Questions answered by Jill Helsel, Chapter Coordinator, Americas Region at PTPI.
3. Many people in the world take basic freedoms for granted. What conversations or topics about freedom surprised you the most?
There are countless discussions of freedom within Reading Lolita in Tehran; some of them shocking and others more subtle. There was one instance within the book that stood out to me the most in terms of being denied freedom. It may not have been the most appalling example to some, but for me it certainly was an eye-opener.
Beginning on page 220, Nafisi describes an experience which took place while she was teaching a course at Alzahrah University, an all-girls college in Iran. When grading the midterm exams, she found that a majority of the class had repeated her lecture word for word, rather than answering the questions in their own words. Assuming that they had cheated, she reprimanded the class rather harshly. It was later explained to Nafisi that “From the first day they had set foot in elementary school, they had been told to memorize. They had been told that their own opinions counted for nothing”. The character Razieh explained it to Nafisi in this way, “Most of these girls have never had anyone praise them for anything. They have never been told they are any good or that they should think independently.” The idea of being denied the opportunity to simply have my own thoughts and opinions and to feel as though they actually matter is beyond my comprehension. I have always been taught that my opinions and feelings are important and never realized what a blessing that truly is.
4. Discuss some of the prominent themes in the book, which was published in 2003, and the relevance to what you read in the news today about life in Iran. Did you feel more of a connection to the struggles they face? What are your thoughts when you read about some of the current events? Do you wonder if any of the book club members are involved in any current day protests?
Of the many themes that are present within Reading Lolita in Tehran, the desire for education, particularly a woman’s right to education, resonated the most in my thoughts. At the core of education is a longing for change in one’s life, to be something more and to experience new obstacles. For the women in this book, education was an avenue through which they could strive to be an individual and to create a life of their own.
I often wonder if any of the book club members are involved in any current day protests in Iran. Based upon the descriptions Nafisi gives in her epilogue of those book club members who stayed in Iran, I can definitely envision them taking part in protests and continuing to stand up for what they believe in. On the other hand, perhaps they are content with their lives and do not want to bring any trouble or hardship upon their family. It would be interesting to hear their current viewpoints and whether or not they have changed since they were part of Nafisi’s book club.
5. One prominent topic throughout the book was the wearing of the chador and the personal struggle between wearing it by choice or by force. The decision to wear the veil or not to wear the veil could result in jail time and or the loss of a job. What do you think you might have done if you had been in the same situation?
It is incredibly difficult, if not impossible, to say with certainty what I might have done if I were in the same situation. The first obstacle is that I am not a Muslim woman, so I cannot claim to have any idea of how important it would be to me personally whether or not to wear the veil. Secondly, I believe this is something you would simply have to experience firsthand to know how you would handle it. I am inclined to think that if the livelihood of my family, particularly my children, were on the line I would have no choice but to abide by the law and wear the veil. I cannot see myself sacrificing the well being of my family, regardless of how much I believed in my right to freedom.
If it were a choice between not wearing the veil and my children having a home and food to eat, I would definitely do what was best for my children. However, I would make sure that my children understood what was happening and why I had made the decision I had made. As an expectant mother, with a baby boy on the way, I definitely looked at this question from a very different angle than I may have in the past. Again, this is all just speculation on my part as I cannot claim to have even the slightest notion of what it was like to be a woman in Iran during this period in time.
The opinions expressed by PTPI staff and other book club members are entirely their own and are not necessarily the views of People to People International or that of PTPI’s Officers, Board of Directors and Board of Trustees.
