Persepolis page 70 Analysis

In the novel Persepolis Marjane Satrapi not only grabs the reader’s attention with words, but also with detailed comic illustrations. The common saying “a picture is worth a thousand words” is spot on in this story. The pictures bring the story to life but in particular page 70 really stood out to me. God often appears to Marjane throughout the story especially when she is having a hard time in her life. After a tragic death in the family instead of letting him comfort her she turns her back on him forever.

            To understand Marjane's strong emotion we must look at the first image and the history behind it. The first picture on page 70 is her uncle Anoosh in the news paper, announcing his death. The heading says “Russian Spy Executed” (70). Marjane had never heard about her uncle until she was about ten years old. She immediately connected with him; she looked up to him and thought of him as a hero because he was imprisoned for attempting to create a democracy. He was against the Shah and that was a major crime. The story never says he was a spy; he only lived in Moscow to get away from the Iranian government. This image shows how unjust the government was at this time. By portraying him as a Russian spy it makes the Iranian government look like the hero, when they really just don’t want the idea of a communism spreading.

            When Marjane found out this devastating news she laid on her bed and said to herself “Everything will be alright…” (70), a phrase her uncle Anoosh often said when anything went wrong. When suddenly god appeared and her face changed from very sad to a look of hatred. She went from sobbing to yelling in a few seconds. She stood up on her bed, pointed towards the door, and screamed “Shut up, you! Get out of my life!!! I never want to see you again!” (70). He was only concerned for her and she projected all of her anger towards him.

            In parts of the story earlier on, Marjanes face lit up when god came into her life. He was her protector. Someone she could lean on. When the tragic death happened her attitude towards him completely flipped. At that moment she pushed him out of her life forever. She probably reacted so strongly because she blamed him for the death of her uncle. He was supposed to protect her and he let her down. God listened to her command because he never appeared in the novel again. This marks a significant shift in the story because after this she no longer cared what god thought about anything, she focused on what she wanted and no longer had that faith and innocence she had when she was younger.