Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis: An Analysis

Marji’s mother is oppressed in the sense that she is a woman living in an unstable Iran and not being accepted into society because of it. Marji’s mother experiences various acts of sexism, and radicalism throughout the story, such as being forced to cover her hair by wearing a veil. The author shows us that Marji’s mother is very proud to be a woman, and because of this is often laughed at or viewed as inferior. One of the ways Marji’s mother learns to free herself from this oppression is by defying the rule of the government privately in her home. “Across the street, they’re totally devoted to the new regime.

Marji has to deal with things earlier than others the same age as her in different countries. As a child, Marji is exposed to the brunt of events going on in her country, especially

Marji began rebelling against what her parents said very early in her life. Even though her parents had unintentionally raised her to be rebellious by being that way themselves, they were surprised when she rebelled. Marji didn’t seem to realize that they were rebelling with good cause, so she rebelled. An instance of rebellion was when she and her friends decided to “nail” one of her classmates. She said “My idea was to put nails between our fingers like American brass knuckles and to attack Ramin.” (45). After being spoken to about her actions, she told herself “You have to forgive! You have to forgive! I had the feeling of being someone really, really good.” (46). After Marji went to Vienna, she was staying with nuns. She was being yelled at for eating out of a pot while watching tv. The nun said “ It’s true what they say about Iranians. They have no education.” (177). Marji replied, “It’s true what they say about you, too. You were all prostitutes before becoming

Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis recounts the conflicts and disillusionment as a result of living through the tyrannies of the Shah’s and the Islamic regimes. Her main motive was to keep alive the spirit of those Iranians who lost their lives in wars fought for freedom, suffered under repressive regimes or who were forced to leave their families. It highlights the daily conflict between tradition and modernity, West and East, dictatorship and individual freedom. Marjane has used several motifs, such as the veil, the mirror, background panels to emphasize on the situation in Iran and this essay focuses on how the veil becomes the dominant motif for portraying the suppression of individual freedom, knowledge

Furthermore, facial expressions also enhance the understanding of the story by showing the character 's body language. Almost all of Marjane’s pictures show her frowning and sad face as a result of the new Islamic system that invades her life. Even though the pictures don’t have a lot of texts or details, they still serve what Marjane wants to deliver. In conclusion, all of these pictures and images are used for the purpose of delivering the message that everyone should have the right and the freedom to do what they think is convenient for them without any restrictions or rules against them. Marjane shows how she is proud of her mom for raising her voice, even though everyone is against her. Everyone should be treated the same no matter what religion they follow, or what gender they are.

As Marji got older, it becomes more apparent that she was battling an inner conflict. When she spoke of her plans to her class of becoming a prophet, the children mocked her and the teacher called her parents in to say, “Your child is disturbed. She wants to become a prophet.” (8) Marji’s parents were a modern couple who fought against the new regime. Marji became conflicted when her parents asked her if she

(7). Her grandmother also buys her books to help educate her on what is going on in their country (28). Both of these actions display that her grandmother wants her to be educated and also wants Marji to do whatever she desires and teaches her that she truly can be whatever she wishes. Before Marji leaves to go to Austria, her grandmother tells her “always keep your dignity and be true to yourself” (150). This is something that continually goes through Marji’s mind as she begins to make mistakes, being true to herself is something Marji is constantly struggling for and becomes a major theme throughout the novel. In the end of the novel Marji learns how to be true to herself and her ambitions as she divorces Reza and moves to Paris, which was an action heavily based on the ethics and teachings of her grandmother.

In the year of 1979 all that Marjane knew what it was like to not have to be forced into wearing a veil. Before the Islamic Revolution she was able to attend a a French Non-Religious school where girls and boys were allowed to study and play together. Unfortunately her world of carefree ness ended

As Marji learns about the truth about reality, so do we. As she continues to grow up, her family taught her about their own idealist. Marji was influence by her families’ ideologies and beliefs.             In Persepolis, women are restricted from wearing

In the novel they discuss many events that occurred during the revolution. The government shut down the U.S. embassy and the universities, all women were forced to wear the veil and Iraqi fighter jets bombed Tehran.iii When her parents travel to Turkey they break the law by smuggling posters in her father’s jacket. If the government knew what her family did, her parents would have been arrested. Marji's family also drinks and throws parties, which is illegal and continues with their dangerous conduct because they enjoy it. Just because the Shah has made it illegal does not stop her parent’s actions. Eventually, Marji’s mother’s pessimism won out over her father’s optimism. The Iraqis had missiles and the Tehran became the target.

When she sends Marjane away from Iran, she assures her: “I know how I brought you up. Above all, I trust your education” (147). Marjane’s mother doesn’t want her daughter to live in such an oppressive time. When the veils become mandatory, Marjane’s mother wishes to take her to an opposition demonstration: “She should start learning to defend her rights as a woman right now!” (76) In growing up with such strong female role models, Marjane learns to express her opinion and always stand by her beliefs. They taught her to stand up for herself as a woman, and in doing so, introduced her to a feminist perspective on life.

After the revolution that was sparked by a group of islamic fundamentalists, the people’s support for western ways of life had to be abandoned. That made Iran a more islamic country with a government that reinforces the word and doctrine of Allah. This affected Marjane because she is a westernized woman and grew up in a westernized environment. The context proves that Marjane felt alienated from her culture and society because it’s not where she belongs. This is proven in the chapter ‘’The Socks’’, where Marjane organizes private parties in which she has fun with other women without respecting the society and its restrictions. It also shows a juxtaposition between her behaviour in public and and her behaviour in private. This shows that even if the society obligates her to act less westernized, she continues to do whatever she likes but privately. This proves again the theme of rebellion, she is a rebellious person since her

Marji’s hatred towards the new Islamic government due to the oppression her loved ones have had to endure, causes her to act out and rebel against the law. There are many instances of Marji’s defiance against the government and religion. One example of her rebellious nature is exemplified when she and her maid, Mehri, decide that “tomorrow [they] are going to demonstrate” (Satrapi, 38). She makes this decision after discovering the truth on social hierarchy and the government in Iran. She wants to support the Iranian citizens in fighting against the rules and religion to make Iran a free country again. Another example

Persepolis is a coming of age story for Marji living in the middle of the Iranian war and adapting to the changes to both her culture and her personal life. Inequality between genders is heavily discussed within the story, as well as the struggles between the fundamentalist ideas and customs compared to the less extreme morals of some families: it is shown through the simplistic, but effective images by Satrapi.

The graphic novel Persepolis, by Marjane Satrapi, explores her childhood years in the middle of the Islamic Revolution. Situated in the commotion of the overthrowing of the Shah's regime, and the war with Iraq, the reader learns how secularists, nationalists and even Muslims marginalized, excluded and silenced the modernists in Iran during the Islamic