Persepolis

Marjane Setrapi's childhood in Iran is explained in an unusual comical vision throughout the text, Persepolis. Marji is a young Iranian girl that is growing up in the 1980s. Marji's family lives a decadent lifestyle, in which her father drives a Cadillac and her family has a maid. Marji has no use for the lifestyle that she had been accustomed to. She doesn't understand why her maid doesn't eat with the rest of her family and she is embarrassed by her father's Cadillac and her family's prominent wealth.
In 1979 the Islamic Revolution took place as well as Black Friday. This resulted in the Shah being overthrown and exiled. In 1980, Khomeini returned and established the Islamic state run by clergy. During this time, Marji was attending a French secular school. Since Khomeini established the Islamic state it was mandatory for young girls and women to wear the veil. The young girls used their veils as toys, because they didn't know the true meaning of the veils. The purpose of the veil, in the government's eyes, was to keep women safe, because hair excited men. Marji's family didn't believe in the veil, so her mother and her simply didn't wear it until her mother was later threaten by two men and Marji became older. In 1980 Iraq invaded Iran. Iran may have had a reservoir of soldiers, but still many died. The soldiers that did lose their lives were considered martyrs for their country. This brought constant fear to Iran and the Setrapi family. Though there was the smell of fear in the air, it didn't stop people from living their lives. Marji's family got together and had clandestine parties when they weren't allowed and her parents also drank alcohol even though it wasn't allowed as well. During the war an embargo from the United States was put on Iran's and Iraq's ports in order to help make peace and possibly end the war sooner. This left Iran with less food for it's people. It made it hard for Marji's family to find food and made it hard for the proletariat class also. Marji's parents decided to go to Turkey for a vacation. Marji was now older and into more westernized materials and asked her parents to pick her up two posters, a jean jacket, and new shoes. Marji's veritable parents had to lie and smuggle the posters bag into Iran because it was against the law. After her parents came back and gave her her gifts Marji went out and ended up having a confrontation with some older women. After some time, Marji's parents felt that Iran had become an unsafe place for Marji. So, they decided to send her to Vienna where she would continue her schooling. The novel ended in a confusing twist, leaving the reader grasping for more.
On the way to Vienna, Marji must have had a million questions running through her mind. Would she ever see her family again? Would she ever return to Iran? Was her mother in trouble? She was probably extremely worried about her mother and wondering what had happened to her. Her parents had said they would visit her, but would they? Would her mother be dead? Marji must have been excited for her new adventure, but her mind would always be going back to Iran and her mother. The prominent question in her head must have been, what if I had said no, would they have let me stay and would I have found out the fate of my mother? Now, only time will tell.