Persepolis: Character Analysis of Marjane Satrapi's Novel

In the work "Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis Character Analysis" we will analyze the characters and theme of conflict in this book. Hiring a full-time maid and being a Marxist is an example of Marji Satrapi’s father’s tensions. Marji, the protagonist of Persepolis, resembles her father because while she worships the prophets, they imply that a woman cannot become one of them. Like her father, she experiences internal conflict. The combination of this conflict with her conflict against society shapes her character from going along with the government laws to becoming who she truly is. Struggling to decide between Western and Eastern cultures, Marji must deal with three stages of conflict: society vs. personal beliefs, her real self vs. the effects of other cultures, and her actions in public vs private, and she is eventually brave enough to act herself not only in private, but also in public. Held back by traditionalism, Marji must go back and forth between Iran’s Eastern laws and her own Western desires, which results in a change from creating her own rules of conduct to obeying the laws. In particular, Marji has to readjust to the new rules of the Shah and the New Regime, especially regarding dress code. The first major example of this struggle occurs when she is confronted by the guardians of the revolution. Marji is wearing a denim jacket and Nike shoes, considered punk and rebellious, and is stopped in the street, criticized, and almost brought to the committee.

Although this situation might seem unimportant to Westerners, panels five to seven signify the seriousness of Marji’s disobedience; the guardian criticizes Marji by pointing her finger at Marji insultingly, pulling down her scarf, and calling her a “little whore”. In the panel, Marji appears small and helpless compared to the tall and threatening guardians in black. The incident helps shape Marji’s character even though she is not punished. Afterwards, she no longer goes out in public wearing Western clothing. Despite this event, Marji still listens to rock music, does not dress appropriately, and rebels against the laws, but only in private. Marji’s response portrays how she deals with the conflict between society and the actions that define her, because by continuing to listen to rock music at home, she continues to act like herself and avoids endangering herself again. After Marji moves to Austria, her character continues to develop, and she struggles with balancing her actions and the way society wants her to act. Marji attends her first high school party, and because of all the differences and surprises that she discovers, she realizes that she is not Western enough. On page 158, for example, she is sitting alone in the corner of a room while the other guests are smoking and kissing. The separation between her Iranian roots and Western acts is clearly demonstrated on page 193 when she states, “The harder I tried to assimilate, the more I had the feeling that I was distancing myself from my culture, betraying my parents and my origins, that I was playing a game by somebody else’s rules. ” The corresponding panel depicts Marji taking long strides away from her friends, who are shadows in the distance. With her arms reaching out, Marji is, both literally and metaphorically, balancing in an awkward stage between her past friends and future self. Marji is ashamed when she realizes that a distance has formed from her true self. Hesitant of her actions, Marji abandons her friends and enters the awkward stage of rediscovering her true self. This situation relates to Marji’s experience with the guardians in Iran, but the opposite; in Iran, she was too Western, but now, she is too Eastern for Austria. Similarly, this stress is also shown when Marji moves back to Iran and once again, does not fit in. Even though she goes back to having “polar opposite” private and public actions, the differences are not as obvious as before. For example, in art school, she calls out the reasoning for the dress code for women compared to men by stating, “Why is that I, as a woman, am expected to feel nothing when watching these men with their clothes sculpted on, but they, as men, can get excited by two inches less of my head scarf?”

In the following panels, Marji’s classmates, including males and females, are intrigued by her courage. The image implies that Marji is overcoming her internal conflict by expressing her ideas publicly to a certain extent. Her new dress design for women, including trousers and a shorter headscarf, is a solution that obeys the law, unlike the Nikes and denim jacket she used to wear. Still, it marks the first time she has made her opinions public, and it shows Marji’s character progression because she is now bold enough to stand up for her beliefs. Her public and private lives begin to integrate, and it is clear that towards the end, there is only a small division between the two.

In summation, Marji experiences three stages of conflict: society vs. personal beliefs, her real self vs. the effects of other cultures, her actions in public vs private. She relates to both Western and Eastern cultures, and eventually states her true opinions not only in private, but also in public. Her internal conflicts are similar to those of her father’s. All her experiences shape her character by allowing Marji to continue to speak her mind and fight for what she believes is right. The rebel inside of Marji is shown many times throughout her journey, and is instigated by her struggles with civilization. Her conflict seems to follow her everywhere in her expedition, and sometimes, it affects her in a positive way. Marji gains many life lessons by having a voice for herself, and as a result, she becomes more independent and vocal for her own opinions.