Examples Of Nurture In Persepolis

One of the most striking features of the nature vs. nurture debate, the argument over the relative roles of genes and environment in human nature, is how people continuously believe that the argument is put to an end by concluding that it is either strictly one or the other. As times progresses, and more individuals analyze the debate at hand, it becomes clear how the answer is both. Both nature and nurture, the way individuals are raised or how their environment has shaped them and the way genetics instill selective traits that help describe who an individual is, are responsible for creating people’s present identities. Yet a number of aspects can still lead to the argument of which has more of an influence, and here is where some would claim that the pull of nurture outweighs the effects of nature. This can be exemplified through the influence that the environment which author Marjane Satrapi was exposed to as a child and how her experiences revealed in Persepolis, her memoir in the form of a graphic novel, influenced her maturity into womanhood.
From the distinct ideals which Satrapi was raised under by her parents, to the depravity she was witness to while growing up during the Islamic revolution as well as the Iran-Iraq war and they way it impacted her both initially and possibly long-term.
The loss of identity that the author suffered through due to the oppressive government she lived under as well as how she was affected by societal views which painted inaccurate stereotypes about her culture; which Satrapi continuously had to argue against. These are only a few of the various factors that depict the more important role that nurture plays in comparison to nature, because it is her experiences that helped define the woman Satrapi is
today.

To begin, as introduced in an analysis written by Anne Marie Hacht, Persepolis shed light upon how “the children of Iran reflect the values of the adults around them.” This idea is applied to Marjane Satrapi regarding whom her initial influence was from, like most children, her parents and their very passionate political views. Satrapi was born into a middle class family, her parents being very modern and progressive as well as profoundly involved in protests at the start of the Islamic revolution. The author’s parents were dedicated demonstrators against the oppressive government, as well as the Shah (the current cruel ruler of Islamic territory at the time). Satrapi wants to join her parents and participate in the numerous demonstrations they are involved in, almost as if to find a sense of purpose. Like her parents, the author is a rebellious liberal, and as she grows older, the focus of her insurgency becomes more intense since she begins to understand it on a deeply personal level.
Her nature becomes more defiant and risk-taking as she approaches adolescence, this being shown in Persepolis as Marji stands up for what she believes in by the way she acts and dresses. This at times leading to her to display cantankerous behavior which gets her in trouble in more than one occasion. On page 131 of the graphic novel, Marji dresses in a very “decadent” way; as she is shown wearing a denim jacket, punk nike sneakers, skinny jeans, her veil exposing some strands of hair- just like her mother wears it- and a controversial button of an American singer; this all being approved by her parents who attained these risque cloths for her in the first place. In the last frame of this page, Satrapi even states how lenient her mother was with her, “for an Iranian mother, my mom was very permissive. I only knew two or three other girls who could go out alone at thirteen.” However, could the author’s behavior have been caused by nature? Her parents passing own specific genetic traits which later allowed Satrapi to act so “rebellious”? Although this is a possibility, the audience of her novels must understand that it was the way she was raised, and

the cultural issues she was exposed to at such a young age. If Satrapi’s parents had never allowed her to be so involved in the protesting against the government, or if they were fundamentalists themselves, Marjani would have never ended up as outspoken and liberal as she was all throughout the novel and still is to this day. In an interview the author took part in, she even states “I was brought up open-minded… My parents accept that times change. They taught me that you can make mistakes.” Satrapi then continues to describe how accepting her parents were and how crucial that aspect was when they were raising her during all of the chaos that surrounded them. Regarding her parents, the author writes, “They gave me the most important thing- the freedom to think and decide for myself” (“Why I Wrote Persepolis”). Not only did Satrapi mimic her parents actions, but her friends also repeat the things they have heard from various sources from their relatives, to school, and the propaganda that surrounded the things happening as the revolution and the war raged on. (Gale). Next, the most obtrusive influence that Satrapi experienced was the way the Iranian government used force and fear to oppress individuals throughout the country. Along with this, the injustice that the author was exposed to as a young child- growing up in a violent milieu- in turn causing a loss of identity as well as moral uncertainty for the author. According to Sarah Khan, author of “Looking Beyond the Veil: Hidden Transcripts In Persepolis,” the identity crisis she faces is caused by the clash between the pro-revolutionary ideals at schools and the opposing opinions at home.