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Marjane’s Mother/Mom
Marjane describes Markus as “the first great love of [her] life.” He’s a charming blonde boy about a year older than she is. They meet in Vienna when Marjane is 16, at a time when Marjane sees no point anymore in going out of her way to try to impress boys. But Markus insists he’s blown away by her nonchalant, uncaring attitude and rebelliousness. Though their relationship is intense, they soon begin experiencing problems when Markus’s mother expresses racist, anti-immigrant sentiments about Marjane. But as this happens, Marjane notices that Markus doesn’t stand up to his mother. He also knowingly puts Marjane in potentially dangerous situations, as when he sends her to purchase drugs from a notorious cafe. Eventually, as Markus begins to study theater, the couple grows further apart. Markus ignores the political turmoil going on around him and insists that he protests by writing his play, an attitude that Marjane considers privileged, misguided, and naïve. They break up when Marjane finds Markus in bed with another woman, and they never see each other again. In retrospect, Marjane understands that she expected too much from Markus—she expected a 19-year-old boy to be able to be everything to her, from a parental figure to a friend to a lover.
Markus Quotes in Persepolis 2: The Story of a Return
The Persepolis 2: The Story of a Return quotes below are all either spoken by Markus or refer to Markus. 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:
).
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Quotes
I’d already heard this threatening word yelled at me in the metro. It was an old man who said “dirty foreigner, get out!” I had heard it another time on the street. But I tried to make light of it. I thought that it was just the reaction of a nasty old man.
But this, this was different. It was neither an old man destroyed by the war, nor a young idiot. It was my boyfriend’s mother who attacked me. She was saying that I was taking advantage of Markus and his situation to obtain an Austrian passport, that I was a witch.
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The Veil
Quotes
I had known a revolution that had made me lose part of my family.
I had survived a war that had distanced me from my country and my parents...
...And it’s a banal story of love that almost carried me away.
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Markus Quotes in Persepolis 2: The Story of a Return
The Persepolis 2: The Story of a Return quotes below are all either spoken by Markus or refer to Markus. 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:
).
Hide and Seek
Quotes
I’d already heard this threatening word yelled at me in the metro. It was an old man who said “dirty foreigner, get out!” I had heard it another time on the street. But I tried to make light of it. I thought that it was just the reaction of a nasty old man.
But this, this was different. It was neither an old man destroyed by the war, nor a young idiot. It was my boyfriend’s mother who attacked me. She was saying that I was taking advantage of Markus and his situation to obtain an Austrian passport, that I was a witch.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
The Veil
Quotes
I had known a revolution that had made me lose part of my family.
I had survived a war that had distanced me from my country and my parents...
...And it’s a banal story of love that almost carried me away.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
