Why does Marjane idolize her Uncle Anoosh so much?

The hero Marjane finally comes to identify with is her Uncle Anoosh who had been a political prisoner because of his Marxist views. Anoosh becomes her hero because he is both her blood relation -- this means that she is able to take on a familial identity of suffering -- and because he risked his life for his ideals. Anoosh, however, does not see such nobility in his suffering and tells Marjane that the pain of his divorce is greater than that of his torture. Anoosh’s character suggests that the bonds of family and love are, in the end, more important than political and social ideals.