Persepolis | 

Introduction
Summary
Author Marjane Satrapi (who is also the narrator of Persepolis) gives a brief
history of Iran, which was founded in the seventh century BCE, destroyed shortly
after, and then resurrected in the sixth century BCE. Iran, formerly known as
Persia, was once a wealthy country, which attracted invaders from around the
world. Despite frequent invasions, the country retained its own language and
culture. That changed in the early 20th century when monarch Reza Shah began
embracing Western influences and modernization. The discovery of oil in Iran
followed, and Western countries quickly took an interest in the nation. That led
to years of political turmoil—the exile of Reza Shah, a coup against Prime
Minister Mohammed Mossadeq, and the Iranian Revolution of 1979, which
culminated with the unseating of Reza Shah's son, Mohammad Reza Shah
Pahlavi.
Satrapi notes the "fundamentalism, fanaticism, and terrorism" depicted in
Western media is not representative of her native country. She
wrote Persepolis for those who died in the name of Iran, who "suffered ...
repressive regimes," or who were forced to flee their homeland.

Analysis
When Marjane Satrapi began writing Persepolis, she wasn't a comic book writer
or even a novelist. She wrote unpublished children's books. Living in Paris, she
was struck by how negatively the Western world perceived the nation she loved.
That, combined with pressure from her cartoonist associates, is what pushed her
to tell her story. "I believe [a] ... nation should not be judged by the wrongdoings
of a few extremists," she writes in the introduction. Though she lived in Iran
during some of its worst days, the happy memories of its culture and its people
remain at the forefront of her mind. She wants others to see Iran the way she sees
it—as a loving home with a complex past and troubled present.
Satrapi's introduction also indicates her discontent with how Iran's government
treated its citizens. Many thousands of people died during the Iranian Revolution
of 1979 and the Islamic Republic's subsequent rule. Satrapi does not take those
deaths lightly. "One can forgive but one should never forget," she writes. Her
story holds up a magnifying glass not only to her own life, but to the actions of a
repressive regime she believes has crushed the spirit of many Iranians.

Persepolis | The Veil

Summary
Marjane Satrapi (referred to by her family as Marji) is 10 years old in 1980. She
lives in Iran with her parents, Ebi (father) and Taji (mother), and she attends a
religious French-language school. Until last year she went to a secular
coeducational French-language school, but the 1979 Iranian Revolution changed
everything. Now the Iranian government is strictly focused on following the
teachings of Islam. Girls and boys can no longer attend school together, and girls
must wear veils when out in public. Marjane and her friends take off their veils
and play games with them. Marjane's mother has publicly protested the veil but
stopped after her picture appeared in European newspapers and an Iranian
magazine.
Though Marjane does not like her veil, she still considers herself to be very
religious. When she was six, she decided she wanted to be a prophet. She kept it a
secret from everyone but her grandmother, who thought Marjane's ideas about
equality and putting an end to suffering would make her an excellent prophet
indeed. When Marjane's parents eventually find out about their daughter's career
goals from a meddling teacher, Marjane assures them she wants to be a doctor
when she grows up. That night she talks to God, who seems hurt by her lie. She
assures Him that she does want to be a prophet but that she'd rather keep it a
secret.

Analysis
Satrapi begins her story in 1980 following the 1978–79 Iranian Revolution—
which was sparked by political dissent against Iran's leader,
Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi. Most of Satrapi's story is presented in
chronological order, but several flashbacks—such as Marjane's decision to
become a prophet when she was six—provide context for events in the present. As
this is a memoir, it is helpful to distinguish between Marjane Satrapi the author
and Marjane Satrapi the character. This study guide refers to the writer
of Persepolis by her last name and the girl shown in the drawings as Marjane.
Marjane's upbringing marks her as different from other children her age. Her
parents, who are known for being "modern and avant-garde," publicly protest
against the shah's regime and likewise encourage Marjane to speak her mind
even when her ideas fall outside the accepted political and social norm. They are
neither concerned about nor embarrassed by Marjane's desire to become a
prophet—they defend her to her teacher and try to engage in a dialogue about her
desires at home. Marjane has realized, however, that sometimes it is safer to keep
her thoughts to herself. Her mother goes through the same thing after she is
photographed at a protest against the veil. Unlike Marjane, Taji is not simply
afraid people won't understand her—she's afraid for her life. If the Islamic regime
could identify her, she would surely be punished. She also quickly learns it is
often safer to keep private thoughts separate from one's public life.

The veil Taji protests and Marjane detests is also known as a hijab. Shortly after
he came into power in 1979, Iranian leader Ayatollah Khomeini incorporated an
array of anti-women changes into the national culture. Following Islamic
tradition, women were now barred from becoming judges, and beaches and
sports teams were segregated. He also suggested women wear hijabs in the
workplace. That "suggestion" became law in 1983, and all women were expected
to wear the hijab and a chador, or loose, flowing gown. This was ostensibly to
protect a woman's modesty, but for Marjane and her mother the veil is symbolic
of the oppression they feel under the new Islamic regime. They don't want to
wear it, but the consequences of not following orders are far too severe.

Persepolis | The Bicycle

Summary
In 1979, "the year of the revolution," Marjane decides she'd rather be a
revolutionary like Che Guevara or Fidel Castro than a prophet. She and her
friends hold demonstrations in the Satrapis' yard daily. When she is alone,
Marjane plows through a stack of books about revolutionaries selected by her
parents. Her favorite is a comic book called Dialectic Materialism that contrasts
the ideas of German political theorist Karl Marx (1818–83) with those of French
philosopher René Descartes (1596–1650).
One evening Marjane overhears her parents talking about a fire at a local cinema
that was filled with protesters. They were locked inside the building, and police
"forbade people to rescue those locked inside." The shah attributed the 400
deaths to "religious fanatics," but Marjane's father is sure "it was the shah's
fault!!!" Marjane barges into her parents' room and tells them she wants to
demonstrate against the shah with them the next day. Her father tells her
protesting is dangerous—"they shoot people!" Despite Marjane's pleas, her
parents will not let her go. With tears streaming down her face, she asks, "God,
where are you?" He doesn't show up at her bedside that night.

Analysis
The chapter's title, "The Bicycle," is the metaphor Marjane uses to explain the
revolution to her friends. "When the wheels don't turn, it falls," she says. She
supports the revolution because of what her parents have taught her, and she
wants to ensure it maintains its momentum. That is why she is set on becoming a
revolutionary herself. Though Marjane may know more about Iran's history and
the current revolution than others her age, she is still a child. The revolution is
like a game to her—as far as her own life is concerned, there are very few concrete
consequences. At nine, she does not understand why her parents won't let her put
her beliefs into practice, nor does she see that knowledge about a particular
situation doesn't make one mature enough to handle it. Her parents give her
books to educate her, so she knows the truth about what is happening around
her, but that doesn't mean they think she's ready to fight alongside them.
Marjane's newfound interest in dialectic materialism complicates her
relationship with God. Dialectic materialism is based on the teachings of German
philosophers Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, who together wrote The
Communist Manifesto. It is a philosophy that states the material world—anything
observed by the senses—is in a separate reality from the mind and spirit. Religion
—which is fundamentally based on the idea that life and the world initially
developed as an action of God—doesn't fit within the parameters of Engels and
Marx's philosophy. There is no place for God in dialectic materialism, and the
more Marjane learns about it, the less interested she is in her own relationship
with God. That comes with its own consequences, most notably God's decision
not to comfort Marjane after her parents tell her she cannot go to the protest.
Marjane can either spout the tenets of dialectic materialism or rely upon God's
comfort and protection, but she can't do both.
Persepolis | The Water Cell
Summary
Marjane's parents demonstrate against the shah every day. Jealous they are
spending more time doing that than playing games with her, Marjane tells them,
"As for me, I love the king, he was chosen by God." Her father tells her that's not
what really happened. Fifty years before, the father of the current shah
"organized a putsch [a violent rebellion] to overthrow the emperor and install a
republic." Reza Shah was not well-educated, and the British took advantage of
him when they learned of his plan. They promised him the path to becoming
emperor would be easy if he allowed them to have all the oil they wanted. "God
has nothing whatsoever to do with this story," Marjane's father says. He then tells
her the emperor Reza Shah deposed was none other than her maternal great-
grandfather. That means Marjane's grandfather was once a prince.
Reza Shah took everything from her grandfather's family, even the bathroom
tiles. Marjane's grandfather was educated, so Reza Shah—having very little
education himself—named him prime minister. Marjane's grandfather began
spending time with intellectuals who touted the benefits of communism, and he
eventually became a communist himself. His beliefs landed him in prison
throughout Marjane's mother's childhood. "Sometimes they put him a cell filled
with water for hours," Taji says. Marjane forgets about playing games with her
parents. She wants to take a bath so she can know "what it felt like to be in a cell
filled with water."

Analysis
Learning about her family's fall from power gives Marjane even more reason to
dislike the current shah, but it also prompts her to take a closer look at her own
heritage and how it is directly connected to current events. At first Marjane
romanticizes her grandfather's status as prince—and her own relationship to
royalty—but she soon realizes there was nothing romantic about her
grandparents' lives. Her fantasies are quickly replaced with the harsh reality of
Persian politics. Her burgeoning understanding of the world around her parallels
her grandfather's interest in communism. As a prince he disagreed with Karl
Marx's notion that "the rabble can rule," but when his title and his life of luxury
were taken away from him he was able to see the suffering of the lower classes.
Political ideologies are much easier to understand—and sympathize with—when
one has a personal connection to the issues at hand.

Marjane was destined to be a rebel. Her parents—who are college-educated and

employed in white-collar careers—first protest against the shah and then against
the fundamentalist Islamists threatening to take control of the nation. Her
maternal grandfather, once part of Iran's political machine, works actively
against it after being removed from power. Marjane's Uncle Anoosh—who is
introduced in a later chapter—is a former political prisoner accused of subverting
government control. The common thread between these people—in addition to
their blood—is education. Knowledge does not just bring power—it encourages
questions. Marjane's parents and extended family have seen others become
complacent under ill-suited leaders. Even though she is only nine, they want
Marjane to be educated enough to ask questions and form her own opinions, not
follow the herd. Her rebellious streak may come naturally, but it is also carefully
cultivated by people who have spent much of their lives searching for freedom
and truth.

Persepolis | Persepolis
Summary
Marjane's grandmother comes to visit. She tells Marjane how terrible the shah
was to their family and how difficult it was to raise her children in poverty while
her husband was in jail. Marjane wants to know more about her grandfather,
but Grandmother avoids the subject and instead talks about herself and how
much she dislikes the shah.
Marjane, her mother, and her grandmother worry about Ebi, who went to take
photos of a demonstration hours ago. Marjane worries he is dead. When he
finally does come home, he tells them about taking pictures at a hospital
following the protest. One of the protesters, a young man, was killed, and the
other protesters were hailing him as a martyr. Another man's body was brought
out of the hospital at the same time. The crowd proclaimed him a martyr too,
even though his widow said he died of cancer. "No problem. He's a hero," one of
the protesters said. The widow ended up joining the protest.

Marjane's parents and Grandma laugh uncontrollably at Ebi's story, but Marjane
doesn't get the joke. "I realized then that I didn't understand anything," she says.
She decides to read everything she can about Iran and the revolution.

Analysis
Marjane's parents and grandmother laugh at Ebi's story because it illustrates the
single-minded childishness of the protestors. They connect everything, even a
death caused by cancer, to their cause of overthrowing the shah. Their
enthusiasm is so infectious as to convince the man's widow that he is actually a
martyr when she knows perfectly well, he is not, or that the distinction does not
matter as much as political change. Marjane does not understand the subtleties of
the revolution or the act of protest itself, so she doesn't see how her family can
laugh at a tragic story about "cadaver, cancer, death, murderer." She does not
realize they are laughing at the protestors' illogical assumptions and the absurdity
of the situation.

Marjane's age and lack of maturity prevent her from fully grasping the nuances of
the revolution and her own family's story. Marjane wants to hear the nitty-gritty
details about her grandfather's torture, but her grandmother decides it would be
better to supply her with historical details about Iran that support the reasons for
the revolution. She is afraid of filling Marjane's head with gory images, but she is
also losing her audience. Like most children, Marjane does not care about the
how or why—she just wants to know what happened. She realizes the best way to
get the information she wants is to find it herself. The beginning of her personal
education about Iran's history is also the beginning of her understanding of her
family and herself.

The title of this chapter, "Persepolis," refers to the ancient Persian capital
destroyed by Alexander the Great in 330 BCE. Coined by the ancient Greeks, it
means "City of the Persians." Satrapi names this chapter "Persepolis" to show the
intensity of her grandmother's feelings about the shah. Grandmother thinks he,
like Alexander the Great, is putting his own desires above those of the people of
Iran. In Alexander's case, the Persians were committed to maintaining their own
culture. She hopes the same thing is true now.
Persepolis | The Letter
Summary
Marjane reads a lot of books by Ali Ashraf Darvishian (born 1941), "a kind of local
Charles Dickens." Most of his stories are about working-class children forced into
labor at a young age, which makes Marjane feel guilty about everything her family
has, most notably her father's nice car and their live-in maid, Mehri.

Mehri is one of 15 children. Her parents couldn't afford to take care of all of them,
so Mehri and her sister were sent to Marjane's family and her uncle's family to be
maids. Mehri cared for Marjane when Marjane was small, and Marjane grew up
thinking of Mehri as more of a sister than an employee. In 1978 Mehri fell in love
with the boy next door, whom she saw through Marjane's bedroom window. The
two never actually spoke, but Marjane wrote letters to the boy for Mehri, who was
illiterate. After the two exchanged letters for six months, Marjane's parents found
out about the clandestine courtship. Marjane's father confronted the boy and told
him Mehri was his maid, not his daughter. No longer interested in Mehri, the boy
handed Marjane's father the stack of letters. Ebi notices the handwriting on the
letters is Marjane's. "You must understand that their love was impossible ... In
this country, you must stay within your own social class," he told his daughter.
Marjane was confused—she couldn't figure out whether her father was for or
against the restrictions imposed by social classes.

A few months later, after she "under[stands] the reasons for the revolution,"
Marjane talks Mehri into sneaking out of the house and protesting with her. They
stay out all day. When they finally get home, Marjane's mother slaps them both.
Marjane had unknowingly decided to protest on the very day dozens of
demonstrators were killed, which later became known as Black Friday. There
were rumors Israeli soldiers were to blame, but as Marjane later reflects, "In fact
it was really our own who had attacked us."

Analysis
Marjane has been raised to believe in the rights of the proletariat, or working
class, but she's not a member of it. With two white-collar parents who can afford
vacations and Western imports, she belongs in the upper-middle class. The
disparity between herself and the children she reads about causes her a great deal
of shame. She feels guilty about her father's nice car and her family's maid, not
understanding how hard her father works for his income nor that her family is
actually helping Mehri's family by employing her as their maid. Marjane sees
things as simply black or white, good or bad, and it's hard for her to comprehend
gray areas that seem contrary to everything her parents have taught her. She's
upset that Mehri won't be able to marry the boy next door, because her parents
have taught her everyone is equal. The idea that only people in the same social
classes are equal to one another is completely foreign—and upsetting—to her. Yet
because her father says it, she accepts it.

Marjane's relationship with Mehri changes in just a few moments. Marjane still
loves her, but she is also acutely aware of her own higher social status. Mehri is
older than Marjane and knows better than to take her to the protests, especially
after Ebi and Taji already told Marjane she couldn't go, but Marjane waves her
arm as if she's making a royal proclamation and Mehri gives in. They are no
longer sisters, but servant and employer. Though Marjane dislikes the idea of
differences between the classes, she can't forget it once it's pointed out to her.

Black Friday occurred on September 8, 1978, following months of protests. A

religious demonstration attracted thousands to Jaleh Square in Tehran even
though the government had declared martial law—the complete control of a
country by its army—on September 7. Protestors ignored the soldiers' warnings,
and dozens of people were wounded and killed by gunfire. Many cite this event as
the "point of no return" for the revolutionaries. Negotiations with the shah's
government were no longer possible, and rumors about a government-led
massacre united the masses. Marjane and Mehri didn't protest in Jaleh Square—
they were in a different neighborhood—but the threat to their lives was there all
the same. Violence could erupt at any demonstration, and Marjane, only eight at
the time, had neither the physical strength nor the maturity to handle the
situation. The fact that "[their] own" were attacking the protesters
bothers Satrapi years later. In the last frame in the chapter, which shows
handprints on Marjane's and Mehri's faces, she likens the Iranian soldiers'
actions to that of her own mother. Those who were supposed to protect did the
most damage of all.
Persepolis | The Party
Summary
Massacres continue regularly after Black Friday. The shah tries to make Iran into
a democracy, but Iranian citizens continue their revolt. He finally resigns. United
States President Jimmy Carter refuses the shah entry to the United States, so the
shah takes refuge in Egypt. Marjane's father says the shah and Egyptian
President Anwar al-Sadat "betrayed the countries of [their] region by making a
pact with Israel." The entire country celebrates the shah's departure.

Strange things start happening after the shah's departure. Marjane and her
classmates are told to rip photos of the shah from their textbooks even though
their teacher once told them “The shah was chosen by God." The Satrapis'
neighbor claims a scar on her cheek is from a bullet that grazed her during the
riots even though it was there long before the revolution began. Marjane learns
her friend Ramin's father was a member of SAVAK (Organization of National
Security and Information), the shah's secret police force. The neighborhood kids
say he killed one million people. Marjane and her friends decide to get justice for
the "dead million" by attacking Ramin with homemade brass knuckles fabricated
from nails. Marjane's mother stops the would-be vigilantes before they find
Ramin. She takes Marjane home and explains it isn't Ramin's fault that his father
killed people. "It is not for you and me to do justice ... I'd even say we have to
learn to forgive," she tells Marjane. Marjane later tells Ramin she forgives him for
his father's sins. Ramin says his father killed communists, who are evil. Marjane
reports this back to her mother, who is disappointed that Ramin "repeats what
they tell him." Marjane looks in the mirror and tells herself to forgive. It makes
her feel like someone "really, really good."

Analysis
"The Party," the title of this chapter, refers to the celebrations that occur after the
shah is removed from power. The revolutionaries, including Marjane's parents,
do not yet know the clergy who fill the void left by the shah will eventually make
conditions worse in Iran than they were under monarchal rule. Knowing no
better, the adults are excited about the future. The children, however, are still
living in the past. They have seen their parents take sides for so long—
revolutionaries versus acolytes of the shah's government—that they continue to
divide themselves even after the revolution has ended. Marjane's insistence that
Ramin be punished for his father's supposed misdeeds underscores her
continued misunderstanding about the revolution and why it happened. While
her mother understands Ramin's father was carrying out his assigned orders,
Marjane thinks he murdered for the pleasure of it. She does not understand the
concept of duty, nor the reasons that a person would choose to support the shah.
She only knows what other people tell her. She's fully prepared to believe Ramin's
insistence that his father killed only communists, which Ramin says makes it
okay. Marjane has not yet started forming opinions for herself—she only thinks
what other people tell her to think. The same can be said for Ramin and all the
rest of Marjane's friends. They are their parents' inadvertent mouthpieces.
The transition between protests and peace is jarring for Marjane, and her
understanding of the world is thrown into turmoil once the shah is no longer in
power. One day she is told the shah was chosen by God, and the next day she is
told to forget him. She is told Ramin's father has committed unforgiveable
crimes, and then she is told to forgive him. Friends and acquaintances revise
their past to be more admirable in the present. It's all politics, and none of it
makes sense to Marjane.

The international politics behind the shah's removal are also complicated. The
United States and Iran had a fairly close relationship during Jimmy Carter's term
as president, but it was more because of Iran's oil reserves, not the shah himself.
Carter didn't allow the shah refuge in the United States, because he didn't want to
anger the next regime, which would control the country's oil supply. The
relationship between Israel, Iran, and Egypt is even more complicated. It dates
back to the late 19th century when Jews and Palestinians claimed Israel as their
respective homelands. Iran, which considers itself to be Persian, not Arabic, saw
Israel as a natural ally since both countries opposed Arab and communist
interference. The Arab states, including Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Iraq, on the
other hand, sided with the Palestinians. Egypt broke with the Arab community in
1979 and signed a peace treaty with Israel, an agreement that was shepherded by
the United States. Both Egyptian and Iranian leaders believed supporting Israel
would gain favor with the United States and bring them greater global bargaining
power. After the revolution, the new government of the Islamic Republic of Iran
broke all ties with Israel.

Persepolis | The Heroes

Summary
A few days after the shah's resignation, three thousand political prisoners are
released. The Satrapi family knows two of them, Siamak Jari and Mohsen
Shakiba, both of whom were arrested for being communists. Siamak is the
husband of Marjane's mother's best friend. Their daughter, Laly, once told
Marjane that Siamak was on a trip. Marjane pointed out "on a trip" is adults' code
for "dead," which did not go over well at all.
Siamak and Mohsen visit the Satrapis after they are released from prison. They
tell horror stories about the torture they and their friends suffered. Marjane and
her parents are shocked. Marjane tells Laly "it's a good thing" her father wasn't
killed in prison like another family friend, Ahmadi, and then points out she
wasn't entirely wrong when she told Laly he wasn't on a trip. Laly boasts that her
father is a hero. Marjane, disappointed to have a father who isn't a hero, goes
outside to play with friends, where she invents torture-inspired games. It's great
fun, and she feels an enormous sense of power afterward, though that is soon
replaced with sadness. Her mother consoles her and promises the torturers will
"pay for what they have done." Marjane forsakes dialectic materialism and finds
solace "in the arms of [her] friend."

Analysis
Mentions of alcohol, drugs, and sex in later chapters of Persepolis have caused a
few raised eyebrows by parents and educators throughout the years, but it is the
depictions of torture in "The Heroes" that caused the book to nearly become
banned in Chicago Public Schools (CPS) in 2013. This imagery—an underwear-
clad man being whipped, burned with an iron, and then totally dismembered—
was deemed too violent for "general use" in the classroom. Students in the district
argued these images are no worse than those shown in historical textbooks about
the Holocaust or slavery. CPS ultimately rescinded the ban on the book for grades
9–12, but several other schools have challenged the use of Persepolis in schools
since then.
Satrapi's use of this imagery is deliberate and with good reason. She and her
parents were horrified when they first heard the stories about what happened to
Iran's political prisoners—and that sense of horror remains with her to this day.
Depicting the torture both verbally and visually creates the same visceral reaction
in readers as Marjane and her parents feel in the book. Satrapi could have taken
the easy way out and simply said, "We were tortured," but that would not
accurately convey what these men suffered at the hands of the shah's regime. The
images that are perhaps the most distressing contrast an iron searing Ahmadi's
helpless body with the sketch of Marjane glancing fearfully over her shoulder at
her mother's iron—an everyday domestic appliance. Standing in the background,
Marjane seems smaller and less significant than the iron, which makes it even
more threatening. Siamak's and Mohsen's experiences aren't theirs alone—
everyone who hears their stories lives with the fear that the same things could
happen to them.
All of this is a lot for Marjane to take in. As is natural for a child, she explores the
notion of torture by playacting it with her friends. It feels good at first, but then it
becomes scary and overwhelming. The "friend" she takes solace in is God, who
has returned after her abandonment of dialectic materialism. He provides her
with the comfort she wouldn't be able to get from Marxist theory alone.

Persepolis | Moscow
Summary
Marjane's disappointment that her father is not a hero is tempered by her heroic
uncle, Anoosh, who was in prison for almost all Marjane's life. He visits Marjane's
family upon his release, and Marjane is so smitten with him she begs him to
spend the night. He does and tells her his story.

When Anoosh was 18, his Uncle Fereydoon became the minister of justice of the
Iranian province Azerbaijan, which he and his friends had recently proclaimed
independent from Iran. Like his uncle, Anoosh believed all people were "equal in
the eyes of the law." Anoosh's father, however, was still faithful to the shah. He
thought Anoosh was a traitor. Anoosh went to Azerbaijan and became his uncle's
secretary. One night Anoosh dreamt of "dead people, blood." The next morning,
he woke to find the shah's soldiers surrounding his uncle's home. Fereydoon was
arrested and eventually killed, but Anoosh escaped. He traveled for days in the
cold and the snow to reach his parents' house. He was near death when he
arrived. His father forgave him, but Anoosh couldn't stay long. The shah's
soldiers were looking for him. He swam across the Aras River and into the USSR
(Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, or Soviet Union). He studied in Moscow,
where he earned a doctorate in Marxism-Leninism, and married a Russian
woman. Though they had two daughters together, they got divorced. Lonely,
Anoosh returned to Iran in disguise. He was eventually captured and put into
prison for nine years. He was tortured, though he says his ex-wife put him
through worse. "I tell you all this because it's important that you know ... Our
family memory must not be lost," he says to Marjane. Marjane promises never to
forget. Anoosh tucks her into bed and gives her a swan made of bread.

Analysis
The Azerbaijan of which Uncle Anoosh speaks is a province in northern Iran, not
to be confused with the country of the same name on the other side of Iran's
northern border. Ownership of this part of Iran has changed hands numerous
times over the years. Azerbaijan belonged to Iran when the 20th century began
but was in the hands of the Turks during World War I. The Soviet Union then
claimed it during World War II. It is shortly after World War II that Uncle
Fereydoon and his friends come into the picture. Avowed communists, their
declaration of Azerbaijan's independence was backed by the Soviet Union.
Independence from Iran lasted only a year—in 1946 Iranian forces invaded and
reclaimed the land. That's when Fereydoon was killed, and Anoosh went back
home.
Anoosh and Fereydoon's story is important for a few reasons. First, it is evidence
of the rebellious streak that runs through the paternal side of Marjane's family.
Second, it establishes Anoosh as a communist. In "The Party," Ramin tells
Marjane his father killed only communists, which implies communists are
inherently bad. But Anoosh is a communist, and Marjane adores him. Through
him, she begins to understand that people's goodness or appeal cannot
necessarily be determined by their political point of view. Before, she had seen
things as black or white; now, she is beginning to also see some shades of gray.
The third and most important aspect of Anoosh's recollections is his insistence
that Marjane remember them. He wants future generations to understand both
sides of Iran's political history, not just the parts deemed appropriate by the
ruling government. His experiences, and those of his family, are reminders of the
importance of freedom and the lengths one should be willing to go to achieve
it. Satrapi goes above and beyond her childhood promise. Through Persepolis,
she ensures millions of people around the world become familiar with the stories
of Anoosh and the rest of her loved ones. Her books are their legacy.
Persepolis | The Sheep
Summary
Marjane's father and Anoosh discuss politics. Ebi is worried "the Republic wants
to be called Islamic" even though the revolution sprang from the left, or liberal
dissidents, but Anoosh is not too concerned. He thinks the religious leaders,
realizing they do not know how to run a country, will "return to their mosques,"
leaving the proletariat, or working class, in charge.

Not everyone agrees with Anoosh. Like Ebi, many fear their life under rule of the
Islamic Republic. Marjane's friend Kaveh and his family leave Iran for the United
States. Several other friends and family members also depart. Marjane's mother
wonders if they should go, too, but Ebi insists everyone they love will come back.
"They're just afraid of change," he says. Then he receives a phone call. Mohsen
Shakiba drowned in his bathtub. Only his head was in the water, which indicates
he was murdered. "The deliverers of divine justice" strike at Siamak Jari's house
next. He isn't home, so they kill his sister.

Anoosh continues to insist "everything will be alright," but he doesn't seem as

confident as before. When Marjane leaves school one day, it is her mother who
picks her up, not Anoosh. Her mother says Anoosh's wife called him and asked
him to come back to Moscow. Marjane knows that's a lie—Anoosh never talks to
his wife. Her father later confesses Anoosh was arrested. He gets only one visitor
in prison, and he wants it to be Marjane. She puts on her best dress and goes to
see him. He promises "the proletariat will rule" and gives Marjane another bread
swan.
Anoosh is executed not long after their visit. Marjane lies in her bed and tells
herself everything will be all right. God comes to comfort her. She kicks him out
and tells him she never wants to see him again. She is "lost, without any bearings"
when her parents shout for her to go into the basement. They are being bombed.
The war with Iraq has begun.

Analysis
Leftist revolutionaries such as Marjane's father and her Uncle Anoosh never
intended for Iran to become an Islamic Republic. They and their fellow liberals
thought Iran would become more progressive, not more repressive. They severely
underestimated the desire for power within the clergy, particularly in Ruhollah
Khomeini. Khomeini had been an outspoken critic of the shah since the early
1960s and had been calling for his removal ever since then. Exiled from Iran in
November 1964, he settled in Iraq and continued to petition for Iran to become
an Islamic republic. This made Iraqi president Saddam Hussein understandably
nervous—if Iranians began to favor an Islamic republic, what's to stop Iraqis from
doing the same? He kicked Khomeini out of Iraq in 1978. Khomeini moved to
Paris and sent tape-recorded messages to Iran to rally the revolutionaries. When
he returned to Iran on February 1, 1979, two weeks after the shah's departure, he
was hailed as a hero and as the religious leader of the revolution. With so much
public support, he was able to finally do what he always wanted: make Iran an
Islamic state.
Many Iranians mistrusted the Islamic state from the beginning, which is why
some of Marjane's friends and family leave their homeland for new lives in the
West. Uncle Anoosh, however, still believes in the power of the people. He can't
see that the communist theories he champions don't work in the real world where
people, even holy men, thirst for control. His communist beliefs and his history
as a rabble-rouser make him a direct threat to the clergy-led government. That's
why he and hundreds of other former political prisoners are killed shortly after
their release. Death of a loved one is never easy to handle, and Marjane can't
understand why Anoosh is arrested and killed for crimes he never committed.
She kicks God out of her bedroom because she can't reconcile the deity who has
protected her for so long with the religion behind the execution of her beloved
uncle. This is the last time Marjane speaks directly to God. She is done with
Islam, at least for the time being.

Persepolis | The Trip

Summary
Once Iran becomes the Islamic Republic, life changes for the country's
inhabitants. Fundamentalists take over the American Embassy in Tehran, all
universities are closed, and women are forced to wear headscarves in public.
Marjane's mother is harassed on the street for letting her hair show, and a
demonstration protesting fundamentalist fashion requirements turns into an
angry brawl. Neighbors who once embraced miniskirts and alcohol are suddenly
perfectly pious citizens. Marjane's parents insist she tells people she prays several
times a day even though she does not.

Sensing their ability to leave the country is coming to an end, Marjane and her
family go on vacation in Spain and Italy. When they
return, Grandmother informs them Iran is now at war with Iraq. Iranian
fundamentalists "tried to stir up their Iraqi Shiite allies" against Saddam
Hussein, who had always wanted an excuse to invade Iran. Grandmother calls
this "the second Arab invasion." Marjane is ready to fight.

Analysis
The changes following the Islamic Republic's rise to power are swift, and the
rules for proper behavior seem to shift overnight. From Marjane's point of view,
it is as if Iran took three enormous steps backward in the peoples' quest for civil
liberties. Universities are closed, women are required to wear hijabs, or veils, in
public, and there is a strict code of conduct preventing interaction between
unmarried men and women. Those caught disobeying or protesting the
government's new rules face severe punishment, which makes it imperative to
hide conflicting viewpoints. This theme of public versus private lives runs
throughout the rest of the book as Marjane, her family, and her friends present
pious and proper facades to mask their true selves, which appear behind closed
doors.

Though Marjane is against the Islamic Republic, she still supports the country of
Iran and wants to protect it from "Arab invaders." The invaders are the Iraqis,
whose attack of the western Iranian border on September 22, 1980, marked the
beginning of the Iran-Iraq War. In dispute was border territory, both land and
water, between the two nations. Iraqi president Saddam Hussein wanted
complete control of both banks of the Shatt Al-'Arab, as well as Iraq's Khuzestan
province, which was mainly populated by ethnic Arabs. He was very concerned
about the growing power of Islamic clergy in Iran and feared that the newly
minted Islamic government would spark rebellion in Iraq's mostly Shiite
population. Conquering his desired territories would expand Iraq's influence in
the region while diminishing the power of the Islamic Republic, thereby
protecting Hussein's own position of power.

Persepolis | The F-14s

Summary
Marjane is visiting her father's office when a battalion of fighter jets flies
overhead. Ebi, an engineer, thinks they are Iraqi planes. Their fears are
confirmed when they turn on the radio—Iraqi forces have bombed Tehran.
Marjane and her father hurry home to check on Taji. She's fine. She was in the
shower and didn't even hear the bombs explode.

Marjane is eager for Iran to defeat Iraq, but her parents don't seem to share her
nationalistic enthusiasm. Satrapi uses boldface type to emphasize Marjane's
passion as the girl shouts, "We have to bomb Baghdad!" Her mother responds by
telling her to take her feet off the coffee table. Ebi is pessimistic about Iran's
chances against Iraq, and Marjane—sporting an Iranian army cap—says he is "a
defeatist. He's no patriot." She revises her opinion of him when he weeps upon
hearing the outlawed Iranian national anthem and celebrates when Iranian
bombers attack Baghdad. Their celebration is short-lived, however, when they
learn most of the Iranian planes never returned from the mission. The father of
one of Marjane's friends, Pardisse, was one of the pilots killed in the raid.
Marjane and her friends write reports about the war at school. Marjane writes
about the "historical context entitled 'The Arab Conquest and Our War,'" but
everyone else is more impressed with Pardisse's essay, which is a letter to her
father. Marjane later tells Pardisse she should be proud of her father for being a
hero. Pardisse says it would be better for him to be "alive and in jail rather than
dead and a hero."

Analysis
The concept of patriotism is at the crux of Marjane's disappointment in her
father. She thinks being a patriot means loving and supporting one's country in
every circumstance. Patriots, therefore, shouldn't question government actions.
Ebi and Taji disagree. Like Marjane, they equate patriotism with love of one's
country, but they also believe it is their duty to ask questions of their country's
government in order to protect its people. Their love of country is separate from
love of government, which is why Ebi tears up when he hears the banned national
anthem. That is the vision of Iran he supports, not the one that has become an
Islamic state. Marjane is still learning to make that distinction.

Marjane's understanding of war is rudimentary at best, as is natural for a 10-

year-old. She thinks relentless bombing of the enemy will solve the dispute
between the two nations, but she never pauses to think about the costs of those
attacks. Until now the people actively risking their lives for Iran have been
strangers. She doesn't know anyone directly affected by injury or loss of life. The
death of Pardisse's father changes that. Now she knows someone who has been
emotionally scarred by the war. Marjane has spent so much time daydreaming
about heroes and revolutionaries that she doesn't pause to think how terrible it
would be if her own father didn't return from the war. Pardisse's anger and
sorrow put a human face on the war for Marjane, which makes it harder for her to
support Iran's role in it.

Persepolis | The Jewels

Summary
Marjane and her mother go grocery shopping. The supermarket shelves are
nearly empty. Marjane's mother says people should only take as much as they
absolutely need but then decides she and Marjane should go to the store across
the street to stock up just in case of an emergency. Later, Marjane's father wants
to purchase a few extra cans of gas. The gas station attendant won't fill their cans
because "otherwise there won't be enough for everyone." He tells the Satrapis
that Iraqi forces bombed an oil refinery in Abadan.

Marjane's mother panics. Abadan is the home of her best friend, Mali. She tries to
call Mali and then Mali's mother, but nobody answers the phone. That night Mali,
her husband, and their two sons show up at the Satrapis' door. Mali's husband
managed to save a few family jewels, but that was it. Everything else they owned
was destroyed.

Mali's family stays with the Satrapis for a week while they sell the jewelry and
find a new place to live. One day at the grocery store, Marjane, her mother, Mali,
and Mali's sons overhear two local women complaining about the influx of
refugees in Tehran. "They take everything," one of the women says. The other
agrees, adding that most refugee women are "sluts" who prostitute themselves.
Mali is humiliated. Marjane feels terrible for her and ashamed for thinking that
Mali's children were brats.

Analysis
War brings out the best and worst in people. The Satrapis are at their best when
they show concern for their friends, taking them in without a second thought, and
they're at their worst when wanting to hoard goods after looking down on others
for doing the same thing. Satrapi doesn't always depict herself or her parents in
the most flattering ways. Doing so would defeat the purpose of sharing her story.
She wants readers to understand the difficulties of war and how even moral and
upstanding citizens can become selfish when their way of life is threatened.
During war the self comes first, followed by family, and then community. This
mindset—not the war itself—is what causes the supermarket shelves to be empty
during the early days of fighting.
War can also create ugly prejudices. The women in the grocery store who make
disparaging remarks about refugees act as if they are superior to those who are
suddenly homeless. It doesn't matter if the refugees are educated or wealthy or
even if they share the same nationality. Because they are in need of assistance,
many look down upon them. Others are threatened by the presence of outsiders
who will now increase the competition for food, shelter, and companionship.
Putting down the refugees makes the women in the grocery store feel better about
themselves and more secure in their own lives. Underneath their callous
exteriors, they probably fear a similar fate for themselves.

Persepolis | The Key

Summary
The Iraqi army makes headway in its bid to conquer Iran. The Iraqis have quality
weapons and troops; Iran's only asset is a seemingly endless supply of soldiers
destined for the field. Many are poor teenagers, such as the son of Mrs. Nasrine,
the Satrapis' maid. At only 14, he believes the "made-up stories" about
martyrdom promising young men food, women, and riches in the afterlife. He
and the other boys in his school were given plastic keys painted gold, which they
are told will get them into heaven if they are killed in battle. Marjane's mother
tries to talk some sense into the boy, but it doesn't work. Marjane and her mother
then visit with Shahab, one of Marjane's older cousins. He's in the army, and he
tells them what it's like when "buses full of kids" arrive on the front lines. They
are all like Mrs. Nasrine's son, poor, young, and convinced "the afterlife is even
better than Disneyland." Thrown into battle with little or no training, thousands
"exploded on the minefields with their keys around their necks."

Marjane and her male cousin Peyman, who are about the same age, have much
different experiences than that of Mrs. Nasrine's son. Peyman's school doesn't
hand out golden keys to paradise to its students. At Marjane's school, Marjane
and her classmates rebel against the mourning rituals by turning everything into
a joke. When the teacher threatens expulsion, the girls' parents take their
children's side. Marjane's father even insults the teacher. While Mrs. Nasrine
worries about her son's future, Marjane goes to her first party. It's at Peyman's
house.

Analysis
Mrs. Nasrine knows enough about life and war not to be seduced by the
government's shiny keys and tales of splendor, but her teenage son sees the key
as the ticket to a glorious afterlife. It's gold, after all, which must certainly mean
there are untold riches behind the door it opens. He can't see the key is simply a
piece of painted plastic, just as he can't see volunteering for battle will most likely
end in death. The key given to Mrs. Nasrine's son and his classmates is symbolic
of the fanciful lies the government tells to cover up an ugly situation—sending
children to their death.
Marjane's cousin Peyman, who is also a teenager, doesn't have any clue what
Marjane's talking about when she brings up the "keys to paradise" because he
comes from a more affluent family than the Nasrines. Affluence is generally
related to a higher level of education, which opens the doors to better
opportunities. Peyman and his classmates have what the government would
consider "good" futures ahead of them—they will be white-collar workers,
scholars, and professionals. They are therefore more valuable to the government
in the long run. Poor kids, such as Mrs. Nasrine's son, don't have as many
opportunities to financially support the regime. They are considered expendable.

The worries of Marjane's parents are far different from those of Mrs. Nasrine. Ebi
and Taji aren't burdened with the thought of their daughter going to war and
never coming home—their greatest fear is that she might be kicked out of school
for her attitude. Ebi and Taji know the only way to save their daughter from a
stifling life in Iran is to ensure she has a solid multilingual education. She'll be
able to leave Iran and start over halfway around the world if she wants to. But Ebi
and Taji are also known for their rebellious nature. Instead of telling Marjane to
behave at school, they and the other parents strike back at the teachers for
insinuating they aren't teaching their children proper behavior at home. They are
just as frustrated with the new educational system as the kids are, and they're not
going to back down. This also is a benefit of affluence. The Satrapis and their
peers still have a choice in their children's education. Private schools need to
make money, and for that they need parents to pay tuition. Parents such as Mrs.
Nasrine, on the other hand, don't have the means to select their child's school. If
they threaten to leave, they have nowhere else to go. Taji and Ebi can afford to
stand behind Marjane when she acts up at school. Mrs. Nasrine doesn't have any
choice but to go ahead with what her son's school says.

Persepolis | The Wine

Summary
Tehran soon becomes the target of Iraq's bombs. The Satrapis and their
neighbors create a bomb shelter in the basement of their apartment building to
protect themselves during air raids. Their apartments change, too. Marjane's
mother covers the windows with masking tape to prevent flying glass in case of a
bomb and with black curtains to prevent some neighbors' prying eyes. "[Seeing]
what goes on in our house would be enough for [the neighbors] to denounce us!"
she says. She's referring to the weekly card games and parties the Satrapis host
for friends and family. Parties and alcohol are strictly forbidden, but people keep
having them because "without them [life] wouldn't be psychologically bearable."

Marjane's uncle hosts a party to celebrate the birth of his child. The power goes
out, and sirens start to wail. Marjane's aunt, the baby's mother, shoves the baby
at Marjane and runs to safety. When the alert ends and everyone returns,
Marjane and her family go home. They are stopped by the local patrol, who
accuse Marjane's father of drinking. One of the patrol says he's going to follow the
Satrapis home to see what they're hiding. They arrive at the apartment building,
and Marjane and her grandmother run ahead to flush all the alcohol down the
toilet. They finish just in time and then find out the patrol took a bribe from
Marjane's father and won't be searching the apartment after all. Ebi is
disappointed all the alcohol is gone.

Analysis
Family is of the utmost importance in Persepolis, and after the Islamic
government takes charge it appears as if family members are the only people one
can trust. Marjane and her family were once friendly with their neighbors, but
now they live in fear that their illicit practices will be discovered. They are always
on guard. That doesn't change their habits or beliefs, however. The parties they
have behind closed doors are the few times they're able to let loose and relax.
According to one relative, "[they] might as well bury [them]selves now" if the
parties were to stop. To them, having fun and engaging in illicit practices such as
drinking alcohol and dancing are worth the risk of punishment. They present
themselves as law-abiding citizens in public, but in private they celebrate as they
did before the revolution.
Drinking and dancing in the Islamic Republic are a lot more dangerous than
many Westerners can understand. Perpetrators don't just pay a fine and go on
their way—they can be imprisoned, beaten, and even killed for tiny infractions
against Islamic law. It all depends on the mood of the arresting officer and the
influence and reputation of the person who is arrested. That is why Marjane's
aunt has such a strong reaction when she hears the sirens. Her natural instinct is
to protect herself at all costs, even if it means abandoning her newborn baby. It's
not a flattering portrayal, but it's the reality of living in constant fear of one's
government and its officers. Another reality is how law enforcers do not
necessarily uphold the law. Marjane's father is able to bribe the patrol because
the patrol is more interested in private gain than in enforcing the rules of the
republic.

Persepolis | The Wine

Summary
Tehran soon becomes the target of Iraq's bombs. The Satrapis and their
neighbors create a bomb shelter in the basement of their apartment building to
protect themselves during air raids. Their apartments change, too. Marjane's
mother covers the windows with masking tape to prevent flying glass in case of a
bomb and with black curtains to prevent some neighbors' prying eyes. "[Seeing]
what goes on in our house would be enough for [the neighbors] to denounce us!"
she says. She's referring to the weekly card games and parties the Satrapis host
for friends and family. Parties and alcohol are strictly forbidden, but people keep
having them because "without them [life] wouldn't be psychologically bearable."

Marjane's uncle hosts a party to celebrate the birth of his child. The power goes
out, and sirens start to wail. Marjane's aunt, the baby's mother, shoves the baby
at Marjane and runs to safety. When the alert ends and everyone returns,
Marjane and her family go home. They are stopped by the local patrol, who
accuse Marjane's father of drinking. One of the patrol says he's going to follow the
Satrapis home to see what they're hiding. They arrive at the apartment building,
and Marjane and her grandmother run ahead to flush all the alcohol down the
toilet. They finish just in time and then find out the patrol took a bribe from
Marjane's father and won't be searching the apartment after all. Ebi is
disappointed all the alcohol is gone.

Analysis
Family is of the utmost importance in Persepolis, and after the Islamic
government takes charge it appears as if family members are the only people one
can trust. Marjane and her family were once friendly with their neighbors, but
now they live in fear that their illicit practices will be discovered. They are always
on guard. That doesn't change their habits or beliefs, however. The parties they
have behind closed doors are the few times they're able to let loose and relax.
According to one relative, "[they] might as well bury [them]selves now" if the
parties were to stop. To them, having fun and engaging in illicit practices such as
drinking alcohol and dancing are worth the risk of punishment. They present
themselves as law-abiding citizens in public, but in private they celebrate as they
did before the revolution.
Drinking and dancing in the Islamic Republic are a lot more dangerous than
many Westerners can understand. Perpetrators don't just pay a fine and go on
their way—they can be imprisoned, beaten, and even killed for tiny infractions
against Islamic law. It all depends on the mood of the arresting officer and the
influence and reputation of the person who is arrested. That is why Marjane's
aunt has such a strong reaction when she hears the sirens. Her natural instinct is
to protect herself at all costs, even if it means abandoning her newborn baby. It's
not a flattering portrayal, but it's the reality of living in constant fear of one's
government and its officers. Another reality is how law enforcers do not
necessarily uphold the law. Marjane's father is able to bribe the patrol because
the patrol is more interested in private gain than in enforcing the rules of the
republic.

Persepolis | The Cigarette

Summary
The Iran-Iraq War has been going on for two years. Marjane is 12, and she's
hanging out with older girls at school. Two of them convince her to cut class with
them so they can ogle boys at a Western diner called Kansas. Marjane is in big
trouble when she gets home—the school called her mother to report Marjane's
absence. Taji is furious. "Now is the time for learning. You have your whole life to
have fun!" she fumes. Marjane thinks her mother is worse than a dictator.

The Iranian military retakes Khorramshahr from the Iraqis. Iraq proposes a
peace settlement, and Saudi Arabia even offers to pay for reconstruction to the
two war-torn countries in the name of restoring peace. Iran's Islamic Republic
refuses both offers because, as it is later discovered, it needs the war to stay in
power. The city's walls are plastered with the graffiti of "belligerent slogans" as
the regime becomes even more controlling, and Iranians who oppose Islamic rule
are sentenced to death.

Marjane, meanwhile, engages in her own act of rebellion by smoking a cigarette.

"It was awful. But this was not the moment to give in," she says. Now she is
officially a grown-up.

Analysis
Marjane lives in a country where the government determines the messages sent
to the mainstream press. The government lies about its successes during the war
to garner support for its actions and to quash any murmurings of dissent. If the
Islamic Republic positions itself as winning the war, it becomes more powerful in
the eyes of its people, thus gaining the freedom to enforce even stricter laws and
punishments. Citizens of warring countries are likely to worry more about the
actions of their enemy than the actions of their government. War is a distraction
for what's really going on at home. That's why the representatives of the Islamic
Republic refuse to sign a peace treaty—they believe the best way to control the
citizenry is by diverting their attention. That diversion comes at a high cost—it is
estimated Iran and Iraq each lost 500,000 soldiers in the war. That isn't
acceptable to Satrapi, and it's one of the reasons why she wrote Persepolis. She
wants the world to know the truth about the war and the so-called religious men
who supported it.
Marjane quietly rebels against the regime by discussing politics during school
and hanging out at Kansas, which is the local hot spot for Western food and
culture. She takes a more active—and vocal—approach when it comes to rebelling
against her parents. From their perspective, cutting class and then lying about it
is probably the worst thing she could do. Her parents have made it abundantly
clear that education is Marjane's ticket to a life outside of Iran, and to throw that
away for an afternoon with the cool girls is both disrespectful and disappointing.
It's not that Marjane doesn't want to go to school or get a good education—she
just doesn't want to be told what to do anymore. She wants the freedom of choice
that comes with adulthood, and she'll do anything to prove she deserves to have
it, even if it means choking down a disgusting cigarette. She thinks doing "adult
things" makes her an adult, but in the eyes of her parents, it just makes her look
more childish than ever.

Persepolis | The Passport

Summary
It's July 1982. Marjane and her parents are visiting her Uncle Taher and his
family. Taher sent his oldest son to Holland to escape the war a few years before.
He has thought of leaving Iran also, but his wife refuses. Since their son
emigrated, Taher has had two heart attacks. The borders to Iran are currently
closed, and he worries he'll never see his son again. A few days after the visit,
Marjane's parents marvel at how difficult it must be to send a 14-year-old to live
alone in a new country. Marjane scoffs at their worries. "At fourteen you don't
need your parents anymore!" she says.

The phone rings. Uncle Taher is back in the hospital with his third heart attack,
which was caused by a grenade detonating outside his home. The Satrapis hurry
to the hospital, where Marjane's aunt says Uncle Taher needs open-heart surgery.
Iran's hospitals aren't equipped for that, so he'll have to go to England. The
problem is the closed borders. Uncle Taher would need a special permit to leave
the country for the operation. Marjane's aunt speaks to the hospital's director,
who happens to be her former window washer. He tells her that Taher will get the
necessary documentation "if God wills it." Taher is furious because "all that
creepy window washer had to do" to become powerful was to "grow a beard and
put on a suit!"

Marjane's father has an idea. He takes Marjane to the home of his friend Khosro,
who falsifies travel documents. Khosro is hiding Niloufar, an 18-year-old
communist wanted by the authorities, in his home. Ebi is told Taher's passport
can be ready in five days. He agrees to pay $200 for the document—$502
adjusted for inflation. Before the passport is ready, however, Khosro's home is
raided. Niloufar is caught and executed, and Khosro escapes to Sweden via
Turkey. Three weeks later Uncle Taher is buried. His real passport arrives the
same day.

Analysis
Uncle Taher's predicament epitomizes the theme of religion and hypocrisy
in Persepolis. Taher is very ill. He is in a state-run hospital administered by an
allegedly religious man (the former window washer). Muslims believe God is all-
merciful, and the most merciful thing to do in this case is to allow Uncle Taher to
travel to England for an operation. Yet the hospital director takes no action when
Taher's case is brought to his attention. He simply says Taher will receive the care
he needs only if God wants him to. He isn't acting in accordance with God's
values—he's either leaving Taher's survival up to fate, or he's purposefully toying
with Marjane's aunt, who was once his social superior. In either case his devotion
to religion is questionable, as are the loyalties of many in positions of power in
the Islamic Republic. They are more interested in furthering their own careers
than in helping the populations they are supposed to be serving.
Those who do help others are the ones who suffer the greatest consequences.
Khosro takes an enormous risk by allowing Niloufar to stay with him. It is known
that she's wanted by the guardians of the Revolution, but Khosro takes her in
because her brother was his messenger boy. He has no familial or financial
obligation to take care of her, but he does so anyway because he's a good person.
When the guardians discover his duplicity, he is forced to leave the country
before he meets the same fate as Niloufar. Uncle Taher and his wife also suffer
greatly despite their sacrifices. They send their son to Holland to keep him safe,
but the strain on Taher is so great that he keeps having heart attacks. When he
dies, Marjane's aunt is completely alone. Like Khosro, their determination to do
the right thing for someone else turned out very badly for Marjane's aunt and
uncle. Life under the Islamic regime isn't a fairy tale—more often than not it is
the villains, not the heroes, who are rewarded in the end.

Persepolis | Kim Wilde

Iran's borders open in 1983. Marjane's parents rush to get their passports so they
can go on a trip to Turkey, just the two of them. Marjane scoffs at their choice of
destination until she realizes they can bring back contraband Western items such
as Nike shoes, denim jackets, and band posters. She requests chocolate, a jacket,
and posters of Kim Wilde and Iron Maiden.
Ebi and Taji have no problem locating the things Marjane wants, but they aren't
sure how to get the two enormous posters back into Iran. They end up hiding
them behind the lining of Ebi's coat. He looks like he's wearing huge shoulder
pads, but he gets through customs without any problems. Ebi and Taji give
Marjane her gifts once they get home. Marjane immediately puts on the denim
jacket, the Nike shoes, and a new Michael Jackson button and then heads out the
door to find some black-market cassette tapes.

While she's out, Marjane is stopped by two female guardians of the Revolution.
They chastise her for her Western clothing, which they call "punk" even though
it's not. Marjane is terrified when the women threaten to take her to "the
committee," which is the guardians' headquarters. She could be whipped for her
crimes or even imprisoned for days. Marjane makes up a story about a cruel
stepmother, and the women let her go. Marjane says nothing about the
altercation to her real mother, whom she knows would never let her go out alone
again if she knew what happened. Instead Marjane goes to her room and listens
to "Kids in America."

Analysis
Marjane's idol Kim Wilde is a British rock star whose career took off with the
song "Kids in America," which was released in 1981. With her blond feathered
hair and androgynous fashion sense, Wilde was the type of woman Marjane
wanted to be—equal parts punk rock and nice girl next door. Her lyrics—"Looking
out a dirty old window/Down below the cars ... go rushing by"—give voice to the
teenage angst Marjane feels but can't adequately express. That's one of the
reasons why Marjane is so enamored with the punk scene—the music just speaks
to her. She also likes it because in Iran it's completely against the law to play such
music, let alone own cassette tapes of it. Listening to and idolizing British and
American rock bands is a form of rebellion for Marjane, even if she does it only in
her own home.
Ebi and Taji understand how important music is to Marjane, and even if they
don't always like it, they still allow her the freedom to listen to what she wants.
Their promise to bring back posters and other Western goods isn't just a nice
gesture—it's an acknowledgment of Marjane's personal autonomy and a
declaration of their love. Bringing back such things is enormously risky, and
being caught transporting such goods into the country could have severe
consequences. Taji and Ebi do it anyway because they know how important these
things are to Marjane, especially the posters. The care they take in ensuring the
posters don't wrinkle on the journey home is symbolic of the lengths they would
go to make sure their daughter is happy.

Marjane knows how much her parents love her, and though she doesn't always
show it, she feels the same way about them. That's one of the reasons why she
never tells them about what happened after she left the house with her new
Western gear. They would feel responsible for providing her with the contraband
goods that attracted the attention of the ladies' auxiliary, and they would feel
guilty for not accompanying her on her outing. Marjane does fear her parents
would take away some of her freedom, but she also doesn't want to let them down
by being caught or make them worry any more than they already do. She protects
her parents just as much as they protect her.

Persepolis | The Shabbat

Summary
Rumors fly about the Iraqis obtaining ballistic missiles, and for once the talk of
the town turns out to be true. It's useless to take shelter in the basement when the
sirens go off—ballistic missiles are so powerful that only reinforced concrete
shelters, such as those in some of Tehran's hotels, can withstand the explosion.
For the first time Marjane realizes just how much danger she and her family are
in. Everyone else in Tehran seems to have noticed the danger too. Many flee the
city, leaving the streets deserted. Others, such as the Satrapis' neighbors the
Baba-Levys, move into hotels to be closer to bomb shelters. The Satrapis are in
the minority who decide to stay in their own homes. Marjane's parents are
insistent Marjane continue her French education, which they believe is the only
way she'll be able to make a life for herself outside of Iran.

One day Marjane and a friend go shopping for jeans and shoes. They hear a bomb
explode in the distance. The shopkeeper turns on the radio. The announcer says a
missile hit the Tavanir neighborhood. That's where Marjane and her family live.
She runs home as fast as she can. Her street is blocked off, and she becomes
frantic upon realizing there's a 50 percent chance the missile hit her building.
She's relieved to see her mother, who says their family is safe. It was the Baby-
Levy's building, not theirs, that was bombed. Marjane hopes the Baba-Levys are
still at the hotel, but her mother cautions that might not be the case. It's
Saturday. The Baba-Levys are Jewish, so Saturday is Shabbat, or their holy day. It
is tradition to go home and stay there every Saturday. As Marjane walks past the
rubble, she spots Neda Baba-Levy's bracelet among the ruins. It is still attached
to her arm. "No scream in the world could have relieved my suffering and my
anger," Marjane recalls.

Analysis
Ballistic missiles are self-guided rockets filled with explosives. They can be
launched from almost anywhere—land, aircraft, ships, and even submarines—
which means the enemy doesn't need to be close to its target to strike. The Iraqis
target civilians—not soldiers—with their ballistic missiles to dampen Iranian
morale and cause a backlash against the Islamic regime, and they are often used
in retaliation for strikes the Iranians make against Iraq. Surviving a ballistic
missile strike is nearly impossible, which is why Marjane and her parents stay
where they are when they hear the air raid sirens. It's also why Marjane panics
after hearing they've been used in her neighborhood. She is forced to mentally
confront the possibility of her family's death every time she hears the sirens.

The death of the Baba-Levys is a wake-up call to Marjane. Before the missile hit
their building, the war had never quite seemed real. It happened to other people
in other places and was something she and her parents discussed in abstract
terms. The missile literally brings the war to Marjane's doorstep. She can't forget
it or escape it as long as she stays in Iran. She will also never be able to forget
seeing her friend's arm sticking out of the rubble. Years later, Satrapi still doesn't
have words or images to describe the anguish she felt when she spotted Neda's
bracelet among the wreckage, which is why the last panel in the chapter is
completely black.
The Baba-Levys' deaths are another example of the dangerous aspects of religion.
The Baba-Levys' faith, Judaism, required them to be in their home on the day of
the missile strike. Had they been Muslim or any other faith, they would have
remained in the hotel where they were hiding. Their home still would have been
destroyed, but at least they would be alive. To Marjane, it is as if God lured them
out of safety into certain danger. That is not the merciful, comforting God
Marjane knows from her childhood fantasies. Like Uncle Anoosh's death, the loss
of the Baba-Levys pushes Marjane farther away from the faith she once
cherished.