The Past Is In Your Present

In the graphic novel, Persepolis written by Marjane Satrapi there is a timeline of the state of the country, Iran and a girl’s experiences throughout her time living there. Satrapi uses backstory, flashbacks, and repeated use of elapsing time to prove that the past is forever in the present. Throughout Persepolis the reader establishes the effects of the past and it’s imminent role in the present because the characters learn from past experiences. With the newfound knowledge that can be utilised in the present, the characters apply their past to their present so they don’t repeat the same mistakes in the future. Satrapi speaks in past tense throughout the entire graphic novel. All of her feelings and her actions were narrated in past tense because they are things she did as a child and the results of her actions.

Although as the story progressed the actions she had once done were affecting her present and even her future in times. Marji was, “deep down… very religious” at one point in time in the beginning of the graphic novel. Later when Marji’s uncle, Anoosh came to visit and told her about his past and his various stories, she believed he was “a hero in [her] family” and “ [she] naturally loved him immediately” (54). Although when Anoosh was arrested and eventually executed she told God to “get out of [her] life” and that she “never wanted to see him again”(70). From that point forward God was no longer a major part of her life anymore because of the past events, of her religion being solely responsible for the life of someone she loved. She learned from that devastating experience that she could not rely on God, and from then on God was excluded from her life, and distanced. Throughout the novel, the usage of backstory is repetitious to give the reader more information about the current events and why they are taking place. Satrapi continuously shows something that happened and then later will explain why it happened the way it did and the events that led up to the present situation. When Marji and her friends were separated from the boys and forced to wear the veil they did not know the purpose of either of the two. But, Satrapi explains in the next panel that “ the year before, 1979, [they] were in a French non-religious school.

Where boys and girls went together”(4). She then moves forward and explains the events that occured in 1980 and the leaders that took over that believed that bilingual schools were of “capitalism” and “decadence” (4). All of these events led up to the girls being forced to wear the veil and the division of gender in school, a small fraction of the cultural revolution. Without the history of the events prior to the required dressing of the veil, the reader would have been confused about the present. Marji learned that the government was compelling and unjust, and realized after that occurence that the government of Iran was corrupt and untrustworthy. There was lastly the utilization of the elapse of time because through time Marji grows up and then she realizes that her past has taught her more than she is aware of. Her uncle Anoosh was killed and gave her those last words of advice to carry on his legacy and with that she started to rebel. She had witnessed the assassination of people she knew and loved due to the government’s restraints. Marjane was aware of her situation due to the past events that occured and led to her uncle’s death. From that moment forward she fought for her beliefs, so much to the point where she would wear clothes outside of the dress code publicly, correct the school teaching, abandon her religion, and even physically abuse an authoritative figure. These are all effects of the the past, which goes on to prove that the past in still in the present.

Overall, Satrapi does a great job of indicating that the past does not define a person; the past guides a person. Which is exactly what Marjane represents. While Marji is not defined by her journey prior to the current moment, she has still been enlightened from her past mistakes and progresses from there. Therefore yes, the statement is valid and is proven so in various ways throughout the graphic novel concluding with the following statement: “The past is always present in the future. ”