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Portrayal Of Women In Persepolis

Decent Essays

Women in our society have been treated as a sideline, not included, and muted across our generations. In the graphic novel Persepolis, Marjane Satrapi shows religion and authority to portray that women in the text are marginalized, excluded, and silenced. This graphic novel takes place in Iran during the Islamic Revolution, which influenced a lot of how women were treated. The women in Persepolis are marginalized, excluded, and silenced by restricted communication, forbidden to wear what they want, and not always having control of their actions. Persepolis demonstrates women being marginalized, excluded, and silenced through restricted communication. In the chapter “The Key”, the girls are being marginalized and silenced by Marji explaining a mandatory self flagellation ritual they perform twice a day as mourning the dead of the war, Marji says, “...And we had to beat our chests” in a voice-over, as a way of telling us she had no choice in the ritual or to speak during it(95). The image for the self flagellation additionally portrays this thought by everyone executing the same beating, dressed the same, and their emanata expresses a straight face looking forward in silence. Satrapi also goes on saying and showing for initiation for the beginning of school, all the girls are illustrated as confused with question marks above them as indication, as the icon/teacher says, “Let’s go children on the heart(96)” Satrapi only speaks in voiceovers as a way of indicating she, and no

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