Nahid's Iranian Culture: Summary

In the book, there were many sex secrets displayed on the table and was talked about and coincidentally they all have one idea in common and that a virgin woman is the accepted woman which leads to the woman who aren't virgins anymore to consider embroidery. Satrapi vividly retells a secret about her grandmother's friend, Nahid. Nahid's parents chose a husband for her when she was barely 18. In the Iranian culture, this was how marriages were set in the past, they were arranged. The problem was that Nahid loved someone else. Nahid cries to Satripi's grandmother saying her life is over because she has lost her virginity. Nahid said, I'm going to be married in 19 days. My husband will know that Im no longer a virgin. Everyone will know! My father will kill me! Help me, I beg you, do
After the her husband sees the few drops of blood that will symbolize his virility. But when the actually night come instead of cutting Nahid, herself she accidentally cuts a part of her husbands testicles! Although Satrapi wrote this scenario in a humorous way it also shows how absurd these woman would be in order to keep one's virginity intact. This was one example that showed in Iranian culture a woman's virginity weighs as much as their life. Nahid begged and repeatedly mentioning shame and losing her life because she have lost her virginity. Nahid begged for help to keep the fact that she has lost her virginity a secret or she will be killed. The way Nahid emphasized her father will kill her shows how much one's virginity means to their tradition. As absurd as the idea with the razor sounded, Nahid did not doubt it and went straight for it. Here, it shows the deception in tradition and morality because Nahid had betrayed both concepts because she has lost her virginity now she is just trying to cover this fact up which it doesn't change the fact that she is not a virgin