Julia Tanaka
Persepolis is a heartbreaking comedic retelling of true events that happened to the author, Marjane Satrapi, from the ages six to fourteen. Her strength and bravery have brought us her black-and-white memoir of what life was like during the Iran-Iraq war so we, as readers, can experience a range of emotions and take away knowledge about historical events that many have not learnt or even heard about. The thought-provoking themes and awe-inspiring narrative have made readers from all over the world jump-start their own memoirs; writing it through their own lenses so someone else can take away an important message. Wouldn’t you like to do the same?
The main character “Marjane” or “Marj” (as most like to call her) is a rebellious leader with a creative mind and empathy towards others, which makes her a loveable character throughout the comic. Her curiosity about her environment and the world beyond shapes her to become a well-rounded person, with an abundance of knowledge she gains through reading different types of books and being accustomed to western cultures. I believe she is a very lucky girl because of her wealthy parents, who join the protests and advocate for freedom throughout the comic. Her parents sacrifice everything for Marjane and try to develop her into a forgiving and moral child, who lives life to the fullest.
Use of Black and White
The memoir is not coloured (except the cover), and is coloured in black and white. I believe that Satrapi had a clear artist vision using only black and white. Firstly, the themes, which I’ll talk about later, are all dealing in one way or another with war. And because of this, there are some very violent images. Yet, you don’t get to see these gory images. I believe she did this because she wanted to tell the story with enough emotion that just by looking at a black-and-white picture of a violent act makes you shudder. I also think that she didn’t want to traumatise her audience, especially because some might be young readers. The use of black-and-white also links to war and being in a war setting, where you can only see events in black and white.
Main Themes
1. Violence
This story is all about the life of Marjane Satrapi as she was growing up through the Iran-Iraq war that killed roughly 1 Million people. The significance of this war and the impact it had on the world left a huge amount of sorrow and grief throughout each country. Even Marjane realises this when she says “We could have avoided it all” and I think this phrase is very significant (especially now with what’s going on in the world today.)
2. Gender
The memoir opens with a panel of Satrapi wearing a veil when she was 10. You can see on the next panel every single girl is wearing a veil, which makes it difficult to identify them. At her French school, it used to be mixed but became separated. Perhaps they will learn different things? At this time, the Shaq was using religion as a tool for tyranny and making women the inferior gender and women were very badly treated in those times. An example of this is when Marjane’s mother tells Marjane not to do bad things anymore, otherwise the government could catch her, rape her and then kill her. This horrific, foul crime was allowed in those times since they were technically married so it could not be considered rape.
3. Children and War
I believe going through the war greatly affected Marjane’s psyche and development. She was going through the war when she was 10, up until age 14. Despite how much her experiences of death, sorrow and heartbreak must have significantly impacted her, she was sympathetic and kind towards her family, friends and people who are less than her. Deep down, I believe she’s confused about life and the complexity of living in a war zone. For example, she’s sympathetic towards people of lower classes, such as the maid, which leads me unto another theme.
4. Social Class
Marjane’s Parents are wealthy and this definitely helped them persevere in situations and raise Marjane in a caring environment where she is free to believe what she wants and learn what she wants. They are proud of her education and make her their top priority. This cannot be said for others such as the maid. The maid was given to Satrapi’s family because her own parents didn’t have enough money. I also believe they gave her up because they thought she would have a better life, yet there were large barriers between her and Satrapi’s family. For example, they couldn’t eat together at the table, which Marjane was very unhappy about and wanted to change.
Opinions from my English Literature Class
Emily (G11): It is very interesting because you get to see a different perspective and get to know more about the situation in Iran in the 1980s during the war. 8/10
Madeline (G11): It was a little confusing at first and I thought it would be easier to understand but I realised graphic novels can have a lot of depth. 7/10
Selina (G11): It’s suitable for every age so even little kids around her age can understand her because of their age. It also is good historically. 8/10
Mr. White: The book is rich and engaging and students like the book because of its artistic composition and well humoured pages. It’s a well-done book and students find it interesting to read and talk about. 8/10
I honestly never read memoir comics until my English Literature class. I was excited to dive into this new world and I’m glad that I did. I think it’s very special, not only to the author, but to everyone who grew up in war zones and can relate to Marjane’s experiences. I feel as though all her emotions come through the pages, seep into my skin, and leave me more knowledgeable about historical aspects I never truly learnt about. I also love the way she has represented her experiences by making it a comic, since it’s very artistic and enjoyable to all ages.
Julia Tanaka