Persepolis 2: The Story of a Return

by

Marjane Satrapi

Marjane’s Mother/Mom Character Analysis

Marjane’s mother is a kind, sensible, and liberal Iranian woman. She raised Marjane to think for herself and be independent, which leads her and her husband (Marjane’s father) to send Marjane to school in Vienna. While Marjane is in Vienna, Mom and Marjane’s father don’t grasp what Marjane is going through. Mom believes that Marjane is distinguishing herself in school and doing what is expected of her. However, during Mom’s one visit to Vienna to see Marjane, she suspects that Marjane is in worse shape than Marjane lets on. At this point, Mom begins to treat Marjane like an adult by smoking cigarettes with her. Both of Marjane’s parents are mostly respectful of Marjane’s autonomy and privacy. Thus, when Marjane unexpectedly asks to come home, they agree not to ask about what happened to her in Vienna that made her want to leave. However, this does have its downsides: it means that Mom has no idea that Marjane is seriously depressed and even suicidal, and so Marjane’s parents don’t seem to question why Marjane turned herself around so quickly when she begins to act and look better. Throughout the novel, Mom is unwaveringly supportive of Marjane and her goals. The only place she ever pushes back is when Marjane announces her engagement to Reza. In Mom’s opinion, 21 is too young to get married, though she also recognizes that she doesn’t have the kind of relationship with Marjane that would allow her to stop the marriage from happening. Later, Mom is thrilled when Marjane and Reza divorce and Marjane moves back to Europe.

Marjane’s Mother/Mom Quotes in Persepolis 2: The Story of a Return

The Persepolis 2: The Story of a Return quotes below are all either spoken by Marjane’s Mother/Mom or refer to Marjane’s Mother/Mom. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Growing Up and Growing Old Theme Icon
).
The Vegetable Quotes

The harder I tried to assimilate, the more I had the feeling that I was distancing myself from my culture, betraying my parents and my origins, that I was playing a game by somebody else’s rules. Each telephone call from my parents reminded me of my cowardice and my betrayal. I was at once happy to hear their voices and ashamed to talk to them.

[...]

If only they knew...if they knew that their daughter was made up like a punk, that she smoked joints to make a good impression, that she had seen men in their underwear while they were being bombed every day, they wouldn’t call me their dream child.

Related Characters: Marjane Satrapi (speaker), Marjane’s Father/Dad, Marjane’s Mother/Mom, Julie, Momo
Related Symbols: Makeup and the Veil
Page Number: 39
Explanation and Analysis:
The Horse Quotes

“It’s amazing how you’ve grown.”

I didn’t repeat that she, too, had changed. At her age, you don’t grow up, you grow old.

Related Characters: Marjane Satrapi (speaker), Marjane’s Mother/Mom (speaker), Marjane’s Father/Dad
Page Number: 47
Explanation and Analysis:
The Veil Quotes

Despite the doctor’s orders, I bought myself several cartons of cigarettes.

[...]

I think that I preferred to put myself in serious danger rather than confront my shame. My shame at not having become someone, the shame of not having made my parents proud after all the sacrifices they had made for me. The shame of having become a mediocre nihilist.

Related Characters: Marjane Satrapi (speaker), Marjane’s Father/Dad, Marjane’s Mother/Mom
Page Number: 90
Explanation and Analysis:
The Return Quotes

There were people everywhere. Each passenger was being met by a dozen people. Suddenly, amongst the crowd, I spotted my parents...

...But it wasn’t reciprocal. Of course it made sense. One changes more between the ages of fourteen and eighteen than between thirty and forty.

Related Characters: Marjane Satrapi (speaker), Marjane’s Father/Dad, Marjane’s Mother/Mom
Page Number: 92
Explanation and Analysis:

“Ah, there’s nothing like Iranian tea!”

“Oh yes, especially with a cigarette. Do you want one?”

“Mom!!”

“What? You know the proverb: ‘prosperity consists of two things: tea after a meal, and a cigarette after tea.’”

It was the first time that my mother had spoken to me in this tone: in her eyes now, I had become an adult.

Related Characters: Marjane Satrapi (speaker), Marjane’s Mother/Mom (speaker), Marjane’s Father/Dad
Page Number: 95
Explanation and Analysis:

Next to my father’s distressing report, my Viennese misadventures seemed like little anecdotes of no importance. So I decided that I would never tell them anything about my Austrian life. They had suffered enough as it was.

Related Characters: Marjane Satrapi (speaker), Marjane’s Father/Dad, Marjane’s Mother/Mom
Page Number: 103
Explanation and Analysis:
Skiing Quotes

Certainly, they’d had to endure the war, but they had each other and close by. They had never known the confusion of being a third-worlder, they had always had a home! At the same time, how could they have pitied me? I was so shut off. I kept repeating to myself that I mustn’t crack up.

Related Characters: Marjane Satrapi (speaker), Marjane’s Father/Dad, Marjane’s Mother/Mom, Marjane’s Grandmother
Page Number: 113
Explanation and Analysis:
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Marjane’s Mother/Mom Quotes in Persepolis 2: The Story of a Return

The Persepolis 2: The Story of a Return quotes below are all either spoken by Marjane’s Mother/Mom or refer to Marjane’s Mother/Mom. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Growing Up and Growing Old Theme Icon
).
The Vegetable Quotes

The harder I tried to assimilate, the more I had the feeling that I was distancing myself from my culture, betraying my parents and my origins, that I was playing a game by somebody else’s rules. Each telephone call from my parents reminded me of my cowardice and my betrayal. I was at once happy to hear their voices and ashamed to talk to them.

[...]

If only they knew...if they knew that their daughter was made up like a punk, that she smoked joints to make a good impression, that she had seen men in their underwear while they were being bombed every day, they wouldn’t call me their dream child.

Related Characters: Marjane Satrapi (speaker), Marjane’s Father/Dad, Marjane’s Mother/Mom, Julie, Momo
Related Symbols: Makeup and the Veil
Page Number: 39
Explanation and Analysis:
The Horse Quotes

“It’s amazing how you’ve grown.”

I didn’t repeat that she, too, had changed. At her age, you don’t grow up, you grow old.

Related Characters: Marjane Satrapi (speaker), Marjane’s Mother/Mom (speaker), Marjane’s Father/Dad
Page Number: 47
Explanation and Analysis:
The Veil Quotes

Despite the doctor’s orders, I bought myself several cartons of cigarettes.

[...]

I think that I preferred to put myself in serious danger rather than confront my shame. My shame at not having become someone, the shame of not having made my parents proud after all the sacrifices they had made for me. The shame of having become a mediocre nihilist.

Related Characters: Marjane Satrapi (speaker), Marjane’s Father/Dad, Marjane’s Mother/Mom
Page Number: 90
Explanation and Analysis:
The Return Quotes

There were people everywhere. Each passenger was being met by a dozen people. Suddenly, amongst the crowd, I spotted my parents...

...But it wasn’t reciprocal. Of course it made sense. One changes more between the ages of fourteen and eighteen than between thirty and forty.

Related Characters: Marjane Satrapi (speaker), Marjane’s Father/Dad, Marjane’s Mother/Mom
Page Number: 92
Explanation and Analysis:

“Ah, there’s nothing like Iranian tea!”

“Oh yes, especially with a cigarette. Do you want one?”

“Mom!!”

“What? You know the proverb: ‘prosperity consists of two things: tea after a meal, and a cigarette after tea.’”

It was the first time that my mother had spoken to me in this tone: in her eyes now, I had become an adult.

Related Characters: Marjane Satrapi (speaker), Marjane’s Mother/Mom (speaker), Marjane’s Father/Dad
Page Number: 95
Explanation and Analysis:

Next to my father’s distressing report, my Viennese misadventures seemed like little anecdotes of no importance. So I decided that I would never tell them anything about my Austrian life. They had suffered enough as it was.

Related Characters: Marjane Satrapi (speaker), Marjane’s Father/Dad, Marjane’s Mother/Mom
Page Number: 103
Explanation and Analysis:
Skiing Quotes

Certainly, they’d had to endure the war, but they had each other and close by. They had never known the confusion of being a third-worlder, they had always had a home! At the same time, how could they have pitied me? I was so shut off. I kept repeating to myself that I mustn’t crack up.

Related Characters: Marjane Satrapi (speaker), Marjane’s Father/Dad, Marjane’s Mother/Mom, Marjane’s Grandmother
Page Number: 113
Explanation and Analysis: