Analysis of War, Feminity and Religion in 'Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood'

Named after the capital city of the Persian empire, Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood by Marjane Satrapi is a book set during the Iran-Iraq war and the Islamic Revolution of Iran in the 1970s and 1980s. Told through several comics, the book illustrates how the civil war in a country was damaging. Marjane is from a left-leaning family and is used to individual freedoms. She is only ten years old when rebels overthrow the Shah. After the revolution, she is forced to attend school and to wear a veil in public. The government starts executing former revolutionaries opposing Islam as a way of solidifying its power. As Marxists, her family is in danger of been attacked by Islamic fundamentalists whose work is to enforce religious law. Iraq evades Iran leading to the Iran-Iraq war. Marji’s teachers teach their pupils to praise those people who die for their country. As Marji grows, she is more rebellious. Marji experiences first-hand grief when she losses family friends. She starts smoking, wears bracelets and jeans, and starts listening to forbidden music. Worried that Marji will become a target of the fundamentalists, her parents Ebi and Taji send her to a French school in Austria.

The major themes in this book are war and civil strife. As Satrapi recounts, the political climate in Iran is complicated as there are two wars. There is an internal struggle between the people of Iran and the government and the Iran-Iraq war of 1980-1988. In Tehran, where Marjane lives with her family, there is relentless bombing from the time she was a child. Most of her friends or family either serve in the war or are prisoners of war. The theme of women and feminity is also prevalent in the novel. In Iran, women are judged by what they wear. The society keeps judging women based on what they wear. There is a strict dress code for women. They believe that by controlling what women wear, they can limit their rights. Religion is also an essential theme in the book. Everything, including the war, clothing, and lifestyles, revolves around religion. Every person should follow Islam or either say hello to death or severe torture.

The gold key is used to symbolize the extents the government is willing to go to brainwash children from join the military. They lie to the children that die in war is the only key to heaven. The key is an impulsive symbol because it has no value, as it is only a plastic key painted gold. The Iranian government was so mean that it nothing to lure the children with. The veil is also used as a symbol of religion. Marjane and her mother do not wear the veil because they believe that people should wear what they please. However, the Muslim regime demands that every Muslim woman should wear a veil because everyone in the country should follow the religion.

The images in the book act as symbols of the inner struggle between politics and religion. Seeing the differences and similarities between the two makes Marjane question her faith. Despite her age, she knows very well about the injustices taking place in the community. She feels like she can do better, and her parents are so proud of her efforts to change her community. Marjane wants to create a different world with no social class. Notably, there is extensive use of similes in the novel. For example, the simile, “The revolution is like a bicycle. When the wheels don’t work, it falls,” depicts the Iranian government and its dominance over its citizens. It is used to explain that Shah must keep his promises, or the people will be deviated.

Although the themes and issues in Persepolis are serious and political, Satrapi uses a lot of humor and keeps the tone informal as the primary way of communicating. She uses humor amidst war to make the audience understanding what she is talking about. Humor alleviates the gravity of the situation she is in. Satrapi believes that war is a result of people misunderstanding each other. There are many instances of darkness in the book, but Marjane’s perspective is that of an outsider. At her age, Marjane does not fully understand her situation and can only recount her life through her family and friends. The immense tragedy of the political climate in Iran is retold, but the retelling is not emotional.

In conclusion, the experience of reading Persepolis is similar to sitting down with Marjane herself to enjoy a glass of tea or to smoke a cigarette as she goes down through her photo album. It is a raw conversation. The reader experiences the life of Marjane in the filters of her recollection. Her innocence plays well on the conscience of the American audience, and it also shows the simplicity of the message. Marjane uses humor and informal tone in communicating her message to the Americans. The themes of religion, feminity, and war have been used to showcase the events taking place in Iran when Marjane was young. Through her story, we can easily relate to the inhumates in Iraq during the time Marjane was growing up.

Works Cited

• Mannetti, Lisa. Iran and Iraq: Nations at War. New York: F. Watts, 1986. Print.
• Satrapi, Marjane. Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood. New York: Random House Publishing Group, n.d. Print.