Prisoner of Tehran (chapter 1-7) Character Development

Prisoner of Tehran is a memoir about a sixteen-year-old Marina Nemat who was arrested for false charges by Iranian Revolutionary Guards and tortured in Tehran’s unwelcoming Evin prison. Through the first few chapters, I learned a lot about the main character Marina as well as her family around her. As she grew throughout the few chapters it was easy to identify a couple of her good traits such as braveness, honesty sacrificing herself for others and courageous. Also a main part in Marina’s life was her family. Her family comes first and she would do anything for them.

Marina identifies that family comes first in a number of different ways. This is shown when her husband, son and her moved to Canada and wanted to build a new life. “We had to build a new life in this strange country that offered us refuge when we had no where to go. I had to concentrate all my energy on survival. I had to do this for my husband and son.”(pg.1) This quote illustrating the significance and importance of her family and that she would do anything for them to make them happy. This quote also states that Canada offered them refuge. After Marina’s grandmother died Marina stated, “Grandma was her refuge when bad things happened but now she is gone.” (pg.33). This shows that she had no refuge after her grandmother died but moving to Canada was the start of another refuge. Her Grandma was being related to Canada as she was thankful for both. Another quote that easily shows a time when Marina demonstrates that family comes first would be when one day at school Marina got warned by her teacher that her name was on the list to be arrested. The quote reads, “However, there was nothing I could do but wait. I couldn’t hide. Where would I go? The revolutionary guards are merciless. If they went to a house to arrest someone and that person was not home, they would take whoever was there. I couldn’t risk my parents’ lives to save myself.” (pg.9). This articulates her love for her parents and that she would do anything for them. All these quotes demonstrate the key points of Marina’s character as family comes first no matter what.

            Another trait we can recognize from Marina’s character would be her braveness. Marina proves her braveness after she had been taken to Evin prison in Tehran. One by one the guards pull the prisoners into an enclosed room and ask them questions. If they answer the questions they will not get beaten but if they give the guards a hard time they will. When it was Marina’s turn one of the guards starting asking her to give some names of schoolmates. She was opposed to the idea so instead of giving the guards what they want she stood up for herself and her schoolmates stating, “I won’t give you any names. If I give you names you’ll arrest them. I don’t want that to happen.” (pg.15). This gives us a good understanding as to not only how brave she is but it shows her honesty and sacrifice that she will give to protect her schoolmates. She could have given the names and ‘walked away’ but she decided to stick up for her self, be brave and not give the guards any names. She went through torture as one of the guards whipped her feet several times to get schoolmates names out of her but she refused. In the end of the conversation she still did not give away any names but the guard came up to her and said, “I can see that you’re a brave girl” (pg.15). Another quote that may have inspired Marina to be brave would be when her Grandmother said, “you have to be brave, Marina.” (pg.31). These words of inspiration came shortly before the death of her Grandmother. Marina had a strong relationship with her grandmother as they went grocery shopping together, to church every Sunday, visited Grandma’s friends together and went to the park everyday where they’d get ice cream, go on the swings and sit by the pool. These words may not have inspired her before going to Evin but definitely throughout her stay. These quotes help illustrate the braveness of Marina but also her honesty and the sacrifice she is willing to take for others to be safe.

            Lastly, Marina was courageous. Marina’s mother and Marina did not have a very strong relationship. Marina’s mother was short tempered. One day her mother locked her on their balcony as a punishment because Marina got her angry. Marina thought it would be a good idea to throw clothes pins at people walking below so Marina could get their attention and beg them to ring the doorbell and ask her mother to let her inside. “Collecting all my courage, I grabbed one pin and dropped it.” (pg.44) She had a successful drop the second time around as the elderly lady she dropped the clothespin on did exactly what Marina wanted. Marina’s mother came storming up the stairs and yelled, “Get in now, you are a terrible child! I’m leaving. I’m tired. I hate this life. I don’t ever want to see you again!” Marina then begged her mother not to leave grabbing her legs from walking and repeating, “Please don’t leave! I’m sorry!” Finally her mother stopped at the front door and in the end happened to stay. The next day, “I gathered all my courage and asked my mother if she would buy me books.” After a day like the one before Marina had the courage to ask her mother a question that could have gone bad. Marina was not only courageous but she was smart. She loved to read. Her mother said one book a month so Marina decided she would go to the second hand bookstore she regarded days before with her chocolate milk money she saved up. This shows how much she loves to read, using her own money to purchase them. This sums up the courage Marina has as well as her joy to read.

            In conclusion, Marina has shown throughout the first few chapters her traits that have allowed her to carry on with life and will help her through her stay at Evin prison. Her courageousness, her sacrificing, braveness, and honesty will all help her be a force to be reckoned with at the Evin prison in Tehran but will help her develop as a well liked character by some and disliked by others.