Persepolis

The comic book style story Persepolis written by Marjane Satrapi gives the reader a sense of what Iran was really like in the revolutionary times. Marjane expresses the things she experienced as a young, rebellious, and witty girl. Marjane had a keen awareness for the world around her at a very young age. She was in the midst of the revolution, but by reading a lot of books and understanding the country’s problems she was still able to form her own opinions.  The theme of rebellion occurs throughout the entire novel.  

                In 1980 the revolution began and the people were forced to conform to a lot of changes especially in the schools. Marjane was 10 years old when she was forced to wear the traditional Muslim veil at school, and girls and boys were also no longer allowed to go to school together. Most of the kids were not used to it so they used the veils as everything except what they were meant for. She was also taught in school that the king was chosen by god. This directly conflicted with her parents’ belief, so when she went home and said she liked the king, her parents felt entitled to tell her about their family history. Her great grandfather was the emperor before he was overthrown by the Shah's father. He was put into power as a puppet of the British because they were after Iran’s oil. The Shah was very uneducated, so Marjane’s grandfather was made the prime minister because of all the education under his belt. The power struggle weight heavily on him so he became a communist and because of this he was thrown in jail. After she learned about the family history she was on the same page as her parents when it came to protesting the government, which they often participated in.

                She was a very independent and smart girl, and she did not take on all the beliefs that her parents had. Unlike her parents she realized that the divisions of social classes made her feel ashamed. They had a maid named Mehri who had been working for them since she was eight years old. Mehri was left alone to take care of her at the early age of 10. They essentially grew up together and when Mehri fell in love with the neighbor next door she had Marjane write letters for her because she was not able to read or write. When Marjane’s father found out that this was going on he went over to his house and informed him that Mehri was the maid and not his daughter. The boy next door never spoke to her again. After this incident Marjane said with frustration, “But is it her fault that she was born where she was born???” (pg.37). She believed that it shouldn’t matter where Mehri came from, she should have the same rights as everyone. This was not the traditional way of thinking in Iran at this time and it showed her rebelling the cultural norm.

 Marjane decided she wanted to go out demonstrating with her parents. When they forced her to stay home because it was too dangerous, she decided to go out anyway and she took Mehri with her. Of course when they got back her parents were furious at the girls. Later, that day was known as Black Friday, the worst day they could participate in the demonstrating because there was a huge massacre in one of the neighborhoods. Many unjust things happened after this time. Her uncle Anoosh was arrested and executed in the prison for being communist. Her mom was also assaulted for not wearing the veil out in public. After this all happened, her mom was so angry that she let Marjane go out and demonstrate with them. She was finally allowed to fight for what she believed in.

This rebellion continued when she went to school. After Iraq invaded the war was in full swing. It was custom to whack your heart to mourn the fallen soldiers so they were forced to do this in school, they also made winter hoods for the soldiers. All this was a joke to Marjane and her class mates. Parties, drinking alcohol, card games, and many other activities were illegal at this time. This did not stop the Satrapi family from doing all this things. They believed it was the only way to stay sane in the hard times they were living in. Her parents also went to Turkey on vacation and smuggled back westernized posters, clothing, and shoes. All of which were highly discouraged by the powerful fundamentalist. Marjane even called out her teacher about lying to the students; she said there were no more political prisoners when there were really 300,000. After their next door neighbor’s house was bombed by the Arabs, Marjanes parents decided it would be best to send her off to school in Austria. They wanted her to get a good education and be safe, both of which she could not have if she stayed in Iran. Marjane was upset she had to leave her parents at the age of 14 but she understood it was best for her.

Marjane Strapi’s complete understanding of Iran’s problems at such a young age was incredible. All these events that happened in the novel forced her to grow up very quickly. Her fundamentalist school had a completely different view than what was taught at home, and for the most part she stuck with her family. The easy thing would have been to conform to the government’s ideals, but that was the opposite from what she did. She rebelled to stay true to her family and what she believed in.