Persepolis 2: The Story of a Return

Marjane is tested in her new identity by a series of trials brought on by her decision to move and her decision not to leave school. Her new living arrangement proves stressful as The Horse’s dog constantly poops on her bed. At school, all of her old friends have left. Julie is in Spain, Momo has been expelled, and the others have moved. For the most part, Marjane keeps her own company, which she claims makes her more interesting.

She has a boyfriend, Enrique, whom she met through one of her old roommates. He invites her to an anarchist party, which she is excited about because she finally understands Western philosophy, and she believes that her youth during the revolution in Iran has primed her to understand anarchy. She is ultimately disappointed by the party, which is not unique or anarchist in any way. She and Enrique share a bed, and Marjane is ready to lose her virginity. When morning comes she is still a virgin and thinks that Enrique will break up with her because she is ugly. Instead, he confesses that he is gay, and they part as friends.

She meets Jean-Paul, who only befriends her for her math tutoring. She alters herself for him, putting on her best clothes, arriving early to meet up, and playing it cool. However, it turns out that this boy doesn’t want her, either. Finally, she meets Markus, a literature student. They develop a romantic relationship. At his house, his mother storms into his room and kicks her out. They go to Marjane’s apartment and The Horse calls her a prostitute and kicks Markus out. They have nowhere to go, yet she wants to be with him. He encourages her to buy drugs at a cafe, which she does. Soon she is dealing drugs at her school.

Marjane does not make money as a drug dealer and needs an income over the summer break. After several odd jobs, she finds a job as a waitress and befriends the cook, Svetlana, who spits in the food. She is warned by the school principal to stop selling marijuana on school grounds. She has some of the best grades in the school and is scared that she could lose her education, so she stops dealing drugs. She keeps using drugs, however, and increases her intake, resulting in a mind and a body that is tired and weak. She barely graduates and registers in 1988 for the University of Technology, which she does not attend.

Drugs are now ruining her life. She gets involved in political debates at a cafe and, later, at demonstrations against the right-wing government, though she is lackluster about the causes. She tries to get Markus interested, but he is writing a play and has no time. On the eve of her 18th birthday she is set to go out of town with friends, leaving Markus behind. Instead, she sleeps in and misses her train. She decides that she will spend the weekend with Markus and buys him hot croissants. She brings them to his apartment and finds him naked in bed with a blonde woman. They fight, and Markus asks her to leave. She never sees him again.