Who is Marjane Now? – Esther Leung

On page 311, the way Marjane acts - how she drinks and parties at Ali's house after Farzad died, is similar to the incident on page 143, when Marjane resorts to rebellious behavior after the death of Neda Baba-Levy. The way Marjane describes her state of mind after knowing the missile destroyed her neighbor's house is similar to how she feels on page 311: "After the death of Neda Baba-Levy, my life took a new turn. In 1984, I was fourteen and a rebel. Nothing scared me anymore"(143). The death of Farzad is a confirmation of the extreme views of the Iranian regime and how they haven't changed since the past. This tragic event serves as a reminder of the missile explosion incident, and reinforces the fear of the consequences of partying indoors. The way the Iranian regime still held their extreme views after Marjane had changed her identity proves that no matter how she tries to better herself, it won’t necessarily change the way society perceives her; even though she’s “[taken herself] in hand”(273); as long as she is still repressed by the regime, she ultimately feels that she has no real control over herself and her views (they aren't being taken into account). Although Marjane voices out her feminist views in public (such as on page 297), she ultimately feels "controlled" by the government when it acts according to its extreme views (this is emphasized when many high school and college students were imprisoned and executed as a result of their demonstrations (page 302), and when Farzad died). This is seen on page 311 when Marjane and her friends are reacting to the disastrous previous night, and in the last panel when Marjane drinks - an act of temporary relief that isn't true to her identity, and shows her rebellious attitude: "I never drank so much in my life"(311).  (Although she changed her outlook and voiced out her feminist views in public, the regime still responds in the same controlling manner.)