Regardless of what country one is in, it seems considerably simplistic for Marji’s father or for anybody to make the statement that, “politics and sentiment don’t mix”. For the two variables in question here to be completely unrelated would be the absolute quintessential model of a perfectly functioning world. However, with episodes in history such as slavery, women’s suffrage, numerous wars, etc, all in which the politics at the time had detrimental effects on individuals, families, and entire groups of people, how is it possible to completely disentangle one from the other? I have doubts as to whether or not Marjane’s father even believes in his comments on this matter since he himself seems unable to keep the two separated. For example, when the Iranian national anthem emits from the family’s television for the first time in over a year, everybody in the family, including Marji’s father is overcome with emotion. If Eby were truly solid in his belief that politics and sentiment do not mix, then the presence or absence of something like the nation’s anthem would have had no affect on him. It seems that this remark to Marji is made more in an attempt to aid her rather than to educate her as she grows up all too fast in a time of political and social upheaval.
I don’t believe that Marji’s mother or grandmother would agree with Eby’s statement. I do believe, however, that they would urge Marji to remain unmoved by the tumultuous and corrupt government surrounding her. At one point in the book, Marji’s grandmother tells her that, “In life you’ll meet a lot of jerks. If they hurt you, tell yourself that it’s because they’re stupid, that will help keep you from reacting to their cruelty. Because there is nothing worse than bitterness and vengeance… Always keep your dignity and be true to yourself.” In this instance, her grandmother may be referring to actual jerks Marji may encounter, but I believe she is also referring to the government they have had to endure and giving Marji advice regarding her reactions to the injustice that has become a part of their everyday lives.
In the United States, we pride ourselves in the knowledge that we have the political freedom to be as opinionated and as outspoken on our views as we please. At the age of eighteen, we acquire the ability to vote on matters affecting us the most such as abortion, same-sex marriage, immigration, healthcare, etc. To grow up in a time such as the Iranian Revolution, where having no opinion is safest, is something I can hardly wrap my head around. I can only imagine, though, that it must have been a task more easily done with a certain amount of detachment, callousness, and/or self-inflicted ignorance. I don’t think this is the way he would have wanted his daughter to view the world under more ideal circumstances, but the circumstances being as they were, Eby felt Marji was safest being emotionally disengaged from the political state of affairs. While Marjane is truly like her parents in that she has the propensity to be outspoken, it is sometimes discouraged by both her mother and father. When the principal at Marji’s school calls home to inform her parents that she “told off her religion teacher”, her mother scolds her reminding her of her uncle’s execution. It is not that her parents are not proud of Marji for having a mind of her own, they just feel that it is a hazard for her to reveal it in Iran, which is why they ultimately send her off to Austria.
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I am so glad that you mentioned the scene where the father showed emotion during the playing of the nation's anthem. I had completely forgotten that and it is very true, Marji's father must have seen how intertwined the government and emotions were at this time. I agree that in a perfect world the government would be run and obeyed outside of emotion, but that is not the case. I think that her father was trying to protect her. Maybe he was hoping that by telling her that sentiment and politics don't mix he was a shielding her from the rebel she was bound to be...maybe not, but that was kind of where my head was at.
ReplyDeleteI can see where you are going with calling Marji’s father out on his statement, that there is no way to distance politics and sentiment. His reaction to the national anthem of his country gives his emotion away, but I don’t necessarily feel that it was because of a certain political agenda. It was probably just nice to hear that the war was over, and that there was going to be a little more stability. Although I have never been through an invasion or a revolution, I’m sure it is difficult for everyone involved, and for the end of the fighting and tumult to be reached, it would probably be a very emotional time. I agree with you that Marji’s grandmother and her mother would wish her to be unmoved with all this chaos in her early life; that is probably the only thing she could do to keep herself sane. However, I don’t think that her grandmother was referring to the government necessarily; there are all different breeds of jerks, from every nationality or political affiliation. I think Marji’s grandmother’s statement refers more to an inner calm that she wishes Marji to share with her. Remember, her grandmother had been through all this before, and she has seen that despite the turning over of one regime for another, nothing really changes at all. So for her, the dignity that comes from within is more important than political differences, and it is the guiding principle that Marji’s grandmother wants to instill in her granddaughter.
ReplyDeleteAs far as the views on America and its freedoms, I don’t disagree with you that Americans share the same basic freedoms, such as the right to be politically outspoken or the right to a differing religious belief, but I must also state that I feel that it is increasingly difficult to express those different political or religious beliefs that may be against a certain normalcy in an open forum. I don’t want to say that it is impossible or that we aren’t free to believe what we want or to observe what we want, but I have heard several people try to share their religious beliefs or political ideologies with people in an open forum and have heard people being called anything from “socialist” or “anarchist” to “atheist” and all the other “ists” and “isms” out there. Again, I’m not saying that they were arrested or burned at the stake, but I just wanted to offer a different take on it; while it may be free on paper to be different from the typical American profile, it is oftentimes a lot easier to not have to deal with the static and be silent, and I feel that is something that needs to be addressed as well.