“Freedom has a price”.
Persepolis is a tumultuous rollercoaster of emotions compacted into one book. The novel, a deeply personal memoir from Marjane Satrapi, is a dive into Iranian society during and after the Iranian revolution through the eyes of a child slowly becoming a young woman. The novel tackles themes of racism, gender oppression and identity. Marjane uses the book as an attempt to express her personality in societies that repress her in different ways. The first part of the novel is set in her childhood home in Iran, then part two transitions to her teenage years in Austria and finishes with her return to a post-war Iran. Written in two parts and published in 2003-2004, the novel is a contemporary way of approaching post-colonial literature for a wide variety of audiences. Written in a graphic novel style, it is suitable for both adults and older children. Although this is a book review, it is impossible when discussing the novel Persepolis not to mention the equally as visually stunning film adaptation from 2007, which I believe supports the novel beautifully.
The novel starts with her relatively idealistic middle-class childhood in Iran. Where she lives a relatively idealistic Middle-class life. She has a maid, Mehri, whom she has a strong attachment to, as well as loving parents that support her dreams and ambitions. One of the poignant examples of the struggles she faces is her relationship with her family’s maid, Mehri. The story comes to a climax after the overthrow of the Shah, where she begins to become personally affected by the horrors of the growing Islamic fundamentalist movement in the country. A girl she befriends is raped and murdered by the regime, and Marjane is expelled from school for her political and religious beliefs. A plethora of incidents like this prompt her parents to send 14-year-old Marjane to Austria to pursue her education away from war and oppressive anti-female political situations.Â
Part two of the novel continues with Marjane exploring Western society in Austria. The novel offers an insightful depiction of the girl expressing herself through the vibrant punk scene of Vienna, but it also demonstrates the sinister underbelly of being a migrant in a strange and unfamiliar country. Marjane faces racism and isolation from her peers and struggles to connect with most people. Even people she befriends fetishise her story.
After her tumultuous and parentless existence in Austria, finally being made homeless and almost dying, she accepts that she must return to Iran. This book creates an excellent depiction of how Western society has its own horrors that are often overlooked or ignored. For many, like Marjane, the suffering endured is unbearable. Austrian society would let a young woman like Marjane become homeless and suffer to the point of near-death.Â
She eventually returns to Iran and discovers that time has moved fast; signs of the destruction and collective trauma of war have affected the surroundings and the people. Marjane decides to conform to the glamorous Western beauty standards around her, presenting herself as a “sophisticated woman” and eventually marries. The marriage turns sour, and they divorce. The novel ends with Marjane moving once again to France to pursue her education.Â
This novel is both a factual account of the wars in Iran as well as a fascinating account of how war and trauma can shape a young person. Marjane struggles to find acceptance in both countries, and the more she moves, the more disconnected she becomes towards both places. Marjane sits in-between two realities, neither of which allows her to flourish and grow as a woman. Persepolis is a raw depiction of the horrors women face around the world. In fact, this book was almost banned across schools in the USA. The book #2 on the ALA’s list of “Top 10 Most Challenged Books of 2014”, demonstrating its controversial nature due to the perceived “graphic languages and images” (https://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/20130315/roscoe-village/cps-bans-persepolis-at-lane-tech-protest-planned-for-friday/). However, many high-schoolers shared the opinion that this ruling “smacks of censorship” (https://cbldf.org/2013/03/furor-continues-over-persepolis-removal/) and should be reversed. It is important to consider how, in a post 9/11 world, exposure to media that helps us critically think against the anti-Muslim sentiment in the West is vital. Persepolis is an opportunity to gain insight from a person whose opinions and experiences have been formed by living in both Iran and the West, and such a personal account should not be discarded.Â
Editor: Felicity Field