So Marjane become quite the rebel. She ends up moving in with multiple different people and ends up on the streets and becomes sick. This allows her to reconnect with her parents. She ends up getting married but then divorced. Over this period she has run ins with the "moral police" who can really do anything they want to her. But while in Iran she does any social activism she can, including making a shorter veil to wear. It is Maji's grandmother who really helps her through all of this, and even reveals that she divorced once. She encourages Marji to leave the country, though it will be hard to leave her parents. In the end, she leaves her parents and heads to Europe. The novel ends with "Freedom had a price".
The ending was hard for me. My family means so much to me and I don't think I would ever be able to chose freedom over my parents. But I am so glad I read this because it really helps my single story. Of course, this all happened to Marjane a while ago, but women in the Middle East still discrimination. One thing that Marjane challenges her society on is dress. She was forced to wear a veil and other covering clothes, which Marjane recognizes is more that modesty; it is taking away the basic rights of women. Marjane, who becomes very interested in sex as a teenager, goes from seeing the discussion of sex as liberated by European terms, but then as "slutty" by Iranian. She, like me, got to see a comparison between two cultures on sex. I think in the US sex is now becoming a more open conversation and less about shame, but especially when discussed by women can be seen as slutty. Each story I have read so far is about these super strong women who have been oppressed by their society.
These women are incredible. They are super heroes.
The fact that they are writing about their experiences as social justice activism is so empowering. I am so amazed by these women and I am constantly inspired by them.
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