Literary Analysis Essay on "Reading Lolita in Tehran" by Azar Nafasi

The book "Reading Lolita in Tehran" by Azar Nafasi talks of Islamic Republic life after the newfound laws and the revolution which came up as a result of it. Nafasi explains how totalitarian regime has limited and oppressed women in their everyday lives and processes which drives them to hide their real identities under the needed dresses and black scarves (Nafisi and Lotfali, 13). The book "Naked Citadel" by Susan Faludi describes the Citadel as the museum which is living attempting to preserve the traditions and ideals which are the same as when the school was founded to shape boys who attended them into men (Faludi, 19).

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The Citadel boys and the Tehran women's change in behavior depending on who they are around and where they are at the time are clearly elaborated in the two books of Nafisi and Faludi. In the two contexts, there is an indication that women were not considered important in society, and they could undergo all sorts of depression whenever they tried to come out. It resulted in more fear among women, and they could not easily mingle with the men because it will be questioned.

The identities of Tehran women and Citadel boys were suppressed in most occasions. The Citadel boys were not allowed to get into the college compound without wearing cadet attire (Faludi, 18). The attire acted as their identity while they were in the school compound. It indicated that any other boy who wished to join the Citadel school and was lacking the cadet attire could not be recognized. Tehran women's identities were suppressed when they were not allowed even to enter the Citadel college. Women were also treated ruthlessly, like beating them up because of some petty reasons. It made them feel inferior and lack of voice in society.

According to Nafisi, the freedom to think and talk in small groups together was not well-considered, especially in situations where the topics of conversation and the ideas raised required interactive discussions. For instance, the female students were getting punishments for making noise or coming late to class, among others. With an effort of trying to make women feel empowered and gain courage among themselves, Nafisi gathered a group of students who were only female to join her in discussing literature every Thursday morning. Thus, they ended up writing a story of "Lolita in Tehran," which described how Tehran assisted in redefining Nabokov's novel, changing it into Lolita and how Lolita provided different color (Nafisi and Lotfali, 35).

The behavior change in women was experienced when the chosen students who were to attend Nafisi's class were picked not considering their religious background as well as their ideological backgrounds. It differs from the initial mixed class, which was based on religious and cultural backgrounds. Thus, in the case of Tehran women, there was a greater change of behavior, and they gained more courage than before. They also could survive because of their solitary lives.

The Citadel boys' behavior was very bad at first, and it pushed Faludi to gain an interest in writing about feminism. Faludi believed that some changes might be created through her writing and the views which are heard as a result of the writing. The Naked Citadel describes the behavior of the male military, which was against feminism. The book was backed up with the "Terror Dream Charts," which was exploring the attitude of the anti-feminists in the wartime (Faludi, 67). Therefore, the beginning of the behavior change for the Citadel boys was where Faludi claims that she hopes in the society where women and men can work cooperatively together and on the same footing. Faludi also believed that reviving feminism, which was the genuinely required disconnection of feminism from the person's happiness pursuit and connecting it with the desire of a person for social responsibility.

The term sanctuary was described by the women in Iran as the universe, which is self-contained, mocking the black scarves' reality as well as embracing the faces which are timid in the city. And their world in the living room which had the window framing the beloved mountains of Elburz, which turned to be the sanctuary. The Citadel boys had no well-defined sanctuary, but they considered it as there resting place and the meeting point for those who played football. It was their living room, and most consultations were done in that room. Like for instance, Watt could instruct Faludi while in his living room surrounded with a cup of coffee and football things that females were not allowed to be with males in the same field (Faludi, 55).

From that observation, Faludi understood how Citadel presented itself as the sanctuary from the effeminize and libertine world. In Citadel, the sanctuary was more of a military room where the boys who were wearing cadet could enter, not anybody else. It was also clearly indicated outside the gate that females were not allowed to get in. Only a few tough females could find a way to get inside. It showed gender discrimination and how women are less valued in society. Therefore, Faludi gained more interest to continue fighting for women so that they could also have access to the Citadel sanctuary.

The living room acted as the symbol of borrowed and nomad life for Iranian women. Thus, the weekly meetings in the Nafisi's living room served as the sanctuary for the women who were in the group of literature, and from there, they found the need to expose their true selves, including all their true colors.

The reason is that initially before Nafisi decides to bring women together, the room was given more attention, and they feared even getting closer to the room. But after realizing their full worth, the living room gained another different attention in the eyes of the Iran women because it has turned to be the precious memory object (Nafisi and Lotfali, 50). Women could gather inside that living room every week to learn as they exchange ideas. It resulted in them having more courage, and they could even love education by waking up very early to go to school, putting aside the fact that they could be beaten when they arrive late in school.

The Citadel could be considered to be functioning as the totalitarian regime. For instance, Faludi was trying to unfold the male domination world that was existing in Citadel. It could take an extremely confident woman to even get inside the male college like Citadel. Thus, to break the totalitarian regime, Faludi resulted in the feminist who which more concerned with fighting for the rights of women within the male-dominated society like Citadel. Therefore, the Citadel's laws are seen to be similar to the Islamic Republic laws after the revolution concerning their behavior towards women. It is evident when Faludi and Nasifi resolved to fight for the rights of women after the oppression they experienced in society (Faludi, 71).

The Islamic Republic law denied women the opportunity to express themselves and also to even teach in class freely. Nafisi claims that she could dream of even creating some classes which were special so that she could get the freedom that she was denied while teaching in the Islamic Republic. She further claimed that teaching in the Islamic Republic, just like any other school, was subservient to politics and was subjected to the arbitrary rules. Occasionally, the happiness of teaching was taken by the consideration and diversions which were forced on women by the regime (Faludi, 60). The same case is experienced with the Citadel boys, whereby Faludi claims that no woman was allowed to sit in the classroom, and if it happened, it was questioned whether she was supposed to sit there or not. Females were only allowed to attend summer schools with the cadets and evening schools, which were not considered as part of the college schooling. (Faludi, 60).

The two authors that are Nafisi and Faludi would strongly agree with each other's writing and the main idea. They are both trying to fight for the rights of women in society and absorbing them in different fields within the society.

From their experience, women have been suffering by being discriminated against on important occasions, they are beaten, and they are not recognized as important beings that should get an education. Therefore, the two authors are addressing those problems that women undergo to bring their full potential to society. Faludi is advocating for the feminist movement that mainly aims at ensuring that women are also getting equal opportunities that men get in society.

Works Cited

Nafisi, Azar, and Lotfali Khonji. That Other World: Nabokov and the Puzzle of Exile. Yale University Press, 2019.

Faludi, Susan. "The naked citadel." The New Yorker 5. September (1994).