Persepolis 2: The Story of a Return

by

Marjane Satrapi

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Persepolis 2: The Story of a Return: The End Summary & Analysis

Summary
Analysis
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.
When Marjane and Reza have a project to focus on, they don’t have as much time to spend picking on each other. This offers some hope for their marriage and a possible path forward. If Marjane and Reza can come up with more projects like this one and put their combined talents to work, they may come to enjoy their marriage. The project itself also helps Marjane combine her Western and Iranian identities and feel proud of her culture.
Themes
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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.
Marjane’s meeting with the mayor’s deputy makes it clear that she can’t make a life for herself in Iran—the kind of art she wants to make isn’t the kind of art that Iran appreciates. This begins to suggest that if Marjane wants to pursue her art, she’ll need to do so outside of Iran. And since Marjane’s art is what makes her happy, the novel also suggests that Marjane will need to do whatever it takes to find fulfillment through her art.
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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.
As far as Farnaz is concerned, it’s fairly normal for women to find themselves in unhappy marriages. But she holds these views because the alternative seems so much worse. In recounting this conversation, Marjane implies that Iran offers women choices that seem to give them no chance at real happiness. By creating situations like this, Iran keeps women oppressed and in pain.
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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.
Readers might expect Marjane’s grandmother to be more conservative, given her age. But instead, Marjane’s grandmother is able to give Marjane the gift of familial support, and she’s also living proof that divorce isn’t the end of the world. Marjane’s impending divorce then marks another shift in her relationships with her family. Now, all of Marjane’s family members view her as a competent, trustworthy adult capable of making her own decisions. This recognition brings them all closer together.
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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 professional world, Marjane becomes even more aware of her government’s oppressive policies and censorship attempts. Though at first this makes Marjane feel like her job is even more important than ever—she has to stand up for her rights and those of other illustrators—it’s impossible to ignore how frightening this situation is for Marjane and her coworkers. Then, it’s disturbing for Marjane to see her imprisoned coworker treat his wife so poorly.
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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.
While Gila may have experience to back up her claim that other men, not just Iranian ones, are awful, Marjane emphasizes that it’s impossible to ignore the laws that place men above women in Iran. The country is set up to favor men while silencing and oppressing women—even when those women are victims or even innocent bystanders. This is the final straw for Marjane. She realizes she’ll never feel at home in Iran when she’ll never have the same rights as men.
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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.
Because Dad respects Marjane so much and believes it’s important to treat her like an adult, he wanted to allow her to make this mistake on her own. And especially since he made Reza promise to treat Marjane well, Dad probably felt assured that Marjane wouldn’t suffer too badly as a result of her failed marriage. Marjane’s choice to divorce marks her final coming-of-age moment. Now, she’s a truly independent woman—and will be even more independent once she leaves Iran.
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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.
Though Marjane’s story ends with her relationships with her family stronger than ever, the note about Marjane’s grandmother’s death makes it clear that these strong, adult relationships can’t last forever. Inevitably, parents and grandparents get old and pass away. Even though Marjane’s parents and grandmother are certainly aware of this, it’s still important to them to encourage Marjane to seek a better life for herself in Europe. In this sense, they remain guardians long after Marjane is an adult. Marjane’s final lesson is that her personal happiness may come at the expense of seeing her family regularly—but her happiness is more important to her family than having her nearby and miserable.
Themes
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