Marjane met a lot of influential individuals throughout her childhood; but, no one impacted her as strongly as her Uncle Annosh. Firstly, Uncle Annosh was a significant character because he was able to show Marjane the importance of their family. Moreover, he was also noteworthy because he made a huge impact in her life—an impact that took away the faith from Marjane’s heart. When Iran was liberated from the Shah’s regime, many people were freed from prisons and were considered heroic. This made Marjane conscious because her father was not considered a hero (52). To make herself seem important, she made up far-fetched stories about the tortures and the struggles her father had to suffer during the Shah’s regime (54). However, one day she realized that her family had interesting individuals who had tried to make a difference. When her uncle came to visit Marjane’s family, he told her wonderful tales of valiant people (55). He told of her great-uncle, Fereydoon, who had tried to proclaim the independence of an Iranian province called Azerbaijan. Uncle Annosh, himself, had left his family to help his Uncle Fereydoon (55). Unfortunelty, Fereydoon was arrested and executed (57). As for Uncle Annosh, he was able to escape but was caught and tortured by the authorities years later (60). When Marjane heard his haunting and electrifying tale, she felt proud of her family. With the help from Uncle Annosh, she was able to realize that her family was also as exciting and fascinating as the families of her peers. Another reason why the character of Uncle Annosh is important is because he stole Marjane’s faith in her religion. Uncle Annosh’s warrant of arrest and execution not only crushed Marjane’s heart, but it also made her loose her faith in God and her religion (70). Uncle Annosh introduced many new things to Marjane such as the history of their family (55-58) and higher order of political debate (62). If it was not for him, Marjane could have never known the importance her family held. In addition, if it was not for him, she could have had her religion intact.
It is not easy to predict how a book may end because one does not know how an author’s mind works. However, I think that Persepolis may not have a jolly ending. Throughout the chapters, many families are seen leaving Iran and moving to western countries for freedom and in pursuit for happiness. Even though Marjane’s family had decided to stay, I do not think that they will be bounded with that decision for long. Not only the family is going through dilemmas, but the whole nation is facing violence and hardships. The effects of war and shortage of food can be experiences by every character. What is more, many people are also seen taking advantage of their new power in illegitimate ways. There is only so much the family will be able to stand. I believe that, in the end, they will either move to England or United States to pursue a better living and to keep Marjane safe.
Kanza, I really enjoyed your post. You are on the mark about Marjane needed a hero in her life. Her life had so much tragedy and her Uncle Annosh brought more life and imagination in her existence. Annosh had a huge impact in her life up until this point. I would disagree with this statement, “…that Uncle Annosh took away her faith”. Neither her uncle nor anyone took that away. Her joy was gone. Her faith was shattered. Hurt and pain directed and conflicted to someone or something. She was able to see and sense tragedy at this stage in her life. What is faith? According to Hebrews 11:1, in The New King James Version, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen”. Her hope was gone, replaced with anger, bitterness and the loss of loved ones. The evidence is of course the reality of the world she lived in. She states, “AND SO I WAS LOST, WITHOUT ANY BEARINGS…WHAT COULD BE WORSE THAN THAT?”(71). She lost faith. Great read Kanza, you understand because you lived it. Chuck
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