Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis

Many women agree that wearing a veil is as “insult” towards their rights. “We didn’t really like to wear the veil, especially because we didn’t understand why we had to,” says one of the girls at school (Satrapi 681). They complained that it was too hot and some go ahead and take them off and play with them. Some used their veil to jump rope or throw them away. “Everywhere in the streets there were demonstrations for and against the veil” (Satrapi 683). Satrapi is unsure about how she feels when wearing the veil. She states how she was “born with religion” and believes that she would be “the last prophet” ever since she was little. She has a holy book, which has the rules of the first prophet of her country, Zarathustra. She claimed life must be based on “Behave well, Speak well, Act well.” Her grandmother is the only person who knows about her holy book, which she has. The rules say that all should have cars, that maids should eat with others, and that the elderly should not have to suffer. As Satrapi’s grandma questions how she will make it so the elderly will not suffer, Satrapi states, “It will simply be forbidden (Satrapi

Abayas, shailas, burkas, and chadors: all are forms of veiling in the Middle East, and all are perceived as symbols of oppression and patriarchy by the West. The veil worn by a Middle Eastern woman is striking and beautiful in its simplicity and elegance. The hijab, the most common form of veiling, leaves only the face visible with the neck and hair completely covered. Onlookers are in awe at the mystery and symbolism associated with the many veils created out of fine, exotic silk. But such notions of oppression and patriarchy often associated with veiling are not only inherently biased and ironic – it would be interesting to explore the symbolism behind a mini-skirt or a pair of five-inch heels, no? – but they are also inaccurate. Although veiling has most definitely been used in the Middle East as a “mechanism in the service of patriarchy, a means of regulating and controlling women’s lives” (Hoodfar, 5), it has also been used as a mode for rebellion and self-expression. Marjane Satrapi, an Iranian woman who grew up during the Islamic revolution, resisted the regime and the universalizing nature of the veil in the hope that she could maintain her individual identity whilst communicating her political ideologies. By examining the way in which the veil is represented in Satrapi’s graphic memoir, Persepolis, while also considering the history of veiling in Iran, it will become evident that the veil is not just a political tool used by male chauvinists; it also presents an

As a result, women resourced to veiling which “served not merely to mark the upper classes, but, fundamentally to differentiate between “respectable” women and those who were publicly available…the veil classified women according to their sexual activity” (Ahmed, 1992, p. 15). Although the act of veiling consolidated the patriarchal society, women who were part of the upper class could engage in their family business, inherit property if they became

Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis introduces the Islamic veil as an attempt by the Iranian government to control women. Islamic radicals promised safety and security for those who abided by their rules. Rebels who refused to wear the headscarf were threatened with beating, rape or death. These modern women who fought against religious oppression met the minimal requirements of the government rules to safely live in the hostile environment. Through being forced to wear the veil, the control of the Islamic government drives its people to a rebellion.

Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood by Marjane Satrapi is a graphic novel that provides insight into a young girl living in Iran during the hardship of war. Persepolis takes place during the childhood of Marjane Satrapi. It gives a background of the Islamic Revolution and the war in Iran. Satrapi attempts to guide herself in a corrupted world filled with propaganda. She tries to develop her own morality concerning religion, politics, and humanity. Satrapi was blessed enough to have high class status and parents who had an open mindset about the world around them. Thanks to her slightly alternative lifestyle, she is able to reconstruct gender norms that society has set by depicting the different ways women resist them. “Do Muslim Women Really Need Saving? Anthropological Reflections on Cultural Relativism and Its Others” by Lila Abu-Lughod is an essay detailing the misconceptions surrounding the veil. Through this essay we can see how colonial feminism, the form of feminism in which western women push for a western way of living on their third world counterparts, has shined a negative light on cultures all around the world - particularly Islamic women. The essay shows how women who don’t conform to American societal structures are labeled as women who urgently require saving. Through this essay one can develop a thorough understanding of the veil itself and the many representations it holds to different entities. Although in Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood Satrapi

Another aspect of the veil is the identity value, many women from different countries affirmed they feel that the veil is part of them; it is so important for them that “many women […] feel self-conscious, vulnerable, and even naked when they first walked on a public street without the veil […] as if they were making a display of themselves” – paragraph 22

One of these incidents occurs when Marjane is in art school. When the students were told that they needed to wear longer headscarves, Satrapi immediately responded that “as a student of art…I need to move freely to be able to draw.” She further questions “why is it that I, as a woman, am expected to feel nothing when watching these men with their clothes sculpted on but they, as men, can get excited by two-inches less of my head scarf?” here Marjane questions the restrictiveness of the veil and comments on the injustice in Muslim society and the gender inequality. The veil represent the repressions and the gender injustices in Iran. By revolting against the veil Marjane is able to protest the repressions. On hearing Marjanes complaint, the school administrators asked Satrapi to design her own veil. Marjane accepts this offer while still in the confines of the veil. Marjane designs the veil to suit the needs of the students and

Ultimately, Satrapi’s images of the indistinguishable characters accentuate the perception of a western reader to see the Veil as quite oppressive. In America, young teenagers live in a society where clothing and hair is meant to define and express themselves. It is normal for a 17 year old girl to curl her hair and go on a date with her boyfriend. However, in Iran, this is not the case, and as evident in Persepolis, woman are restricted to show her hair or publically show affection to any man who is not her husband. This restriction is something that not many people, especially in predominantly Christian societies are accustomed to. On page 74, Taji, Marjane's mother warns her daughter by explaining one of her experiences, "They insulted me. They said that women like me should be pushed up against a wall and fucked. And then thrown in the garbage. ...And that if I didn't want that to happen, I should wear the veil...” Indeed, Marjane had always been deprived of her individuality, not only as a woman, but as a person. Being a woman in Iran meant Marjane was never able to fully express herself, not only by not

In Gilead everyone was supposed to dress alike depending on the social status they belonged to, masking their individuality, which was highly discouraged. This actually stripped the girls of their actual identities made them all look identical to their class. Similarly the veils impact on women’s life in Persepolis was enormous. She always wondered as to ‘why did the women have to wear it?’ and the reasoning the fundamentalist gave was “so to protect women from all the potential rapist, they decreed that wearing the veil was obligatory” (74). Satrapi says because of this backward thought process and the rules of the Islamic religion, women were forced to wear veil. However one would argue why wouldn’t these people deal with the rapist than have every women and every girl child were a veil.

In the beginning of the graphic novel, Satrapi portrays a frame where the children are playing with the veil to reveal a rebellious nature against the Islamic Revolution. “We didn’t really like to wear the veil, especially since we didn’t understand why we had to” (Satrapi 3). The narrator refuses to accept the change implemented by the Islamic Revolution’s philosophy. She conveys a message where many the children do not want to follow the new custom by creating an image where kids disrespect the veil. This image convinces the readers many of the children do not want to wear the veil is powerful. Western readers always stereotyped that all middle eastern girls dressed in a

Marjane Satrapi wrote a riveting novel, Persepolis, describing her childhood living through the Islamic Revolution in Iran. While showing the impact of this phenomenon on her family and friends, she also reveals how the events developed her character as well. She effectively demonstrates the themes of gender roles, social class, and loss of innocence through the use of graphics in her novel. First Body Paragraph: Gender Roles This image shows a woman in a house, washing dishes, while a man is outside, washing a car.

The veil was such a hindrance that the author made a whole chapter about it ironically calling the chapter “veil,” but that’s not wear the inequality ends, not only was it the fact that women had to wear the veil, but the men were free to express themselves, they could wear what they please and not have to be worried about being set on fire for breaking the

Persepolis tells the story of a young girl named Marjane who grew up in Iran in the 1970’s. Iran at the time was a dictatorship that experienced a period with a new leader as well as a war with Iraq. Throughout Part One of Persepolis women and young girls are marginalized, excluded, and silenced in order show the oppressive dictatorship of their religious society. Some examples of this are how they are forced to dress, the jobs they are allowed to have, the way they must act, as well as what happens to them when they are arrested. These are just some of the many examples of how women in Persepolis are marginalized, excluded, and silenced particularly by a religious dictatorship.

Even the youngest women are resisting to wear the veil, and is a great example of how western influence is victimizing women that are oppressed and are categorized into a suppressive group by wearing the veil. Satrapi was stuck in two mind sets which were the liberal-minded world of her parents and her religiosity. Another crucial moment of the chapter is where she says, “I really didn’t know what to think about the veil. Deep down I was very religious but as a family we were very modern and avant-garde” (6.1). Satrapi had an important role when this big change happened. She was an individual who had a strong character as a child. Her family sees being religious while not wearing a veil compatible, the government believes the opposite. Satrapi foreshadows how at the end of the story she leaves Iran but never escapes her homeland Iran.

Marji notices the many differences between equality for all genders, and how one sided and strict the rules towards it can be. The women must wear veils in public at all times and must refrain showing too much skin, so they don’t “tempt” men. This rule is not accepted by Marji and her family, and find the rule absurd. The opinion on the veil started as it was required to wear in school. In the first chapter, “The Veil,” Marji comments on the first opinion on the veil. “We didn’t really like to wear the veil, especially since we didn’t understand why we had to.” (Satrapi, 3). Marji really expresses her opinion on women’s rights and how strict they are compared to men’s in the chapter “The Convocation.” She points out to the administration how one sided the rights are and how things are unfair. In her own words “ Why is it that, as a woman, am expected to feel nothing when watching these men with their clothes sculpted on but they, as men can get excited by two inches less of my head-scarf?” ( Satrapi, 297). This explains that women are suppose to compose