Reunion Quote Analysis

Quote:

• Placement

• Speaker

Theme:

Technique:

Significance:

Connecting Ideas:

“He came into my life in February 1932 and never left it again”

• Opening line

• Hans (narration)

Theme

• Friendship

• Memory

• Loss

Technique:

• Simple declarative statement => impact on Hans

• Paradox => Konradin did leave Hans’ life physically, but had a psychological permanence

Significance:

• Sets up Konradin as an unforgettable presence in Hans’ life, foreshadowing the emotional impact of him on their relationship

Link to Persepolis

• Marjane also feels strong links to people like her Uncle Anoosh

“I can remember the day and the hour when I first set eyes on this boy who was to be the source of my greatest happiness and of my greatest despair”

• Opening scene

• Hans (narrator)

Theme:

• Friendship

• Nostalgia

• Memory

Technique:

• Antithesis => impact of Konradin on Hans, tragic arc of their friendship

• Precision => significance of this moment to Hans

Significance:

• Power of memory, as the novel is framed as a recollection of memories

Connection to Persepolis:

• Duality of emotions => joy and despair in Marjane’s experience of revolution and exile. Duality of her identity as Iranian and Western

“If I shut my eyes I can still see the backs of my schoolmates, many of whom perished later on the Russian steppes or in the sands of Alamein.”

• Opening scene

• Hans (narrator)

Theme:

• Memory

• Impact of conflict

• Loss

Technique:

• Visual imagery => nostalgia and mourning

• Contrast => Russia vs Egypt, vast reach of WII and its destruction

Significance:

• Childhood consumed by global conflict

Connection to Persepolis:

• Marjane also reflects on childhood friends lost in war

“We couldn’t help looking enviously at this picture of ease and distinction.”

• Introduction to Konradin

• Hans (narrator)

Theme:

• Social Class

Technique:

• Word choice => social gap between the two boys

Significance:

• Highlights class divides between them immediately

Connection to Persepolis:

• Marjane struggles with beliefs towards class, whether it be during her revolutionary phase or returning from Austria (theme of the car)