-Marji was 10

-In 1980, it became mandatory for women to wear the veil. (Kids were not happy with this)

-Bilingual schools were closed down, and the separation of genders started

Revolutions started, and her mother was photographed and placed in the newspaper; this made her mother scared.

-Marji was very religious and wanted to be a prophet

(3 religious rules: behave, speak and act well)

She found comfort in GOD and talked to him often.

(the bicycle represents society being stuck in a cycle)

She started to educate herself by reading about revolutionary people and events (her fav. Were the comics)

God came to her occasionally, but not much interest on her part.

Rex Cinema event in which they locked the doors and burned the building down, help did not arrive till 40 minutes later, and police would not let people help (400 victims)

She wanted to join her parents in the revolution but was not allowed. God did not come to her that night; she wanted him to, so she cried.

-She learned that her grandfather (mother's side) was overthrown.

-She learned about the torture he had faced.

The water cell touched her the most, making her decide to take "a long bath" and stay there so she could feel what her grandpa did then.

This is one clear example of how her parents were telling her too much; the trauma overtook her, and she was carrying it.

The dad took photos of the protest even though it was strictly prohibited; one day, he took much longer to come home, and the grandma (who was home), mother, and kid were worried. When he finally returned, he told them the story:

The protestors took a dying man who died from cancer, but they thought it was from the police abuse and turned it into a "protest hero" and started to scream the king was a killer. They laughed about it, including the kid who didn't know what she was laughing about.

This represents how Margret tried to understand and fit in and how they took everything they could to their advantage in protest.

She realized she truly did not understand or relate to everything.

Mehri left her family at eight years old to work for Marji's family. She was 10 when Marji was born, and she took care of her.

She fell in love with her neighbor, and they sent each other letters each week for six months; she did not know how to read or write, so Marji did that for her until her father heard the rumors and realized it was Marji's writing, so he went to the neighbor and told him that Mehri was a servant and their relationship ended because of the difference in social cases. Marji was mad at her dad to explain that different social classes don't mix.

Mehri took Marji to the Black Friday protest without her parent's knowledge. (Black Friday is when everyone gets killed) They stayed there all day, and when they got home, the parents screamed and hit them.

The irony of the devil's leaving is that he is right there, represented by the snake.

The kids started to bully Ramins because his father killed a lot of people; they chased him with nails, and the mother found them and grounded her.

This is a representation of how children carry the hatred of their parents and pass it on. Children protect the hatred and extreme beliefs of the adults; this makes them lose their innocence.

She comes home and looks at herself in the mirror to find her identity. She feels she is losing herself and isn't becoming a good person.

The protestors started to kill people without the consideration of them being on their side because they simply saw them as numbers.

Three thousand prisoners were liberated, and they knew 2 of them. Saimak (husband of the mother's best friend, Marji's, had told his kid that her father wasn't on a trip. He was probably dead)

and Shakiba.

They all got together and talked in front of the children about the tortures they faced

(when they show a person being cut into pieces, it is dehumanization)

Marji got jealous that Saimak's daughter could say her father was a hero.

She started to get ideas of torture for games and openly shared them until she got home and felt like the wrong person; she was crying until she found comfort in god again.

Marji finally finds her ideology and idolizes him. He tells her his life story. Then, she would not shut up about all the heroes in her family (her grandpa, great uncle, and uncle Anoosh)

Marji once contributed some information from the TV, and her father screamed at her for giving false information.

This proves how she and society follow along with things and become followers.

The conditions worsened, and people, including Marji's crush, Bruce Lee, began moving to the USA. Many more friends and family moved due to the danger and unlivable circumstances.

Although aware of the dangers, they did not want to move because of social class. They already had a community, a system, and a good job; going to the States, the father thought they would lose that and that he would become a taxi driver and the mother a maid. Showing the importance of social status and class sometimes goes over safety and precaution.

They then get a phone call that Mohsen Shakiba (one of the prisoners who was friends with the father, is dead. He had been killed in a bathtub. They knew the government would come from Saimak Jari (the other friend with a daughter and wife). They soon learned that the family had escaped with a bunch of sheep.

Uncle Anoosh was in prison and had one visitor privilege, which he gave to Marji. As she was getting ready, she tried to look her best for him because she admired him and wanted to make him proud (aspired validation).

They expressed their love, admiration, and appreciation for each other.

Then we learn that they had to hide from booms... the war had started.

Kaveh is a friend of Marji who moved about a year ago to the States. She was sad she could not go anymore because she dreamed of visiting him.

In the news, they announced that all universities would be closing down due to the need to ensure that all would follow Islam. They said, "Better to have no students than to have imperialist."

Marji wanted to be like Marie Curie and study chemistry.

Marji's mom was assaulted for not wearing a veil, and this affected her very much.

It once again became mandatory for women to wear a veil because "women's hair excites men."

For Marji's safety, she had to say she prayed during the day.

This was when Marji was allowed to be part of a protest with their parents, and she believed she should defend her rights, too. In this one, it was the first time she saw violence with her own eyes (stabbing), and they ran away.

In September 1980, they went to Italy and Spain for three weeks.

When they returned, the grandmother broke the news that they were at war.

Marji was ready to defend her country.

They had bombarded every way out of town; people were stuck.

Mali, her husband, and two boys showed up in the middle of the night and took refuge in their home. They were very materialistic and only focused on the money. Marji was significantly responsible for the two boys and felt the need to take some care of them, making them feel at peace.

They stayed a week until Mali took the courage to sell all the jewelry to have money and start over.

They would hit themselves during this time.

Marji started not to take these things seriously and made fun of them, pranking teachers, etc...

The teachers talked with the parents, but it could have gone better.

Girls made winter hoods for the solder, while boys prepared to become ones.

Mrs. Nasrine, the maid, the eldest son, was given a key and said that he would become a soldier, and if dead, that would be the key to heaven. This destroyed her.

Shahab, an older cousin of Merjii's who joined the military just before the war, came home and told the story about how they hypnotized and manipulated people to enter the military.

"the key" was a pass for a better life, "paradise," formed to trick people with low incomes.

Explored the fields with a key around their necks

Meanwhile, Marji was at her cousin Payman's party, wearing a sweater and necklace her mom had made her.