Anoosh, Marji's beloved uncle, has been executed after being accused of being a Russian spy. Marji finds herself at odds with her faith and feels let down by God; she believed that he would prevail over evil and protect Anoosh. Anoosh assured her too that everything would be alright. As she lays on her bed in her dark room, alone and stricken with anger and grief, she envisions God, and he asks, "Marji, what seems to be the problem?" She rises up, stands on her bed and denounces God, "Shut up, you! Get out of my life!!! I never want to see you again! GET OUT!" At that moment her father yells to her, "Marji, run to the basement! We're being bombed!" (Marjane Satrapi, pp. 70-71)
The illustrations on these two pages speak louder than the words. As Marji is thrown in to that out of body experience that comes with shocking news, she proclaims, "And I was so lost, without any bearings...what could be worse than that?" (p. 71). Marji's God has let her down and Anoosh has been taken away forever. She feels as though she has been tossed in to outer space, alone and confused.
Why did she believe that God would intervene? Why did she rely on God in the first place? Why does anyone rely on God to provide safety, bounty,... a new car? Isn't it really inner peace and strength that faith in a supreme being is supposed to bring? When the outcome to a difficult situation or event is unlikely to be good, but it happens, it's a miracle; when the outcome is not so favorable, it's God's will. Marji has learned that it's really out of any one's control, including God's. There are two forces at work at all times; good and evil, dark and light, yin and yang.
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