In The Complete Persepolis, Satrapi details her personal harrows and delights as she undergoes the issues imposed by the Iranian Revolution. From the beginning, the readers see Marji struggle to adjust from a non-religious French school to a strictly regulated all-girls school where wearing of the veil was mandatory. From then on, she sees her parents attend protests, which initially sparks her rebellious attitude towards her surroundings, whether it is by making her own Holy Book or through her career-driven dreams. As she grows older, Marji learns more about the political terrors regarding the Shah’s actions from her neighbor and teachers. Yet no story impacts her more than her Uncle Anoosh’s, who remains her hero for a large part of the novel. Eventually, as the Iranian conflict grows and Marji becomes more rebellious, her parents send Marji to a boarding house in Vienna. As a young girl in a completely new environment, Marji attempts to assimilate with others to navigate the unfamiliar customs of Austria. However, Marji realizes the consequences of blind societal conformity as she overhears two girls disparaging her. Finally ready to reclaim her identity, Marji shouts, “I am Iranian and proud of it!” (Satrapi 197). As her mental health takes several tolls due to experiences such as homelessness, relationship complications (Markus), etc., Marji later returns to Iran. Spending time with her family rebalances her, until she finally feels ready to return back to her life in Europe, determined to live better.
To understand Marjane Satrapi’s narrative, it’s vital that we also analyze the historical time period it takes place in. Satrapi’s work centers around the Iranian Revolution, which was largely due to the end of the Shah’s reign. This transitional revolt occurred around 1979. At the time, the Shah could be described as quite western, as he encompassed more progressive ideals. This spurred a religious movement around the country, where Marjane and her fellow classmates were required to wear burkas or even extremists depicted in her family’s newspapers burned statues of the Shah. Like Marjane’s family, there were oppositions to this religious shift. They often conducted protests attended by her parents, which led to wide-spread riots and violent demonstrations. The Iranian Revolution was a period of polarization, where Marjane was often forced to left feeling confused about her nationalistic identity and personal morals. As a way to cope with her confusion surrounding the Iranian Revolution, Satrapi used games like the “torture game” with the neighbors in an attempt to understand the situation (Satrapi 56).
This book was quite touching, and I often felt like I knew Marji on a personal level because of how raw of an author she was. Frequently, Satrapi utilizes a candid tone, effectively echoing how Marji recognizes the potential consequences of being honest, yet she choses to stay true to herself rather than conform to the expectations of the Iranian leaders. For example, while every student aims to sound conservative in hopes of passing the exam, Marjane once again challenges the norm and speaks her truth, which ends up being the reason she passes.
Reflecting on Satrapi’s work, I’m once again reminded of Adichie’s Ted Talk. There are many instances where Marjane is often depicted as the “other”, which leads individuals to create false perceptions of her that force a single story upon her. A prime example is when she overhears two girls talking about how Marjane wasn’t an authentic Iranian because of her attempts like falsifying a french accent. This leads Satrapi to scream, “I am Iranian and proud of it!” (226). Clearly, the two girls used their narrow interactions with Satrapi to create an image of her that didn’t match what Satrapi stood for.
Works Cited
Adichie, C. N. (2009). The danger of a single story. TED. Retrieved September 26, 2021, from https://www.ted.com/talks/chimamanda_ngozi_adichie_the_danger_of_a_single_story.
Afary, J. (2021, March 25). Iranian Revolution. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica. com/event/Iranian-Revolution
Satrapi, M. (2000). The Complete Persepolis. Pantheon.
Hello! I really liked your context presentation for this week because to be completely honest the deep history in this book is decently confusing to me, but this presentation helps to summarize the events of the book and the cultural differences. As well as the deep history of Iran and what is happening in the book, one thing I really liked from the book is the uncensored truth about how awful the United States was during the revolutions and how the CIA gave torture tips to soldiers in the prison. I really liked the honesty throughout the book and it was refreshing to see, especially because most of what we have learned in middle school and high school sugarcoated what actions Americans took in other countries in order to achieve their own self-interests. I like your connection between this book and Adichie’s single-story ted talk, I think it was a great example and fit the point you were trying to make very well. Overall, great presentation for this week, it helped clarify a lot for me!
This context presentation was one of the best I have read through the course. Your explanation of how Marji feels through the book and the details that forced these emotions are extremely well expressed. The addition of historical context to better explains the narrative really helped me understand the context of the writing more clearly. I feel as if our generation can relate to Marji’s rebellions on a deep level and this post explains why very clearly.
I really enjoyed reading what you had to say, it was written in a well thought-out manner. You did an excellent job of not only providing the reader with a basic summary outline, but also using that to analyze not only the author through their thoughts and feelings but your own as well. I particularly was drawn towards how you connected this graphic novel back to previous stories and topic we have discussed in the beginning of the semester. Great job!