Kin and Country

Nick Hoffmann

Reading Beyond the Headlines- Doak

4/29/09

 

Kin and Country

 

Iran is a hard place for someone to live whom has been taught to always speak their mind and express him or herself.  Iran’s government follows the strict and conservative views of Islamic fundamentalism. Marjane’s parents and family were always very outspoken individuals and the same holds true for her. During a time of censorship and revolution, her voice could get her into real trouble. Marjane finds herself constantly trying to balance between the way she was raised to be outspoken and they way her government would like her to be, modest, quiet, and conservative citizen.

During Marjane’s childhood under the Shah she was exposed to forward thinking, self-expression, personal freedom. When the Islamic revolutionary government came into power, all of her liberal ideas were contradicted by the oppressive Islamic rule. Like any teen would, she rebels and finds ways to conduct her own personal revolution against the government. As a child she wears sneakers, and listens to rock music. The movie shows an instance where one day while walking in the street she is approached a group of conservative women who start criticizing her choice of footwear and the punk rock jacket she sports. They call her all sorts of names and threaten to bring her to the authorities. She makes up some sort of absurd guilt-trip story that convinces them to just leave her alone. This example shows how even though she is rebellious in the way that she dresses she still knows when to just follow the rules. She knows that overstepping her bounds too much will get her in real trouble with her government as seen with her uncle and other family members. One day while in class, she speaks out her teacher too much and her parents feel Marjane must be sent away to avoid future instances of a rebellion that would have her ending up in jail. Here her parents are encouraging her to express herself just not in Iran. In order for her to express herself she must be in another country. She does not like the thought of exile but understands she must go.

            While in Europe, she is lost in the western teenaged culture. She befriends a bunch of anarchists which ultimately leave her even more confused as to how she should act in this apparently free world. She still acts like a punk rock revolutionary but finds that now she has no oppression to really rebel against. Europe is relatively free compared to the intolerable government of Iran. Marjane has trouble then trying to not stand out as and fit in something that never crossed her mind when she lived in Iran. She goes out and does things her government would have her killed for. Such as, having sex with someone she is not married to, drinking, smoking pot, and dressing herself in a relatively provoctitive manner. Even though she has many freedoms not available to her in Iran she still does not even have the freedom to live where she wants (Iran) with whom she wants (her family). She becomes so depressed eventually decides that after reaching her lowest low in Europe, to move back to her homeland with her family.

When Marjane moves back, she is taken in once again by her parents. Now older, as a young developed lady, she must be even more cautious with the way she carries herself because of the attention she receives from men. She accepts that in order to live with her family she must give up many of the freedoms that she had while living in Europe. She still finds ways to rebel however now in more ways. She wears makeup, drinks alcohol, buys American products, and wears her headscarf back slightly.  Other rebellious or illegal acts are seen when she takes off her headscarf entirely on a dare and speeds through the city of Tehran. Marjane also shows taboo public affection with her boyfriend in the form of simply holding each other’s hands. These rebellious actions are her way of saying; if I have to live here to be with my family I am not going to follow your rules with out speaking out against them and challenging this closed-minded thinking the way she was raised to do. It is her way of spiting the government that has caused her so much pain throughout her childhood.

Ultimately, Marjane’s struggle between living the way she raised to act and the way her country would like her to act comes to an end. She cannot bare the strict oppression of the government and the invasion of her own privacy. Even though the way she wants to live in her homeland with her family, her stronger desire to behave as a free spirit, outspoken in her beliefs, the values instilled in her by her family, shines brighter. Thus she moves to Paris, never to see her family again. This difficult decision was a necessary one to make. If you are not happy with your place in the world you should change it. Either by starting a revolution or moving elsewhere, both decisions are not easy ones to make.