"The Sheep" ends with Marji trapped in a state of despair. A "good part of her family" has left the country, and the boy she likes tells her that he is leaving for the United States. Her family friends are being murdered, and to top it all off her beloved uncle gets executed. He was allowed one visitor before his death and he chose Marji. He called her the "star of his life" and tells her how much he loves her. The last panel of the chapter shows Marji's thoughts: "And so I was lost, without any bearings... what could be worse than that?" A speech bubble underneath these words read: "Marji, run to the basement! We're being bombed!"
Throughout this chapter I was reminded repeatedly of The Book Thief, a book that took place during World War 2. The main character, Liesl, lost all of her friends and family in a bombing. She survived the bombing because she was sitting in a basement that was just deep enough to keep her safe. After the bombing she ran outside to see if everyone was OK. The first face that met her eyes was the one of her best friend, who she secretly liked. The second was her mother, and the third her father, who she loved more than anything. Her father was very similar to Anoosh in Marji's story. They both always had calming words, never lost their temper, and loved their daughter/niece with all their heart.
The Book Thief and Persepolis both take place in times of war, and war always has tragic events. But I hope Persepolis has a more lighthearted and hopeful ending.
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