When reading the Septembers of Shiraz, I was inspired by one of the quotations cited. It is a moving story, in that a man is returned to his family after a long term of imprisonment by the guards of the revolution, who imprisoned, tortured, and/or executed anyone that had any association with the Shah of Iran or lived a wealthy life. The quotation describes a memory that Shirin had of a conversation between her and her father when she was much younger, and before his imprisonment. It is as follows:
In the candlelight her father resembles a Dutch painting-Rembrandt’s Old Jew Seated- whose reproduction he had kept above his desk for years. Looking at the old man painted in so many shades of brown- at his gaunt, aged hands and his downcast eyes- Shirin had once said to him, “This painting is so sad, Baba. Why do you keep it here?” “One day,” he had said, “you will understand it. And then you will find it beautiful. (Page 267)
At the beginning of the novel, Shirin had a naive perspective of the sad old man portrayed in the painting, but upon her father’s return, she finally understood the beauty in that piece of art.
At first, I was confused by these quotations. I can understand the beauty that can be seen in old age, but the man in the picture looks sad, almost like he was worn out and had to endure many struggles in his lifetime. It is hard for some, including myself at times, to see this and to imagine the beauty of it, because beauty is sometimes seen in perfection and inspiration. However, who is to say that that man is not perfection? There are signs of struggle on his face and in his eyes, but he represents the life of someone who has endured many pains, has seen many sights, has acquired much knowledge, and is still able to pose for a painting.
His face is much like the canvas of the painting itself. Upon it bears his strengths and weaknesses. As the artist shades the hollows of his cheeks and the wrinkles of his forehead it is like he is painting a story. In the story, the main character has been to many lands and faced many hardships in each one, maybe even finding love, the wrinkles concealing this love now lost. Throughout his journey he has met thousands of people, learning something new from them all, whether it be acceptance, tolerance, or friendship. Their knowledge has been shared with him and has become his knowledge, his knowledge being a mixing pot of all the influences he has encountered throughout the years. With all he has endured, he sits upon the stool, vulnerable to the artist and his perceptions.
When Shirin’s father returned home after his long imprisonment, he resembled this man in many ways. His face was hollow, eyes lifeless and sad, and his face gray. His appearance was not necessarily due to a lifetime of struggles and experiences but a combination of a his life, and the few gruesome months of imprisonment. He endured pain, acquired sympathy, and make acquaintances in which stories were exchanged and secret bonds made. The experiences of being imprisoned will forever be etched on his face and body, as scars or just as a ghostly shadow often shielding his eyes as his memory wanders. The simple answer when trying to imagine the beauty of this situation is that he is beautiful because he is alive and was able to make it back to his family. There is also beauty, however, in the evolution that occurred while in the dark torturous prison. His love and appreciation for his family flowered and reflected on all that he endured and all that he had to give up just to return to them. The beauty of his return is not only because he is alive, but also because he actually returned to them. He suffered, and he was no longer a wealthy man, but in his final straw of life he managed to return to what he realized was most wonderful in his life.