preview

Persepolis Literary Analysis

Decent Essays
Open Document

Persepolis | Marjane Satrapi In the novel Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi, the journey of Marji’s understanding of martyrdom matures from the naive concept of glorification to horrid reality through several instances such as the death of the old widow’s husband which makes Marji realize that people will falsely mark people as martyrs to strengthen their cause, the loss of Uncle Anoosh makes Marji experience what it is like to lose someone close to her, the deaths of young boy soldiers and Niloufar’s execution help make Marji realize that martyrs can be of any age. In the revolution within the novel, martyrs were often used as “fuel” added to the fire. Many people that died for their cause sparked many more followers to join the revolution. However, there are people that falsely claim that they are a martyr to receive …show more content…

This is demonstrated through her glorification of Siamak, one who has endured torture in prison. When Laly tells her that her father is “on a trip”, Marji automatically deduces that he is dead. However, when she learns about Siamak’s story of his torture, she feels shame for her own father, who has never retributed for his rebellious actions. Ashamed by the lack of “glory”, she wishes for a hero in her family. This is exemplified in the chapter entitled, ‘Moscow’, where she meets Uncle Anoosh and learns that he was imprisoned for 9 years and tortured like Siamak, which delights Marji. This shows her naivety as a character because all she wants to do is boast to her friends about the “glory” in her family. When Anoosh is executed, her desire for “glory” dissipates because she has experienced the loss of someone who she really connected with in terms of ideals and understanding. On page 71, Marji is seen endlessly floating in space, which symbolizes her feelings of loss and

Get Access