Persepolis 2: The Story of a Return

At the end of Marjane and Reza’s fourth year of college, in 1993, the head of the department calls them to his office. The department head says that Marjane and Reza are his best students, so he has a special final project for them. He wants them to design a theme park based on Iran’s mythological heroes. Reza and Marjane are so excited by the project that they agree to work together. They don’t fight at all during the seven months they spend working. Over the summer, Marjane and Reza spend all their time in libraries, museums, and speaking with researchers. They design attractions, restaurants, and hotels. Finally, graduation arrives. Dr. M and Marjane’s parents admire the designs.

Marjane defends their thesis alone. She and Reza get full marks and afterwards, one man on the committee suggests that Marjane propose the project to the mayor’s office. Marjane gets turned away from her appointment with the mayor’s deputy twice for wearing an inappropriate headscarf and for wearing makeup. When Marjane finally gets to present their project, the deputy points out that half of the figures Marjane portrays are women without veils. It’s impossible, he suggests, to tweak the project to adhere to the moral code. Moreover, he explains that the government only cares about religious symbols, not Iranian mythology.

Later that afternoon, Marjane meets up with Farnaz, a childhood friend. Marjane shares that she thinks she and Reza will separate now that their project won’t go any further. Farnaz asks if Marjane still loves Reza and then says that her sister got divorced last year. As soon as she was divorced, every man she saw, from the butcher to beggars on the street, wanted to sleep with her. To them, divorced women aren’t virgins and so have no reason to refuse sex. Farnaz also says that men think their penises are irresistible. She tells Marjane to stay with Reza as long as her life isn’t unbearable.

This conversation disturbs Marjane. She realizes she doesn’t love Reza anymore and rushes home to tell him, but she visits her grandmother instead. Through tears, Marjane says she has something horrible to say and tells her grandmother she wants a divorce. Her grandmother is relieved; she thought someone died. Marjane’s grandmother says that she got divorced 51 years ago, when no one got divorced. Even then, she knew she’d be happier by herself than “with a shitmaker.” Marjane begins to smile through her tears as her grandmother gives her more advice. Her grandmother says that first marriages are practice rounds for second marriages. She also points out that Marjane doesn’t have to get divorced right away—she can get divorced whenever she’s ready.

Marjane takes her grandmother’s advice. She gets a job as an illustrator for a magazine and adores her colleagues. The first few months are happy, but then, in March 1994, an illustrator draws a cartoon that labels a mullah as an assassin. The government arrests the illustrator and begins examining cartoons and the press more closely. Days later, Marjane learns that one of her coworkers was arrested for a cartoon portraying a bearded man. Her coworker is released two weeks later. When Marjane and a colleague, Gila, go to visit their coworker, they listen to his story of being beaten for exercising his freedom of expression. The man’s wife gets home with their son. Though Marjane and Gila try to engage his wife in conversation, their coworker speaks over his wife and clearly controls every aspect of her life.

In the car on the way home, Marjane snaps that she can’t believe she idolized their coworker for being arrested when he’s so horrible to his wife. Gila insists that it’s all men, not just Iranian men. She used to date a Spanish diplomat who was just as terrible. Marjane, however, points out that in Iran, every law takes the man’s side. A man who murders someone in front of women won’t be convicted, since women can’t testify. Even if men do allow women to divorce them, the man gets custody of any children. Marjane realizes she wants to leave Iran.

When Marjane gets home, Reza’s sister is there. His sister is pregnant with her first child and quips that her son will need a cousin. Once his sister is gone, Reza laments that he and Marjane aren’t a real couple. Marjane agrees. She says they’re still together out of habit and because they won’t admit their failures. Reza says he’s still in love with Marjane, but Marjane isn’t in love with him anymore. When Reza suggests they go to France, Marjane says it’s a waste of time to keep working on their marriage. A few days later, Marjane tells her parents she’s going to France—alone. Dad says he knew all along that Marjane and Reza would divorce. This annoys Mom, but Dad says Marjane had to make the mistakes herself.

Dad tells Marjane that he and Mom are very happy for her. He insists Marjane can’t live in Iran. The country has suffered too many setbacks as a result of the revolution, and Marjane doesn’t need constant supervision anymore. Marjane prepares to leave the country. She first goes to Strasbourg to take entrance exams for the school of decorative arts. Then she returns to Iran to sort out her visa. In her last few months in Iran, Marjane wanders the mountains every morning. She visits her grandfather’s grave, her Uncle Anoosh’s grave, and visits the Caspian Sea with her grandmother. Early in September, Marjane leaves Iran again. Dad cries and Mom makes Marjane promise not to come back. Marjane’s grandmother is also there. After this departure, Marjane only sees her grandmother once more. Her grandmother dies in January of 1996. Freedom, Marjane says, has a price.