Analysis Of Not Without My Daughter
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8 Pages
Not without my daughter, written by Betty Mahmoody with William Hoffer is a book based on real events about a woman who fights with bravery for her and her daughter’s freedom. It’s about the true struggle she faced in the patriarchal society of Iran, with courage and determination. The story revolves around a Michigan housewife who accompanied her Muslim husband with their daughter to Iran for two week trip. But to her horror and shock it becomes a permanent stay. She found herself and her four-year-old daughter, Mahtob, virtual prisoners of a man rededicated to his Shiite Moslem faith, in a land where women are near-slaves and Americans despised. It is about her struggle to escape a country that she can’t identify and connect with and to save
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The portrayal of Iran and Islam as male dominant country and religion further the stereotypes attached with Iran by the west i.e. primitive, barbaric, fundamentalist, dirty, despotic, orthodox and authoritative.
This memoir is highly influenced by the Islamic revolution’s ideologies and Iraq-Iran war. Betty Mahmoody being an American woman who was independent, self reliant, had liberty and freedom to not only her thoughts but also to her way of dressing, comes to a nation where being a women and American was despised and the latter was hated, Betty was trapped in Iran and could not return to the United States.
The memoir begins with the theme of motherhood which is emphasized through the title as well. Though she is reluctant about going to Iran and wishes to return to America even before landing in Iran, she is more worried about her daughter’s safety. Her daughter – Mahtob which means moonlight is an innocent child of four years, unknown and unbiased to the turmoil of life. Even though Mahtob has no idea of the obstacles and the hardships, she acts as moonlight in her mother’s dark life showing her the possibility of escape by giving her …show more content…
Assault against women became common after the Islamic revolution. The followers of Ayatollah Khomeini and other religious groups believed that the women belong to inferior and submissive group and if they do not follow the commands of their husband, the husband can act aggressively upon them. In many accounts Betty describes the torture and assaults suffered by her and how people just stood there and watched as she got pummeled into a pulp. As according to their belief no one should interfere between a man and wife. She also gives an account of the way she was supposed to be dressed fully covered in chador and hijab so that no skin is shown, no single strand of hair to fall on the face, no make up to be put on or nail polish. Chador and hijab became compulsory by the government to be worn by the women after the Islamic revolution. There were religious women police who would check the dressing code of women travelling on road and would charge them if the dressing code did not avail. Men and women used to eat separately and women needed to take permission from their husband before heading out of the house. She was not even allowed contact her family in America. Her father was diagnosed with cancer but moody refused to even let her talk to him. She was treated in an ill manner and was under the constant supervision of the
The portrayal of Iran and Islam as male dominant country and religion further the stereotypes attached with Iran by the west i.e. primitive, barbaric, fundamentalist, dirty, despotic, orthodox and authoritative.
This memoir is highly influenced by the Islamic revolution’s ideologies and Iraq-Iran war. Betty Mahmoody being an American woman who was independent, self reliant, had liberty and freedom to not only her thoughts but also to her way of dressing, comes to a nation where being a women and American was despised and the latter was hated, Betty was trapped in Iran and could not return to the United States.
The memoir begins with the theme of motherhood which is emphasized through the title as well. Though she is reluctant about going to Iran and wishes to return to America even before landing in Iran, she is more worried about her daughter’s safety. Her daughter – Mahtob which means moonlight is an innocent child of four years, unknown and unbiased to the turmoil of life. Even though Mahtob has no idea of the obstacles and the hardships, she acts as moonlight in her mother’s dark life showing her the possibility of escape by giving her …show more content…
Assault against women became common after the Islamic revolution. The followers of Ayatollah Khomeini and other religious groups believed that the women belong to inferior and submissive group and if they do not follow the commands of their husband, the husband can act aggressively upon them. In many accounts Betty describes the torture and assaults suffered by her and how people just stood there and watched as she got pummeled into a pulp. As according to their belief no one should interfere between a man and wife. She also gives an account of the way she was supposed to be dressed fully covered in chador and hijab so that no skin is shown, no single strand of hair to fall on the face, no make up to be put on or nail polish. Chador and hijab became compulsory by the government to be worn by the women after the Islamic revolution. There were religious women police who would check the dressing code of women travelling on road and would charge them if the dressing code did not avail. Men and women used to eat separately and women needed to take permission from their husband before heading out of the house. She was not even allowed contact her family in America. Her father was diagnosed with cancer but moody refused to even let her talk to him. She was treated in an ill manner and was under the constant supervision of the