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The Exam
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Persepolis 2: The Story of a Return, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Growing Up and Growing Old
Identity, Culture, and Self-Expression
Gender and Oppression
Suffering and Trauma
Summary
Analysis
Once Marjane and Reza pass the entrance exam, they become a “real couple.” Now, they know they’ll both stay in Iran until they’re done with their studies. As they make this transition, though, Reza and Marjane start to pick on each other. Marjane accuses Reza of not being active enough, while Reza insists Marjane isn’t elegant enough and doesn’t wear enough makeup. To fix things, Marjane decides to make an effort and shows up to a date wearing heavy makeup. As she waits for Reza, though, she sees a car of Guardians of the Revolution and a bus—this means there will be a raid. Knowing the Guardians will arrest her for her lipstick, Marjane calls over a Guardian. She tells him that a man on the steps catcalled her. The Guardians take the man away. Marjane ignores the man’s pleas for her to tell the truth.
Having college figured out makes Marjane and Reza feel as though their future is assured. But with this comes a shift in their relationship as they stop trying so hard to impress each other. This is why they start to pick on each other. Marjane still wants to be loved and to avoid heartache, so she believes it’s worth it to turn herself into someone she isn’t in order to keep Reza around. This, though, has consequences: getting this man arrested to protect herself is cruel and self-serving.
Themes
Reza arrives not long after and quips that Marjane’s lipstick is too flashy. Marjane tells him about getting the man arrested to protect herself, which makes Reza laugh. He praises Marjane’s “instinct for survival” and suggests they find another spot to hang out. For the reader, Marjane explains that it’s very dangerous for unmarried couples to be together in public at this time. Guardians of the Revolution stop couples all the time, so married couples carry copies of their marriage licenses. If unmarried couples can’t convince Guardians they’re cousins, the Guardians arrest them. Then, Guardians call the woman’s parents and demand the equivalent of a month’s salary in exchange for her release—or they whip the woman.
While Reza isn’t wrong to note that Marjane acted to ensure her own survival, the fact still remains that Marjane’s actions don’t reflect well on her. And for that matter, Reza laughing at what Marjane did suggests he’s not a particularly honorable person either. But within the context of the Guardians of the Revolution’s power over the population, it’s also important to recognize that Marjane is just trying to escape even more trauma and pain.
Themes
Back in the story, Reza insists they’re lucky. Their parents allow them to see each other in private; they don’t have to risk being seen in public. He also notes that if they do ever get arrested, they just have to say they’re engaged—their parents will willingly pay the fine. Suddenly, Marjane asks what will happen to the man the Guardians of the Revolution arrested. Reza says he’ll probably just get a small punishment. However, the Guardians sometimes mess with people, so they might hang him. Reza tells Marjane about two of his male friends who, during a stop, told a Guardian that they “go out together.” The soldier beat them for being gay. Marjane and Reza spend more time inside after this, but Marjane feels suffocated. She and Reza begin to “close in on each other.”
Reza’s offhand, unconcerned tone when he talks about the man’s arrest suggests that Reza has become numb to the atrocities the Guardians of the Revolution commit. Even though he acknowledges that the Guardians sometimes dole out punishments that are too harsh for the supposed crime, he doesn’t think he and Marjane need to worry. Their affluent, liberal-minded parents will save them—and so they should just consider themselves lucky. Reza’s inability to see how awful this is may contribute to Marjane’s increasing unhappiness in their relationship.
Themes
When Marjane gets home, her grandmother is there. Marjane tells her grandmother about her trick to get the man arrested and laughs uproariously. Marjane’s grandmother, however, is enraged. She calls Marjane a “selfish bitch” and reminds her of all their family members who spent time in prison or were executed for their ideals. Marjane, she insists, has no concept of integrity. After her grandmother storms out, Marjane looks at herself in the mirror. This is the first time her grandmother has ever yelled at her—and she wants it to be the last time.
It’s likely Marjane is trying to do what Kia did with his joke and find humor in a humorless situation. But while Kia’s joke is a way for powerless soldiers to bond, Marjane’s “joke” just exposes her own lack of integrity. Marjane’s grandmother, meanwhile, insists that Marjane can’t fight oppression by oppressing others. She has to hold onto her ideals and her kindness.
Themes
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