Reading Lolita In Tehran Essay

1280 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Lolita and tehran literature text

Book review:
Title: Reading Lolita in Tehran
Author: Azar Nafisi
"و لنا في الخيال حياة" - Through Imagination we live (an Arabic proverb). In Iran during the late 1990s is a setting of a private book club in Tehran, where Professor Azar Nafisi, author of the book, meets weekly with seven of her most prominent female students to discuss banned western literary work. Azar Nafisi writes her memoirs, shedding light on the transformation of the self through literature, the book discussions are no longer limited to exploring the characters, but rather intertwine with the group members' lives hopes and dreams. Nafisi's journey with her students revolves around the imagination's role in opening spaces, an act subversive in itself against the existent …show more content…

Manna, a poet of a withdrawn and private nature with an inquisitive eye for peculiar things, she cherishes memories of her late father that passed away after the revolution. Mahshid, a sensual, dainty and seemingly vulnerable young woman that is in reality strong-willed. Mahshid has been jailed for being involved with a non-conformist group; she is in her mid-thirties lonely and lives with her mother. Yassi, a shy yet inquiring and probing character, is looking forward to leave Iran to the States; she had enough of her country and uses music to rebel. Azin, a person with an inviting smile, a fun personality and an appetite for life with strong opinions; she is married with three children, towards the end of the novel she wants to divorce. Azin has been nicknamed "the wild one", for vocalizing her strong opinions on love, sex and men by the more conservative member of the group Mahshid and Manna. Mitra, the painter and calm person of the group that could unsuspectingly manipulate anyone with her sweet dimples; she is married and plans to leave for Canada with her husband towards the end of the novel. Sanaz, the one caught between her strife for independence and the need for traditions and family approval, especially with the presence of her controlling younger brother. She has found love with a Turkish man, worked hard to make it work. They got …show more content…

In Reading Lolita in Tehran, the author tried to escape and to create their own little pockets of freedom. As quoted by the author “This class was the color of my dreams. It entailed an active withdrawal from a reality that had turned hostile” (P.11). And like Lolita, they took every opportunity to display their repealing and expressing their freedom by showing a little hair from under their scarves, implying a little color into the dull uniformity of their appearances, polishing their nails, falling in love, and listening to forbidden

Show More
Related

  • Nafisi And Thurman's 'Selection From Reading Lolita In Tehran'

    1601 Words  | 4 Pages

    The idea of enlightenment and the feeling of liberation seem unattainable most of the time. However, once you discover a gateway, such as literature or meditation, it becomes easier to reach your goals of becoming open-minded. Azar Nafisi’s “Selection from Reading Lolita in Tehran” describes the struggles she and her students face and how they use literature to escape from their atrocious life. Similarly, “Wisdom” by Robert Thurman explores the idea of reaching a nirvana-like state where people become aware of their surroundings and the nature of themselves. Nafisi and Thurman state that once people have attained the knowledge to reach an utopian, nirvana like state and have unmasked themselves from a pseudo-self mask put on for society, they must share their knowledge with others. Both Nafisi and Thurman propose that in order to act out selflessly and become an honest, true self, an individual needs bravery and courage to escape from their comfort zone and reach a state of compassion.

    Read More

  • Similarities Between Persepolis And Lolita In Tahran

    402 Words  | 1 Pages

    First, the story “Lolita In Tehran” was a rebellion that was very hidden and private. Sanaz is a women who lives in Tehran, Sanaz had to wear a veil, black robe, and scarf to cover up her whole body, she can’t show any skin when she is outside. She wears jewerly, make up, nail polish, and bright color clothes that can never be seen. “The Blood of God” are men who patrol the city. The passage says “they patrol the streets to make sure that women like Sanaz

    Read More

  • Major Themes Captured in Chapter Five of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby

    691 Words  | 2 Pages

    F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, set in early 1920’s New York, tells the story of millionaire Jay Gatsby and his lasting affection for Daisy Buchannan. Mr. Gatsby is attempting to lure Daisy’s love as the couple split before Gatsby went to war. However, throughout the novel, the reader encounters unethical characters along with a complex intertwined plot that incorporates themes from early 20th century society. The true essence of the novel, and the major themes of the story, are captured and symbolized in one key paragraph in Chapter 5, page 86. This paragraph combines the motifs of time and Gatsby's great desire to go back to the past; it further reflects the emergence of phoniness and greed as important elements.

    Read More

  • Flaws In The Great Gatsby

    514 Words  | 2 Pages

    However, Fitzgerald does not write Gatsby as a bad person who embodies all that is wrong with western capitalism. Instead, Fitzgerald portrays Gatsby as a good man who was victim of the qualities ingrained in him by an imperfect ideological system. It is this distinction which makes Fitzgerald’s argument all the more potent, and his audience’s ability to mourn Gatsby as a tragic figure all the more important. Whereas Fitzgerald’s opinion of Gatsby may otherwise have been misconstrued as a negative one, the scene of Gatsby’s funeral clearly conveys the character of Gatsby as a tragic and sorrowful one. The character of Gatsby and Fitzgerald’s commentary on the logical fallacies of the American Dream are closely intertwined, which is why Fitzgerald goes to such great lengths to separate the two.

    Read More

  • The Great Gatsby

    562 Words  | 2 Pages

    F. Scott Fitzgerald inquires about the American Dream through the characters in his publication. Jay Gatsby was born into a meager family, but he does not allow that to cease his hard work towards success in life. He addresses many personal goals for himself that he meets throughout his life. Nick Caraway, Gatsby’s neighbor and the man of which the story is told through his eyes, explains Gatsby’s determination as “an extraordinary gift for hope”. One goal is to gain Daisy Buchanan’s attention once again. When Gatsby goes off to war, Daisy marries a man of similar abundance. Gatsby’s plan is to purch...

    Read More

  • East vs. West in The Great Gatsby

    958 Words  | 2 Pages

    F. Scott Fitzgerald tends to write with a very poetic style in his otherwise prose novels. The Great Gatsby is no exception. In the novel, Fitzgerald takes an obscure and rather insightful look on basic issues of the 1920’s. One of those issues is that of east vs. west. The 1920’s were a time of booming youthful energy in the east and of age-old tradition in the west. Fitzgerald uses a somewhat naturalistic approach when he suggests that people belong to one or the other and cannot function in the wrong one. The character of Daisy Buchanan in the novel The Great Gatsby illustrates the defining differences between the east and the west and the people who belong in each place.

    Read More

  • F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby

    1011 Words  | 3 Pages

    The ethics of society in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby are clearly noted through the endless partying, fancy houses, and the lavishness of their lives. Time and time again Fitzgerald displays his skills of developing his characters through plots and scenes of enchanting parties and mansions. Through these scenarios, the reader develops a sense of the purposelessness of the rich, the values of West and East Egg society, and Gatsby. Each individual scene reveals the subtle nuances of each and every character. Is shown to the reader in such a way that the reader picks up an idea of who each character is. By a landslide, the Great Gatsby owes a lot of its character development to its settings. The settings of The Great Gatsby provides for its substantial character development.

    Read More

  • The Great Gatsby Essay: The Great Gatsby is Not So Great

    505 Words  | 2 Pages

    F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby is an absurd story, whether considered as romance, melodrama, or plain record of New York high life.  The occasional insights into character stand out as very green oases on an arid desert of waste paper.  Throughout the first half of the book the author shadows his leading character in mystery, but when in the latter part he unfolds his life story it is difficult to find the brains, the cleverness, and the glamour that one might expect of a main character.

    Read More

  • Free Great Gatsby Essays: Criticism of American Society

    869 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the novel The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald is criticizing American society of the 1920s. He uses the characters to demonstrate the power than men had over women during these times, as well as their mindless, self-indulgent actions, where consequence was only an afterthought. The attitude towards and the role of women is shown throughout the novel. Fitzgerald also shows how many people in America during this time were delusional and had meaningless existences.

    Read More

  • Great Gatsby American Dream Essay

    991 Words  | 2 Pages

    F. Scott Fitzgerald was a romantic character in both his fiction life and his real life and “…was perhaps the last notable writer to affirm the Romantic fantasy, descended from the Renaissance, of personal ambition and heroism, of life committed to, or thrown away for, some ideal of self"(Voegeli). The inspiration for The Great Gatsby came from the experience Fitzgerald had with a Jewish bootlegger and his symbolism for the book is “never more ingenious than in his depiction of the bankruptcy of the old agrarian myth” (Trask). The realization that America had been changed and transformed into a new world arose. America has become a new world with a new set of traditional beliefs. The beliefs were onset by the growing fields of industrialization and urbanization. America is now a place in which “a revolution in manners and morals was inevitable” (Trask). The trend of this new life style and tradition was reinforced by World War 1 and the writers critiqued the traditional faiths. In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald paints a story about love and intrigue. He shows the possibility of movement between the different social classes during the Roaring Twenties in the United States. The American dream was the thought that people who had talent in the 'land of opportunity' could gain success if they followed a set of well-defined behavioral rules. During this time period, Americans believed that satisfaction would automatically follow success. In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald raises many important political questions: "What does it mean to live well, and on what terms people can live together?” and it shows America's thoughts and answers to these essential questions (Voegeli). These questions are referring to the different social classes and be...

    Read More

  • What Is The Reality Of Reality In The Great Gatsby

    807 Words  | 2 Pages

    Gatsby’s obsession of his love for Daisy and wealth prove his dream as unattainable. Throughout the novel, he consumes himself into lies to cheat his way into people’s minds convincing them he is this wealthy and prosperous man. Gatsby tries to win Daisy’s love through his illusion of success and relive the past, but fails to comprehend his mind as too hopeful for something impossible. In the end, Nick is the only one to truly understand Gatsby’s hopeful aspirations he set out for himself but ultimately could not obtain. In the novel, F. Scott Fitzgerald is able to parallel many themes of the roaring twenties to current society. The ideas of high expectations and obsession of the material world are noticeable throughout the history and is evident in many lives of people today.

    Read More

  • The Great Gatsby Themes And Motifs

    1347 Words  | 3 Pages

    Book Analysis F. Scott Fitzgerald, the author of "The Great Gatsby," reveals many principles about today's society and the "American dream. " One of the biggest fears in today's world is the fear of not fitting into society. People of all age groups and backgrounds share this fear. Many individuals believe that to receive somebody's affection, they must assimilate into that person's society. In the story, Jay Gatsby pursues the American dream and his passion for being happy only to come to a tragedy and total loss.

    Read More

  • gatsby research paper

    688 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Great Gatsby was a major success in Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald’s writing career. With more failures than successes, Fitzgerald’s determination to achieve a best seller had become a reality by reason of The Great Gatsby published 1996. The novel is written with many twists and hidden mysteries. Nick Carraway, a young and said to be attractive man, finds himself mentally captivated by Jay Gatsby, his neighbor who is seen to live this wild lifestyle. Carraway receives an invitation to one of Gatsby’s parties. Intrigued by Gatsby’s ambitious lifestyle, Nick attends. Although seeming to be wild and overwhelming, he realizes something about this atmosphere seems phony. Nobody knew the real Gatsby; most guests couldn’t identify him if he was standing right next to him. Taken back by all that is happening around him, Nick is determined to find this Gatsby everyone speaks so highly about, but no one really knew. Further on Gatsby’s side, his heart ached for Daisy Buchanan. Married to Tom Buchanan with a child, it was not as easy to love him as it was for him to love her. Gatsby truly believed Daisy never loved Tom, and pressed for her to admit it throughout the novel. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald highlights the concept of the cliché upper class living in the 1920’s along with the act of illegal importing; this thematic structure of the text parallels the concept of the American Dream and hustling in current popular culture and for this reason the text is a classic still read and respected today.

    Read More

  • Persepolis And The Great Gatsby Analysis

    1577 Words  | 4 Pages

    A parallel can be drawn between the relationship between Daisy and Gatsby and Marji’s maid, Mehri, and her neighbor, Hossein. Although Mehri wants to be with Hossein, Marji’s father remarks that the pairs’ love was “impossible” because “you must stay within your own social classes” in Iran; Mehri cannot escape the class she was born into (Satrapi 37). The post-WWI economic boom resulted in increased social mobility and the reawakening of the pursuit of the American Dream, then defined by wealth and prosperity; Fitzgerald kills the character of Gatsby to reveal the increasingly unobtainable nature and corruption of the American Dream and as an

    Read More

  • The Americanness of The Great Gatsby

    750 Words  | 2 Pages

    F. Scott Fitzgerald was an unknown author who only received great acclaim for his book The Great Gatsby after his passing. He was always a keen believer that the pursuit of a dream was much more rewarding than the achievement. In this novel, Nick Carraway recounts the tale of James Gatz’s a poor farmer’s son’s transition to Jay Gatsby an affluent grandiose man. Gatz unlike the other central characters is new money. He overcame the conditions that he was born into. His parents were mere farmers but he has been able to reinvent himself both figuratively and literally. His achievements cannot be dismissed because of such factors as luck or wealth. The medal of honor Gatsby earns from serving in the war and the mansion he owns on West Egg are a consequence of his enduring persistence. Although Gatsby’s objectification of women is displeasing, this novel is considered a great American novel because it convinces its readers, at least briefly, of Niccolò Machiavelli’s ideal that "the ends justify the means." Gatsby transcendes the wealth gap through dealings with alcohol, gains fame, buys a mansion across from his Daisy’s house all in aggregate to be with Daisy Buchanan once again. His perseverance and his rise to fame and riches from nothing are the keystone of the American Dream.

    Read More

More about Reading Lolita In Tehran Essay

Open Document