Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood Themes
The Graphic Novel
The medium of storytelling is as important as the story itself in a graphic
novel. By using frames of drawing with minimal text, the graphic novel calls
on the reader to enter into a different kind of textual interpretation. A reader
must read the captions of the frames and interpret this text within the
context of the paneled art. Artistic style becomes as important as text for
relaying narrative to the reader.
Persepolis brings a particular graphic style to the autobiographical
narrative. Satrapi draws in a minimalist style: black and white, often only six
to eight panels on a page. This style is meant to represent a childlike
understanding of the world since the novel follows Satrapi's own childhood.
The black and white symbolizes both the past and how the Islamic
revolution left Iran devoid of its rich colorful cultural history. The medium of
the graphic novel is also important here because iconic representations of
Islam are forbidden by the Islamic regime. The novel is, thus, a form of
protest as well as art.
Tension between Past and Present
Throughout the novel, Marjane feels a tension between the great and
glorious past of the Persian Empire and the violence and problems of
modern Iran. In the novel's opening chapters, she identifies herself with the
great prophets of the past dating back to Zarathustra. She imagines herself
as a symbol of love and tolerance. When the Iran-Iraq War begins, she
vehemently defends it as a just cause and relates it to a 1400-year conflict
that has been waged between the Arabs and the Persians.
This unwavering belief in the past is put in tension with the novel's present
day political intolerance and religious fundamentalism. Marjane's pride in
her history is in direct conflict with the imprisonment of political
revolutionaries and, later, the execution of those that speak out against the
strict cultural demands of the Islamic regime. Marjane's journey through the
novel is an exploration of how one can love one's past while denouncing its
present condition.
Bildungsroman
The bildungsroman is a genre of literature in which the protagonist
undergoes a process of intense moral growth and self-actualization. For a
work to be considered a bildungsroman, the protagonist must progress from
childhood to adulthood, leave home to undergo a journey, and develop a
more mature understanding of his or her self.
Satrapi's novel, especially if considered in the larger context of the second
volume of the series, falls into all of these categories. Marjane
begins Persepolis as a child and by the end of the novel declares her
independence from her mother and father through the ritual of smoking a
cigarette. Marjane's parents force her to leave her war torn home for her
safety and this begins her journey. Throughout the novel Marjane must
reconcile her own beliefs and understanding of the world with the strict
cultural rules of the Islamic regime.
Class Conflict
Class conflict is an underlying tension throughout the novel. At the
beginning, Marjane cannot quite grasp how her father can drive a Cadillac
and her family can have a maid while also preaching the virtues of classconsciousness and equality. Iran's history is seen as a history of both great
wealth and great poverty. The 1979 Revolution is characterized by Satrapi
as largely a Marxist revolution undertaken by the urban cultural elites on
behalf of the impoverished people of Iran's countryside.
This conflict is more clearly seen in the chapter "The Letter." In this chapter,
Marjane's maid is forced to abandon her love for a neighbor. They cannot be
together, Mr. Satrapi tells his daughter, because their social classes are not
supposed to marry. Marjane sees a great injustice in this belief because, at
the same time, her parents march in the streets for a Marxist revolution in
the nation.
Modernity vs. Fundamentalism
The inability of the Marxist and Socialist revolutionaries to gain political
power after the 1979 Revolution causes a great strain for families such as
the Satrapis. These families see themselves as modern people. They hold
Western political and social beliefs. This is not just seen in the kinds of
Western material things that Marjane and her family seek out -- things like
rock posters, jean jackets, hamburgers, and Cadillacs. It is also seen in the
social values that they hold -- a belief in the rights of women, liberal
education, and human rights.
Religious and ideological fundamentalism is portrayed as a hindrance to the
development of Iran. This fundamentalism represses its people. It not only
takes away the material things that the people enjoy but it also takes away
their identity and dignity. According to the author in the book's introduction,
one of the chief reasons for writing Persepolis is to show the perspective of
a modern Iran persecuted and punished by a few "extremists."
The Abandonment of Faith
Much of the novel's first half is a recounting of the author's loss of naivety
and faith. As a child, Marjane sees herself as a prophet in the line of
Zarathustra, Moses, Jesus, and Mohammed. Her imaginary friend is her
vision of God as an old man with a long flowing beard. In these scenes from
childhood, God encourages Marjane to become a prophet and to stand up
for love and justice.
As Marjane begins to confront the political and social realities of her world,
the reader sees her slowly detaching from her faith. As she hears stories of
political imprisonment and torture, she finds that God no longer gives her
comfort. As the Islamic regime comes into power, she feels that she cannot
defend a faith represented by such fundamentalism. The imprisonment and
execution of her Uncle Anoosh causes a break in her faith and she describes
herself as lost and alone in the universe.
The Relationship between Parents and Children
Throughout the novel, Satrapi uses her own relationship with her parents as
a metaphor for her relationship with her country and the wider world. The
conflict and love she experiences with her parents is a necessary part of her
growth as a person. Her relationship with her mother and father is both
tender and full of tension. Her parents love her and seek to provide her with
the best in education and upbringing. They hope to provide her with a life
full of privileges.
At the same time, however, Marjane feels a great tension between her
parents' political views and their actions. Their belief in equality and
liberation for the working classes conflicts with the privilege that they hold
and seek in society. On one occasion, Marjane compares her mother to the
Guardians of the Revolution, the secret police force of the Islamic regime.
The end of the novel is a representation of the eventual break that all
children must have with those that raise them. In Marjane's case, she also
breaks with the country and culture that raised her.
