Rooftops Of Tehran Analysis

1381 Words3 Pages

The Trials of Growing Up
According to Judd Nelson, “Young alienation, disappointment and heartache is all a part of the first real growing up that we do.” Rooftops of Tehran tells the tale of how a group of children take the initial steps to being adults. They must deal with pains that are new to them and learn to understand how to deal with them. Judd’s quote shines truth on what each the young person must get through to fully reach adulthood. The struggle of wanting to find what one’s role in life is and where one fits in the world is exactly what a person feels at this stage in life. Mahbod Seraji uses literary allusions to give a wide scope to the novel, and also creates foreshadowing and symbolism that develops the story to mean so much …show more content…

It develops the characters and helps the novel go deeper. One of the largest symbols that stays constant throughout the entire book is that of the red rose. After Doctor’s death, Pasha plants a red rose bush outside Zari’s house. The neighborhood interprets it in different ways, saying, “Red is the color of passion and the color of revolution. Red is also the color of love. And the color of blood”(Seraji 146). The symbolism behind the red rose bush varies between all of these explanations, but mostly represents a passive resistance. He plants the rose bush after Zari’s Whether Pasha plants the rose bush out of love and mourning or rebellion is unknown. The two subjects are more similar than they seem,so he probably meant both. Another use of the symbol of the red rose is with the rebellion leader Golesorkhi. During his trial he says, “This court is an illegal institution. The Shah is a tyrant, a servant of the Americans, and a puppet of the West”(Seraji, 31). He is a man who stands for what he believes in and does not give in to the Savak’s wish for him to beg for forgiveness. His name means “red rose” which symbolizes his passion and the rebellion he believes in. He himself is basically a symbol representing all of what Doctor and other revolutionaries are striving for. Doctor uses Golesorkhi to even do his own small rebellion by painting the red roses the night after Golesorkhi’s death. Zari also incorporates the symbolism of the red rose when she takes action to make a big statement. Right before she sets herself on fire she says, “I’m lighting a candle for Doctor. Today is the fortieth day of his death. I love you”(Seraji 215). The significance of her defiance can not be overlooked, as she does it straight from her heart. She takes all the love, pain, and rebellion she has accumulated in the recent past and puts it all into this one deed. Zari decides that what the fire

Open Document