Blog 9/28/17

Mariane started wanting to make her past disappear while she is in Europe and she saw Iran on the news. She saw lots of unbearable news, and felt guilty for leaving her family, and so wishes to forget her past so she does not have to feel guilty any more for living in a safer part of the world. She makes some lifestyle changes shortly after that seem to connect her to her past in some ways. For example, she grows out her hair, similar to when she was a child. A line I thought was really meaningful was "always keep your dignity and be true to yourself" that she remembers being said by her grandmother on page 195. This mindset plays a big role in these pages. In the next scene, she contradicts her wishes of forgetting and instead defends her Iranian background to people she overhears speaking poorly about her and her country. So while initially she wanted to forget, she stayed true to herself and her roots.