Why do you think Frau Doctor Heller’s accused Marji of stealing her brooch?

The last panel on page 235 is an example of graphic weight. Can you explain this term?

Why doesn’t Marji contact anyone for help when she is living on the streets?

Why do you think Marji makes her father promise never to ask her about the last 3 months?

On page 245, Marji puts on her veil again and says: ‘…and so much for my individual and social liberties’. What do you think she means by this? Have her ‘liberties’ been a good thing?

Why did Marji choose not to turn on the light in her bedroom on her first night at home?

What has changed in Tehran while Marji has been away? How do these differences make her feel?

Does Marji appear to be a captivated audience for her father’s history lesson? Why/why not?

Why does Marji decide never to tell her parents anything about her Austrian life?

Why did Marji have difficulty connecting with her old friends?

What happened to Kia?

Why do you think Kia tells the joke about the soldier who is ‘blown into a thousand pieces’?

Marji speculates that when our misfortunes pass the “limit” of being “supportable,” the “only way to bear the unbearable is to laugh at it” (266). Do you agree? Why or why not?

What is Marji’s state of mind in the beginning of this chapter?

Why do Marji’s friends stop talking to her? Do you think Marji will ever be able to really fit in to Iranian society again?

What did the psychotherapist give Marji for her depression?

What did Marji do after her failed suicide attempt?

Do you think Marji’s expectation of a new destiny (pg 275) is realistic? Why/why not?

When Marji meets Reza, she quickly becomes aware that they are complete opposites. Does she think this is a good thing? How do you know?

Do you think this is a relationship that is meant to last? Explain with reference to the panels on page 279.

What might have happened to Marji and Reza if they had been affectionate in public?

What is the final test that Marji needs to pass in order to go to university?

How did Marji pass the exam?

What did Marji accuse an innocent man of?

Why did Marji accuse him? What was Reza’s reaction to the false accusation?

What is capital punishment? What crime can result in capital punishment in Iran at this time?

When Marji tells her grandmother how she evaded arrest, she doubles up with laughter. Why do you think she laughs so hard about the incident?

How did Marji’s grandmother respond to Marji’s false allegations about the man? How does Marji react to this?

How does Reza respond when Marji asks if they can tell people they are a couple at the university? 

What made Nyoosha the most sought after girl at the university?

What act meant a woman was more progressive? 

What task ws Marji given as a result of her speaking out at the lecture?

How did Marji reconcile with her grandmother?

 Why do you think this chapter is called ‘The Socks’?

How does the regime stay in power according to the last 3 panels on page 302?

Why were Marji and her friends taken to prison?

Pages 307-309 tell a story without using words. How does that affect you as a reader? Satrapi makes a choice regarding use of colour on page 309. What effect does this have?

Do Marji and her friends from partying? Why/Why not?

What conditions does Marji’s father set on Marji and Reza getting married? Why do you think he did this?

Explain the illustration in the last panel on page 317.

What happens to Marji and Reza’s relationship after the wedding?

What happens to Marji on page 320? Why?

How did Iranians feel about the war in Iraq? Why?

How did the government respond to the installation of satellites?

What did Marji realize was the most important thing to do at the end of the chapter?

Before she leaves Iran for the last time, Marji goes on a trip with her grandmother and then visits the graves of her grandfather and her uncle Anoosh. While visiting the graves of her ancestors, Marji makes a series of promises about how she will behave in the future. What do these visits reveal about what Marji will bring with her when she leaves Iran? How do they help to bring closure to an important chapter in Marji’s life — and to the book?