Persepolis II

One part of the second half of Persepolis that really stuck out to me was Marjane's interaction with her family and friends after she returned home. During this part of the novel it seemed as if Marjane was stuck between two cultures. Before she moved she was a very big fan of the punk rock trend. However when she actually lived that lifestyle she begin moving further and further away from her true culture. This was exactly what her grandmother had warned her about before she left. I can only imagine how difficult it must be to go from an oppressive society like Iran to moving to Austria. In Austria, one of the main reasons she made friends was because she had "known war". They were immediately drawn to her because of where she came from rather than her characteristics as a person. On the other hand when she returned home and shared her sexual experiences with her friends, they questioned how she was different from a whore! This is where Marjane's grandmother's advice is so important. before Marjane left her grandmother warns her about boys being jerks and about how important is is for her to stay true to her roots. Marjane seemed to be going through a period in which she had to find herself before she could be true to herself.

Another huge part in the novel was when Marjane falsely accuses a man of making a indecent comment to her in order to avoid the wrath of the traditionalists. I would have never expected her to do something like that because she has seen so many falsely accused men die at the hands of the regime. I do not think she realized what she did until her grandmother (my favorite character) put it into perspective for her by relating it back to Marjane's grandfather and Uncle Annoosh. I think this is why Marjane's grandmother had such an important role in her life, because she always seemed to "keep it real" with her granddaughter. The fact that Marjane had makeup on in the first shows how far she had fallen from being herself, because she was never the type to go heavy on the makeup in the first place, she was so caught up in trying to be everything that Reza wanted that she lost herself. The fact that we get to see the life of people in Iran as well as her personal story makes the novel great in my eyes.