LSSL 5385: Book 10

October 22, 2019

Persepolis

By Marjane Satrapi

Satrapi, M. (2004).Persepolis. NY: Pantheon.

Persepolis is a black and white graphic novel that is memoir about Marjane Satrapi. Marjane lived in Iran during the Islamic Revolution, and when she was ten things began to change. One of the first signs of change was that she was required to wear a veil, and separated from her friends. From a very young age she had decided that she was going to be a prophet, and kept in constant communication with God. Her parents kept her supplied with books relevant to what was going on around her and in the world, and she admired Fidel, Che Guevara, and Trotsky. Marjane was constantly asking her parents to be allowed to attend protests with them. Her father photographed the demonstrations, and they always feared for his life since taking pictures was forbidden.

Marjane’s father thinks she’s old enough to know now, and informs her that her grandfather was an emperor. He was in charge before Reza Shah overthrew him. She is intrigued by her family’s past, and starts asking her grandmother questions. Her grandmother shares her story with Marjane, and what her grandfather believed in. Marjane continues to read books to gain a better understanding of what was happening around her. Her Uncle Anoosh is released from prison after being held there for thirty years. He stays with Marji’s family, and shares his story with her. Later Anoosh is arrested again, he’s only allowed one visitor, and he chooses Marji. Her parents try and hide it from her, but she figures out that he was executed. One day when her mother was coming home she was assaulted by two bearded men. Soon it was decreed that it was obligatory that all women wear veils to protect them from potential rapists.

Marji doesn’t agree with the changes going on around her, and begins to rebel at home and at school. At home she rebels against her mother by skipping class and picking up smoking. When she has her first cigarettes she felt as if she was kissing her childhood goodbye. The border is reopened, and her parents travel to Turkey without her. When they return back from the trip they have smuggled gifts back for her; band posters, Nike sneakers, denim jacket, and a Michael Jackson button. Marji is excited about all of her new things, and immediately wants to go out in them. While she is out she runs into two ladies from the The Guardian of the Revolution who admonishes what she is wearing and threatens to take her to the committee. If she were to be taken to committee she could be detained for hours or days and her parents wouldn’t be informed. She immediately began to cry and lied to them saying that her mother was dead, she had an evil stepmother who would send her to an orphanage, and that she had the sneakers on because she played basketball. They believed her and let her go.

After a bomb killed her friend Neda, who lived right next to her building Marji’s life began to take a turn for the worse. At the age of fourteen, she became a full-fledged rebel. She confronted her religion teacher and got expelled from school. Her parents feared for her life and attained a visa for her to go to Austria. It was easier to get an Austrian visa, and her mother’s best friend lived in Austria. Before she left, Marji filled a jar of Iranian soil from her garden, and gave her posters to her friends. Her grandmother came and stayed with her the night before she left, and imparted her with advice. Her parents drop her off at the airport and say that they will visit her in six months; she realizes that may be true but that they will never live together again. They hug her, and she knows how much they love her and want the best for her. She says goodbye, turns around one last time to say goodbye, but she sees her father carrying her mother in his arms and comforting her. She realizes it would have been better if she wouldn’t have looked back and had just gone.

Satrapi’s memoir gives us insight into a child’s view of the Islamic Revolution. She also shares a different perspective than what we as Americans have typically seen or read about in the media. Since she writes her memoir in graphic novel format, I believe it will engage students, and allow them to read about a historical time in a quick, easy read. I don’t typically read graphic novels, but I really enjoyed reading about Satrapi’s childhood. I look forward to reading about what happened next in her life in Persepolis 2: The Story of Return!

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