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Summary: The Trip
In November of 1979, Islamic fundamentalists take over the U.S. embassy in Tehran, bringing an end to Marji’s dream of moving to the United States—which she admits was mainly about wanting to see Kaveh again—since now no one can obtain travel visas to the U.S. Then the new Islamic Republic imposes harsher regulations to guard against “imperialist” influences. Universities close, and women who do not wear veils risk being sent to prison. Moreover, men are forbidden to wear neckties or short-sleeved shirts and are discouraged from shaving. When Marji’s mother’s car breaks down, a group of fundamentalists threatens to brutally attack and rape her. She returns home depressed, unable to move for several days.
Ordinary people change along with the government. The Satrapis notice that their neighbors, who previously wore miniskirts and drank alcohol, now wear chadors and full-body coverings, and publicly condemn the use of alcohol. Worried, Marji’s parents instruct her to lie and tell people that she prays every day. In spite of the ongoing oppression, Marji’s parents make plans to attend another demonstration against the fundamentalists. Marji asks to go as well, and her mother surprises her by agreeing to let her—saying that it is important for Marji to learn how to defend her rights as a woman. The demonstration starts off well, with Marji passing out flyers, but it quickly turns ugly when a violent mob attacks the protestors. Majri notes that this was her family’s last demonstration.
Knowing they likely won’t be able to travel beyond Iran’s borders soon, the family takes a three-week trip to Spain and Italy, which Marji finds wonderful. When they come home, they belatedly learn from Marji’s grandmother that Iran is now at war with Iraq. She explains that the Iranian fundamentalists provoked the Iraqi Shiites, prompting Saddam Hussein to invade Iran. Instead of feeling frightened, Marji feels excited to defend her country from yet another invasion.
Summary: The F-14s
Marji and her father are at his work when the Iraqis begin bombing Tehran with F-14s. They race home, relieved to find her mother safe. Marji notes that even though she knew they were at war, she feels surprised by the bombing. Marji adopts an aggressive attitude and tells her parents that Iran must retaliate by bombing Baghdad, the Iraqi capital. Her father is less enthusiastic, worried that Iran doesn’t have the fighter pilots to retaliate against Iraq since many of them were arrested after a failed military coup d’état. Marji counters that her friend Pardisse’s father is a fighter pilot who will bomb Iraq, and she goes to bed thinking her dad is an unpatriotic defeatist. However, events soon show Marji that she was wrong about her father. First, when Marji and her parents hear the Iranian national anthem on TV, which the government had banned, they are surprised and deeply moved. Shortly afterward, they rejoice when it is announced that Iran has bombed Baghdad. (The fighter pilots had been released from prison and agreed to the bombing mission on the condition that the government broadcast the national anthem.)
When Marji hears that only half the Iranian fighter planes returned from their mission, she worries about Pardisse’s father. At school, the teacher asks students to write and present reports about the war. Marji writes a piece on the historical context of war focused on the long history of Iraqis and other Arab nations invading Persia. Pardisse then brings the class to tears by reading a letter that she wrote to her father, who died while fighting. Marji tells Pardisse that she should be proud her father is a hero, but Pardisse replies that she’d rather her father be alive than a hero.
Analysis
At this point in the story the Revolution has entered a new phase, and the regime begins to aggressively assert itself in the everyday lives of the Iranian people. Marji feels these effects directly as each new policy or action shuts down possibilities for her future. The U.S. embassy’s closure means she cannot travel to the United States as she had dreamed, and the closure of the universities means she may never get to study chemistry. Marji’s mother is threatened with rape and enters a period of depression, which stems from the regime’s dogmatic policing of women’s sexuality. Protests over the veil show that much of the populace is as unhappy with the regime as the Satrapis are, but this time the protests are not effective. Satrapi draws this contrast between the veil protests and earlier ones against the Shah in order to illustrate the new regime’s power over Iran. The fact that the protests against the new regime fail to gather steam suggests that the regime’s tactics of sowing violence and division are working.
Marji’s father’s shout of “Every man for himself” at the protest reveals a deeply broken Iranian society and the effectiveness of the regime’s tactics. With the threat of violence a possibility for any infraction, Iranians no longer have the luxury to protest or to demand their rights. They can only focus on their own safety. Moreover, the new ethos of “every man for himself” contributes to a wider breakdown in Iranian society. It prevents community and unity and causes people to become more dishonest and more distrustful. The new division is most starkly represented by the rift between the fundamentalists and the modernists. Even the Satrapis’ neighbors, now fundamentalists, have become estranged from them. This marks a dangerous time for everyday Iranians, as people begin to turn on each other in an effort to curry favor with the regime or otherwise avoid violence and imprisonment. For example, though Marji’s parents are modernists and show their disapproval of the regime through their hair and clothes, Marji’s mother encourages her to lie to her school friends and say she prays all the time. Iranians have become too afraid of each other to be honest with one another.
The war with Iraq adds a new layer of danger: the threat of foreign invasion. Marji now faces significant dangers from both within and without Iran that force her to grapple with what it means to love one’s country. Marji’s sincere love of her country is evident in much of the story, from her deep fascination with Iranian history to her admiration for its cultural icons. However, the actions of the regime and so many of her fellow Iranians have threatened to dim her enthusiasm. Satrapi’s illustrations at this point present Marji as somewhat older and noticeably more downcast. Her reaction to each of the regime’s new repressive policies is a kind of muted acceptance that suggests whatever pride she had in her culture has been sapped from her. But when Iraq attacks, Marji’s feelings of national pride receive a major boost. She appears more animated and defiantly roots for Iranian military success. The national anthem’s powerful effect on Marji and her family shows just how much they love Iran, yet they also mourn the destruction Iran’s leaders have wrought on their country’s people. Thus, the war with Iraq illuminates a confusing paradox. For Iranians like Marji, the war ignites a sense of pride in one’s country and the need to defend it, yet defending Iran means defending Iran’s terrible regime.
