Isaac’s transformation in the novel revolves around the role of his feet. He notices people’s feet, comments on their shoes, misses the intimacy of his wife’s feet, and of course the ultimate torture he suffers is the lashing of his feet. Finally, walking a long and difficult path is the family’s route to escape to a new life.

Before his arrest, Isaac notices the details of shoes and what they mean about the status of the owner. He rues his barefoot childhood and values the fact that he can now afford good shoes. In prison, Isaac knows his feet are in danger: “He looks at his feet—anonymous, neither beautiful nor ugly—doing their job, keeping him upright. How long will they remain unlashed?” (152). He passes time in solitary confinement watching passersby from his basement window—their feet are all he can see, but they “help him pass the hours” (192). The sound of Mohsen’s son running on the stairs above him intrigues him—when Mohsen describes not being able to afford shoes for his son, Isaac can’t help but see himself in the little boy. The torture Isaac undergoes on his feet is terrible, and his swollen and bandaged feet do not fit into his shoes for long afterwards.