payment page
“I think you are old enough to understand certain things.”
This quotation from Ebi occurs in Chapter 3, The Water Cell, as he is explaining the origins of the Shah’s rule and Marji’s grandfather’s role in it. The conversation is Ebi’s response to Marji’s claim that the Shah was chosen by God. Ebi’s alarm at Marji’s statement shows that he regards Marji’s innocence as a liability at her age. He wants to arm her with logic and the truth and thus chooses to reveal the Shah’s illegitimacy. He also tells Marji about her grandfather, who was thrown in prison and reduced to poverty. Marji’s parents had never told her this before and its revelations feels like a rite of passage. Ebi’s quote shows that this is exactly his intent. He reasons that by telling Marji a pair of difficult truths, he helps her along the path to adolescence and adulthood. Ebi’s thinking here suggests that a loss of innocence is a necessary part of growing up.
“‘Marji, what seems to be the problem?’
‘Shut up, you! Get out of my life!!! I never want to see you again! Get out!’”
This quotation, which occurs in Chapter 10, The Sheep, the night after Uncle Anoush is executed, marks a major turning point in Marji’s coming of age. With these words, Marji casts God out of her life forever. It is a heartbreaking turn for a girl whose faith in God had been such a large part of her life. God was the figure in her life that represented safety, comfort, and protection. But after Uncle Anoush is killed, Marji no longer trusts God to keep her safe. Marji loved Uncle Anoush as much as anyone in her life, and the two had a special connection. For that to so quickly be torn away from Marji has hurt and hardened her. By casting out of her life the symbol of protection and safety, Marji is acknowledging that these things are not guaranteed. Marji is casting out much of her own innocence.
“‘500 Tumans for the life and virginity of an innocent girl.’
‘I had no idea.’ ”
This quotation occurs in Chapter 19, The Dowry, after Marji’s parents receive a call from the principal to report Marji’s rebelliousness. To open Marji’s eyes to the danger she is in, her parents explain that Niloufar was raped and killed by members of the Iranian regime for her activism. The regime then sent her family a “dowry” in the equivalent of five dollars to signal she was raped before she died. This detail further demonstrates to Marji the regime’s hypocrisy: before Niloufar was raped, a Guardian of the Revolution married her to make the act “legitimate.” This is a brutal story of the regime’s cruelty, but again Marji’s parents believe Marji must be armed with the truth. Being an innocent girl, unaware of the terrible things that can happen, is simply too risky. Marji’s parents believe she must lose her innocence and grow up so she knows how to protect herself.
