—a Muslim name. Suddenly, all the other judges have something to say, much of it negative. They argue whether Mohammad Khan is even a US citizen (he is), whether he’s truly Muslim or has perhaps converted to another religion, whether his submission was a gesture of good or ill intent, whether the victims’ families will feel offended, and so on. They compare the situation to the outrageous hoopla over the Vietnam Memorial, which was designed by a Chinese American named Maya Lin who was born in the United States, and who endured “absurd” backlash for her memorial.

The committee members proceed to argue about how the process of selection had been designed in the first place. There should have been interviews, one says. Claire takes a predictably strong stance that the winner should stand, insisting that tolerance “isn’t stupid” but prejudice is. Finally, Paul adjourns the meeting telling everyone not to speak of it, not even to their families.

Chapters 1-2 Analysis

These two chapters create the situation around which the entire story revolves. We meet the members of the jury, the characters who are supposed to judge and vote on which entry wins the contest to build the 9/11 memorial. The committee is chaired by staid, self-controlled investment banker Paul Rubin. He deftly manages the committee as it navigates making its decision, particularly the argument that arises between Claire and Ariana. Claire, the representative of the victims’ families, passionately argues that the Garden will become a place full of life and beauty where families can grieve their loved ones in peace. Ariana, an artist, gives a very analytic, cerebral reason for selecting the Void. It is more aesthetically appropriate, since it evokes dark and haunting emotions, and like good art, it will stand the test of time.

When the envelope is opened to reveal the winner’s name, it is as if a bomb has been dropped. No one in their wildest dreams, not even these worldly politicians, intellectuals, and artists, could have anticipated that a Muslim, a member of the “other” side, would be chosen. While Paul tries to stay neutral, the other jury members take a strong stance that they should somehow rescind their selection for a more “suitable” design, one not submitted by a Muslim. Their view of Islam is inextricably linked to the terrorist attack that brought down the Twin Towers, killing friends and loved ones and rattling the entire country. They cannot see Islam as a religion with honorable members like any other religion. Rather, much of the committee sees the institution of Islam as a driving evil force that attacked America. Their initial response foreshadows both the conflict that drives the plot and the divided attitudes that will emerge among the general public later in the novel. It also reflects the real-life fractures that erupted in the United States following the attacks.