Living in Austria
Marjane, an Iranian, tells the story of her life and her different encounters through her comic books, and here she speaks about her stay in Austria. After Markus betrays her, and her life is at stake as she almost dies in the streets. Satrapi’s reflection of her life in Austria drives her to make the decision. She decides to live a liberal life of freedom in a foreign country, Austria, considering she was brought up in a multi-cultural society. Marjane experiences a gap that exists between living a dream and reality in Austria. The first few days are full of curiosity with her walking down the streets without her veil, being an Iranian. She gladly buys everything in supermarkets, and everything seems easy.
Time passes, and she realizes that idea of liberty is different from that of Iran. She experiences cultural conflicts between two cultures with different values, beliefs, and stereotypes. She feels empty because she is torn n between what to believe and follow and almost falls into darkness. Marjane is emotionally attached to a relationship, but with everything going on, it fails. Her life becomes difficult because she is marginalized and feels isolated in the environment. Twenty-seven days into her relationship teaches her more about life. She tries to dissolve herself into the setting for a better experience, but it fails and ends up being depressed, upset, and angry. The square panel explains that she desires family love with the questions like ‘where was my mother, grandmother and father to.’ A short time passes, and her thirst for family love from her loneliness increases as she tries to fight off depression.
Marjane becomes homeless in the streets and thinks who she can turn to for help, but she notices that she has no one to turn to because she left home. She blames Markus for everything, and everything was reminding her of him. For a girl, to avoid any danger at night, she had to find a well-hidden place away from thieves, kidnappers, and rapists. The only place she could find food was the trash cans, which she raveled around all in her area to not sleep on an empty stomach because all her savings were over, and she was broke. Everything makes her realize that family is essential, and family values are important too. The telephone conversations with her mother make her crave for their presence, regretting her decision in the search for freedom.
Marjane’s mother tries to convince her to come back home and that they are waiting for her, and she realizes that home is always home, and no matter what, they still love her. Later in the chapter, she quotes that you can collapse in the streets, and no one will help you’. She recalls that as she stayed in Iran during her childhood, her uncle sought freedom, but they had to pay the price. She compares her four life in Austria, where she encounters loneliness, depression, money problems, and homelessness, all in the name of freedom she sought away from home. Her encounter pulls up the thought that family affection is much more critical that liberty, and in the end, she chooses to go back home. She loses her grandmother as the price for her wanted freedom.