. What is a nuptial chamber? What does it symbolize?

The nuptial chamber is an old Shiite tradition. It represents the ability of the dead man to “attain carnal knowledge.” Marjane holds a newspaper filled with pictures of “Today’s Martyrs.” She asks her mother if the dead mean anything to her and she tells Marjane that life must go on. She quotes a line of her father’s: “When a big wave comes, lower your head and let it pass!” Marjane thinks that this is a very Persian philosophy, “the philosophy of resignation.”