Nearing the End

Hello my lovely people!

I realize I have been responding to like 60 pages at once, which is probably not the smartest thing to do. This book is so jam packed with subtle nuances that I'm just breezing over. So I'll try to break this last part into two.

Marjane really knows how to put a lot of meaning into her drawings. I bet there is a ton of symbolism in each box. For instance, the stairs picture is more abstract than an illustration of running to the basement. It shows how frantic everyone is--order isn't even present! Heh, I'm probably just making stuff up here. Marjane seems to use humor to display how paranoid everyone is about being seen--her dad fears the cigarette is visible even in the basement! I guess the cigarette also shows how stressful life is.

I wonder if the picture on page 104 is considered a collage. It shows a bunch of people calling each other to make sure everyone is alright and all the faces are jumbled together, but there are still speech bubbles. It kind of seems like a collage to me.

When I read that they had banned parties I was like 

How could they ban parties?! That is the craziest thing I have ever heard. And they even whipped their neighbor 75 times! What kind of crazy philosophy reasons this?

At least Marjane's family still partied. They know how to live. I agree with their friends saying life isn't bearable without parties. Seriously, you can't go through life without letting go a little! If all of Iran had listened to that crazy law, they would all have killed themselves by now. I don't know how people can stand going about life with complete seriousness. Crazy maniacs.

It's funny how Marjane's aunt just ditched her newborn baby. There are always stories about moms doing amazing feats just to save their babies, but this woman threw her baby away to save herself!

Then there was that intense situation with the guardians of the revolution about to arrest Marjane's family. I can't believe they could be bought off with money. That would never pass in America! They would get exposed and detained!

I did not get Marjane's joke about Iraq's army being bigger than America's though. I honestly have no idea what she meant by that.

So anyway, I'm surprised that ditching school is the second rule Marjane has broken. I thought she was a rebel! Oh well, I'm glad she's having fun. I didn't know who Rod Stewart was, though, so I looked him up. I'm surprised the guy with this hair hadn't been caught already! It seems so different from what Muslim men are supposed to have. And he's really not that hot. He actually looks a bit odd. If he wants to pose shirtless, he at least needs some muscles! Man, style back then was so weird.

Man, Marjane's mom is so strict! I didn't think she would get so angry at Marjane for missing class since the school curriculum isn't exactly agreeable. I guess her mom did cover for Marjane, but her emphasis on an education was still surprising. "You have to know everyone better than anyone else if you're going to survive"? That sets some pretty high expectations.

I can't tell if Marjane is being more rebellious than usual now days. When she was 10, she had gone to that revolution against her parents' demands. It doesn't seem like puberty is fueling her actions, though, since she hadn't been interested in the boys at Kansas. I also wonder why they called that place Kansas. Did Alice in Wonderland just come out or something? Oh wait, they couldn't watch movies, so I guess it's from something else.

Man, Iran had the chance of ending the war with Iraq paying for all the damage, but they refused! I felt like flipping a table. How could they think it was better to conquer that Shiite city than to let peace reign? Such ridiculousness, kind of like these Victoria Secret costumes.

It's really strange how Marjane sees smoking a cigarette as becoming an adult. Smoking is for losers! Maybe she doesn't know how bad smoking is for her health. I can sympathize with her, though. At times, I do things just to spite my mom. Who is she to tell me what to do? I can decide things for myself! Goodness! But I guess she is right most of the time...

Marjane being so stubborn at 12 years old does actually seem kind of normal. She's almost a teenager and thinks she knows everything about life. Then again, she did go through a lot in the past couple of years. So it seems justified that she acts so high and mighty.

I wonder why Marjane felt so embarrassed in the hospital, though. Her uncle had a legitimate reason for being in there, so it's not like Marjane's uncle was taking attention away from those hurt soldiers for some minor injury. It's crazy how her uncle couldn't get surgery when he needed it, especially since his situation was so intense! I have never faced being denied treatment because of a lack of doctors. Life must have been hectic there.

Marjane's dad seems so cool. He has so many connections! That guy selling fake passports could have saved the uncle's life (if he hadn't fled)! Huh, but it still ended sadly, with the uncle's wish never coming true, and that Jewish girl being executed. What sad times. 

I was shocked that Marjane's parents just left Marjane for a couple of weeks. What kind of loving family does that? They seemed happy enough; I don't think any re-ignition of romance was really needed. Oh well, at least her parents got some cool stuff for Marjane. They even smuggled some illegal posters back for their daughter! That's pretty awesome. Man, Marjane has the coolest parents. I laughed a little when Marjane said, "Far out!" She's so old school.
It was also really funny how the black market had such fun things for sale. Selling music like ABBA and Stevie Wonder so secretively seems so trivial, but they acted like they were selling guns or something! Well, I guess people only act so paranoid when they're selling guns because it's illegal if not done right...And selling music was illegal. Still, it was funny. 

I couldn't believe there was a group of police that would arrest people for not wearing a head scarf properly. I guess that might be like someone here getting arrested for wearing something obscene, but their standards are so crazy!

Marjane did a good job of making it entertaining, though, with her excuses about sneakers and black Michael Jackson. Oh, good times.

Then Well, I guess I will stop here!

Good day to you all!

Angie :)

It's crazy how the government was able to take so much control. I wonder if the other families truly believed that strict fundamentalism was the way to go, or if they were all just scared of getting caught as well. It's really strange how they ban board games, like chess. I can understand videos and cassette tapes, since those might have subversive material, but how does chess hurt the Islamic "republic"? Do they think that anything that requires thought will overthrow their government? Or do they just not want people to enjoy themselves? It's interesting how they equate fun to evil. Are there really people that avoid all things enjoyable to please their god? That is just really sad.

It's funny how Mrs. Nasrine kept on apologizing to God as she stepped on the grapes. I wonder if she believed in what the government was telling her and just broke the laws because her employers were so anti-government, or if she also didn't agree with the propaganda.

I think the aunt throwing her baby at Marjane is an indication that fear can overpower maternal instincts. Which is strange. If the goal of life is to produce viable offspring, from an evolutionary point of view, why would anyone overpower maternal instincts?

I was at first surprised that the guardians of the revolution could be bought off, but then I realized how normal that was. The whole government is corrupt anyway, so it wouldn't be out of the ordinary for the people at the lower levels to also be a little messed up. Money is really very corrupting. See? This is another example of the power of greed.

I don't think Marjane skipping class is the second time she broke the rules. What about all those parties and stuff? Maybe she means without the consent of her parents. It's kind of amazing that Marjane's friends could even focus on guys while the war was going on. I guess that goes to show how easy it is to distance oneself from tragic events, even if they're happening at home! When people hear of something happening in some other country, like those elementary school aged girls getting married off to middle aged men, they just say, "What a shame," and forget about it. Rarely does hearing about it affect their day. Even the Boston bombing barely had an effect on people in Boston! I was there during the bombing and the streets bustled about as usual after the event. The news was filled with the chase and Obama coming, and the streets were filled with police, but people carried on with their business as usual. I guess events just have to affect people's lives specifically to have any impact.

Marjane's mom does make a very good point about education. She clearly understands that her nation has fallen into this rut because so many can't read or write, and they haven't learned anything about the world. With a proper education, Marjane can make intelligent decisions and realize what is the proper thing to pursue. This idea about knowing everything better than everyone else is interesting. I wonder if that is specific to Iran. Supposedly, everyone has equal opportunity in America, and I guess it depends what you know more about than others. If you know what people want and how to talk, you'll be more successful than the other person trying to sell or make the same thing. I'm sure it's like that everywhere. Maybe unstable countries require more knowledge to navigate.

I did find it interesting how Iran used the war against Iraq to justify killing all those against the regime. Although, I wasn't sure if that is what they did. Did the government say there was only one war against another country, or did it say there were two--one against Iraq and one against the rebellion? In any case, it's a bit ridiculous how the country just kills those who are against its government. Perhaps it leaves only the faithful, but I'm sure millions of useful citizens were destroyed or they fled. That reminds me of another revolution. It might have been the French revolution, where Napoleon killed all of his commanding generals, so his army grew weak and then his nation failed. Such stupidity.

How Iran's government should feel.

Marjane's first smoke did not seem like a transition to adulthood. Where do children get the idea that doing what their parents tell them not to do (Well, Marjane's mom didn't even tell her not to smoke) makes them an adult? Perhaps they think that doing so is like making decisions for themselves, but listening to parents is also a personal decision. If you know the reasoning behind what they say and agree with it, then following their instructions is just as mature.

Kids these days.

I can't believe that window washer became a director just because he became super religious. The reasoning behind some of Iran's actions are just crazy. Of course, I understand that they'd prefer ardent followers over actual professionals. I'm surprised things aren't going worse for their country. I'd expect everything to be run improperly, with not enough or untrained workers and management.

It's really frustrating to read what's happening, because the reasoning behind denying treatment for the uncle is caused by their own country and is completely preventable. Those in charge just want more suffering for some reason. I can't believe the masses haven't risen against the government yet. Perhaps they don't realize how unnecessary the conditions are.

Then when I read how the people from Iran and Iraq are being used as guinea pigs for German chemical weapons, my disappointment in humanity just deepened. I think I've asked enough rhetorical questions to leave it at that.

I was actually pretty touched when Marjane's parents went through all that trouble to bring Marjane back some gifts. It almost outweighed the fact that they left her alone in a country at war.

It's a little hard to take the black market seriously when they sell things like Pink Floyd music and chess sets. I guess when someone tells you that you'll get punished for selling one thing or another, it becomes risky and exciting. To them, things like that were like drugs now days. Maybe in the future, there will be something worse for us, and drugs will just become like snack food. It's interesting how standards change with time.

Well, there are only a couple dozen pages left, so I expect them to be good.

Deb.