Persepolis: "The Passport"

This chapter was really touching because the injustice of the Iranian society of that time is portrayed strongly. The part that was very interesting is when Taher says he sent his son to Holland because, if you close read this, is really harmful for him because he loves his son. But, he does it for his son’s own well-being. His depression leads him to smoke, and his smoking leads him to his third heart attack. This is kind of sad because because of his sadness he caused his own heart attack. When he did something to save his son, something bad happened to him. With every good thing, something bad comes along with it. 

When he is at the hospital needing urgently open-heart surgery that needs to be done in London, a wave of rage and fury comes to be when I read the part that says the don’t want to give him a passport to travel to London, and get his surgery. Specifically, frame #7 in page 121 when the man says: “If God wills it”. I was so mad when he said that because I knew that they didn’t want to give him his passport and they were using religion to cover the truth. Also, something that I considered really wrong was when Dr. Fathi brought Taher’s family to a room filled with injured soldiers to make Taher’s wife feel sorry for them. In my opinion, that is just morally wrong. 

When they meet Khosro, person that makes the fake passports is a moment of salvation for Taher because if he could get him a passport, he could travel through the closed frontiers (the frontiers of Iran were closed for three years: 1980 - 1983). Another example of the society that seeks the leftists and want to kill them is when Niloufar is introduced. This communist girl that is hiding from the revolutionaries that want to kill her. She’s living in Khosro’s basement because that is the only place where she is safe. 

Last but not least. The sadness I felt when I read the last page of this chapter. When Taher dies because he wasn’t able to travel and get his surgery. The worst part of that, was that his real passport made by the government arrived the day that he died. Really life is the most mysterious thing that there is.