Hi! For starters I just want to say that I really enjoyed this book, graphic novel, or whatever we’re calling it. I think Marjane told her story wonderfully.
I thought that her father saying that politics and sentiment do not mix was really strange. Maybe he didn’t want her to become emotional about politics because some part of his family always seems to be caught up in a conflict. Also, so many members of their family dies from their consequences of getting caught up with politics. It wouldn’t surprise me if he was disgusted and didn’t want her to be caught up with the different movements happening at the time. Since she was so young, she could have been easily influenced, and I think the main reason he said that was to give her a grounding- Not everything you hear is true, think about it first.
I think that it was a strange comment for him to make; because it seems to be contrary to what he felt some of the time. On page eighty three, her father is crying because the national anthem is playing. He does use his more rational side later by saying that the government wouldn’t play it for no reason. Also, on the next page he’s jumping around because Iran had bombed Iraq. I think that there has to be a kind of emotion in that.
Although her father is rational most of the time, I think this line about not combining sentiment and politics should have come from her mother. To me, she seems like a blunt character, almost black and white, while her dad is more careful? Like on page one hundred and three, in the bottom corner: the father wants her to hide her cigarette, but the mother seems a little defiant by continuing to smoke (like mother like daughter). Also, back to page eighty three, she and her father are crying because of the national anthem, but her mother is not. I’m not sure if that’s because the mother hides her emotions about politics more than the father, or if she separates them more successfully.
Just an insert, I’m not saying that her mother doesn’t care, because I think it’s impossible not to. I think the way she presents her parents is interesting because he father seems to do a lot of the talking- sometimes putting in his feelings and sometimes not, BUT her mother doesn’t seem to do this very often. Maybe she keeps her thoughts to herself more often than her husband. Also, it could just appear that way to me because Marjane’s relationship with her father and grandmother is apparently strong than the one with her mother. I think she realizes this later because of page one hundred thirty, Marjane compliments her dad on his great idea when it was actually her mother’s idea. Her mom is depicted to be annoyed/perturbed by this- but I think it’s a little more than that. Since Marjane can’t spell out every thought in a graphic novel, I think that frame shows that Marjane’s mom got the short end of a stick more times than once. Marjane is shown ebelling against her, but not really her father. It’s interesting- anyway, sorry if I got off on a tangent!
Taylor
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I completely forgot to realize that him saying that could have influenced her at such a young age! Good on you:) That could totally make sense because he wanted to protect her. I can agree with that and I think it was a more constructive way of warning her rather than specifically ordering her to not get involved in politics. It really says how much he cares about her.
ReplyDeleteI never noticed either that her mother "got the short end of the stick" as you so aptly put. That idea is perpendicular to everything their family was fighting for, the rights for women and all that. It's interesting that when people strive so hard to retain their dignity and beliefs they can easily fall into everything they hate and avoid!
Just to note, I think tangents make your brain work better anyway:)
I agree with her father saying that to protect her. I never really thought about it that way. She watched as many of her family members died after getting into the politics, and her father probably didnt want that to happen to her. He tried his best for Marji to have a happy and healthy childhood. He didn't want her actions to be influenced by what was going on around her.
ReplyDeleteI agree. The father seemed to do all of the talking. Do you think it is because of the Iranian culture? I know an Iranian family and it seems like they are more old fashioned compared to Americans today. The male still seems to have the dominant role in the family.
I enjoyed your thoughts on why Marji’s father might have told her that “politics and sentiment don’t mix.” I certainly thought her father was being dismissive of Marji when he said it, but I thought it was more just to end the conversation than to protect her. I agree with your thoughts more than my original one. If you think of a father/daughter relationship, the father will certainly want to be protective of his daughter, and with Marji at such a young age, he certainly doesn’t want to expose her to the horrors of the war and what is going on in the outside world, especially with all that has gone on in their own family history. I would imagine he wants her to enjoy her youth and innocence for as long as she can and he regrets that she has to witness and see some of the things she does. I think he certainly doesn’t believe what he stated, as supported by the evidence that you pointed out.
ReplyDeleteI definitely got the feeling that Marji’s relationship is much stronger with her father or grandmother, than it is with her mother. Her mother comes across as more stern and strict, someone who shows less emotion or has less of an emotional bond with Marji, although she does collapse when Marji leaves at the end of the novel. She definitely loves her daughter and is concerned for her well-being; she just seems to keep her emotions bottled up inside and when she does show them it is in more of an extreme fashion, like slapping Marji across the face, screaming, fainting etc. I liked what you had to say, I would have to agree with you.