Notes

Ballistic missiles are self-guided rockets filled with explosives. They can be launched from almost anywhere—land, aircraft, ships, and even submarines—which means the enemy doesn't need to be close to its target to strike. The Iraqis target civilians—not soldiers—with their ballistic missiles to dampen Iranian morale and cause a backlash against the Islamic regime, and they are often used in retaliation for strikes the Iranians make against Iraq. Surviving a ballistic missile strike is nearly impossible, which is why Marjane and her parents stay where they are when they hear the air raid sirens. It's also why Marjane panics after hearing they've been used in her neighborhood. She is forced to mentally confront the possibility of her family's death every time she hears the sirens.

The death of the Baba-Levys is a wake-up call to Marjane. Before the missile hit their building, the war had never quite seemed real. It happened to other people in other places and was something she and her parents discussed in abstract terms. The missile literally brings the war to Marjane's doorstep. She can't forget it or escape it as long as she stays in Iran. She will also never be able to forget seeing her friend's arm sticking out of the rubble. Years later, Satrapi still doesn't have words or images to describe the anguish she felt when she spotted Neda's bracelet among the wreckage, which is why the last panel in the chapter is completely black.

The Baba-Levys' deaths are another example of the dangerous aspects of religion. The Baba-Levys' faith, Judaism, required them to be in their home on the day of the missile strike. Had they been Muslim or any other faith, they would have remained in the hotel where they were hiding. Their home still would have been destroyed, but at least they would be alive. To Marjane, it is as if God lured them out of safety into certain danger. That is not the merciful, comforting God Marjane knows from her childhood fantasies. Like Uncle Anoosh's death, the loss of the Baba-Levys pushes Marjane farther away from the faith she once cherished.