The Lion Women of Tehran

These chapters summarize a great deal of action and cover several important moments in the arcs of both protagonists. For Ellie, Homa’s arrest and Ellie’s feelings of responsibility create a sense of guilt that plagues her. This reflects the theme of Jealousy, Guilt, and Redemption as Ellie grapples with her role in Homa’s suffering and suffers its emotional toll. Ellie sees her own future changed by Homa’s arrest in that she no longer feels driven to pursue a professional career, instead content to become—as she anticipated—a wife given over to her husband: supporting his work, keeping their home, and grooming to remain attractive to him. This internal shift also plays into Ellie’s complex guilt, as she feels undeserving of happiness beyond this after Homa’s imprisonment. The fate Ellie didn’t see coming but that changes her outlook profoundly is her childlessness. The inability to have children is deeply painful to her and introduces the theme of The Protectiveness of Mothers, as Ellie yearns for the nurturing role of motherhood but is denied it.

In another irony, it is Homa, who never pursued romance or marriage, who is thrust into motherhood. Her arrest in 1963 is her profound departure from the career she dreamed of. The brutal assault on Homa’s autonomy and bodily integrity is also a foreshadowing of the attacks that will follow with the establishment of the Islamic Republic and the war with Iraq. Homa’s experiences also highlight the theme of Bonds of Friendship and Loyalty, as she endures the trauma without betraying Ellie, choosing loyalty over self-preservation in moments of interrogation.

The two protagonists are united, paradoxically, in the hope they place in America. For Ellie, traveling to the US is an opportunity to show support for her husband, even though she, for her part, doesn’t want to leave her friends and family in Iran. Ellie’s willingness to follow her husband despite her reservations is another manifestation of her internalized guilt and desire for redemption, as she feels she owes her family and husband for past mistakes. For Homa, America is a matter of her daughter’s survival. This decision underscores the theme of the protectiveness of mothers, as Homa is willing to sacrifice her own happiness and safety to ensure Bahar’s future. The future Homa wants for her country, a future that affords women freedom of choice and opportunities for fulfillment, is bound up now with the fate of Bahar. This second long separation between the women is punctuated by the chance meeting in the bazaar, which sets up the triangle that will develop in the next part among Homa, Ellie, and Bahar. This encounter at the bazaar evokes the enduring bonds of friendship and loyalty, as their lives continue to intersect despite the physical and emotional distance between them.