Persepolis

Marji Satrapi describes her life in Iran as a child with limits on what she could learn, what she should believe, what she should wear and where she could go. Iranian society even imposed rule on who you could and should date. The restrictions that were placed on her were not given to her largely by her parents, they were mainly issuances by the government, the parents job were to enforce the rules set by the government. She was only allowed to express herself at home amongst her family. American children have much more freedom any restrictions on education are under the school board regulation, the board is voted in by the citizen of the community aka the parents, the childs belief system is regulated by the parents, the child wardrobe are often combined efforts of both child and parent and where a child goes is often monitored by the parents. While a child parents may not like the choice their child makes regarding dating, they are often at odds with their children to prohibit their dating choices. Children in America are under the limitations of their parents or guardians.
As a young women in Austria, Marji tried to fit into a society that she did not understand and without the rule and restrictions that she was use to she tried to make sense of what she was feeling, seeing and what was happening around her without guidance and unfortunately things did not go well for her. She was alone in a foreign land left to manage on her own, she did not feel she could call on her parents for guidance or assistance. American young women are raised to seek a certain level of independence as they grow up and once they reach a certain age they feel they are ready to strike out on their own, however they often seek the advice or guidance of their parents or guardian until they feel they have better understanding of their circumstances.
As Americans we often take for granted the way in which our society functions and don't realize that American liberties are unique to us .

The Moviegoer

I think Binx did not have inclination to "say much" about his search because it did not happen and more than likely would not happen for two reasons: lack of purposeful pursuit and Kate.



The lack of purposeful pursuit is due to Binx not having a clear understanding of what his actual intent was. In the beginning he referred to the search as "very simple, at least for a fellow like me; so simple that it is easily overlooked" and that it was a search "anyone would undertake if he were not sunk in the everydayness of his own life", yet Binx describes his self as "a model tenant and a model citizen", which would definitely fit within the realm of everydayness. He had everyday habits of going to work, going to the newsstand and how he got around town by bus/trolley. He has usual habits like going to the movies, driving to the Gulf Coast and visiting his aunt. Based on the everdayness of his character as he described his life how could he know? Did he even recognize his on everydayness, was he sunk in it and if so did he know what to do about it? I don't think he ever had an answer for himself or even if he had inquired of himself enough to know how to start, where to start or when to start. With all that in mind Binx's search never went beyond being an ideal in his mind and he realized in the end that he could really give much relevance to the idea of his ideal.

Kate changed his life by allowing him to focus more on her and her needs and less on his "search." Binx allowed Kate to go awaywith him thinking he would be able to help her. Binx didn't have time to think about the search while he tried to understand what Kate needed and how best to handle those needs, at the same time Kate's often scattered thoughts and conversations left him wandering about himself in terms of whether or not he knew what direction they should go. He was confused by he ramblings on the train to Chicago and once in Chicago he was overwhelmed by sights, sounds and smells as well as dealing with unsettled emotions brought on by being back in Chicago after 25 years. While Binx was unsettled Kate took charge in Chicago and she took charge again after they returned to face the aunt. Binx no longer needed to "say much" about the search has he had acquired a new focus and purpose, Kate.