The Iranian Revolution In Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis
Persepolis
The graphic novel Persepolis depicts the Iranian revolution from a child’s point-view through the eyes of the author Marjane Satrapi. Satrapi describes her experiences and actions while being raised during and after the Iranian revolution. The Iranian revolution was based strongly on the Islam faith and the establishment of an “Islamic Republic” (Crossroads and Cultures, 1008). After the year 1980 when the revolution had been resolved, women and girls were required to wear veils and were discriminated against as less privileged by men. They had to attend different schools then the boys and were seen as lower class citizens. Marji saw these changes as wrong and she thought that she could help to change these wrongdoings in her society. As Marji grew older she thought that becoming a prophet would benefit her in helping to solve women’s social issues and reestablish women as important and equal members of society. While following Marji through this novel it will be shown that she resists these negative aspects of the revolution and she fights and battles against the government’s attempted control over the faith and organizations of Iran. …show more content…
In the years preceding the Iranian revolution the people of Iran along with the rest of the world believed that Iran was simply a source of oil and nothing more.
After their chance of producing a stronger form of government had been unsuccessful, “the country had to go back to their indigenous culture” (Encyclopedia Britannica, Iranian Revolution of 1978-79). While being a super cell of oil in the middle east, the government lacked the strength and support of their people to create a modernized and developed country. Because of many negative effects from the government such as “sociopolitical repression” (Encyclopedia Britannica, Iranian Revolution of 1978-79), the Iranian’s broke the final straw and were convinced to fight back against the Shah and create a more modernized and Islam based government
state. At a young age Marji was able to see the bad things coming from the Shah and she begins to learn about other countries that were in the same boat as Iran currently was. While studying different revolutions and political systems she develops her political and social beliefs at a young age and this make her want to make changes to the government and make want her word and ideas heard. However because of her young age and status she is not allowed to go out and participate in protests and other events. This restraint just makes her want it even more, and is a major factor in Marji’s desire for adulthood where she can make her own decisions and participate with protests against the poor reign.
Marji is portrayed as a character that is far beyond her time in intelligence. Even at a young age Marji is shown as a deep thinking and confident individual. With her ability to realize and understand the situations happening around her she is able to formulate her own beliefs on their situation and react in ways in which she sees fit. Marji quickly becomes a rebellious teen by skipping school and talking to boys around her home. She also becomes friends with older kids and the book shows that she is trying to release her childhood and become an adult (Marjane Satrapi, Persepolis). This is a common feat even in today’s society as children often want to grow up and be treated as an adult as early as possible. With Marji’s tough childhood through the revolution she has good reason to want to forget her childhood and move on to adulthood where she can make her own decisions and pursue her own agenda. Marji is marked by her advance in adulthood when she smokes her first cigarette which symbolizes her adulthood and rebellious nature.
Marji is depicted as a very strong person throughout the novel, and growing up during the Iranian revolution and Iran-Iraq War will certainly do that to an individual not matter what age. Growing up in a time of an extreme social, economic, and religious modernization proved to be difficult for Marji and her family. Marji and her entire family, in a way, were rebellious between keeping wine in their household and her father wearing a tie, they were slightly more lenient with Marji’s beliefs and actions then parents of other young Iranian kids. Any sort of acts that might symbolize the acts of people in the western countries were very strictly enforced and could easily cause a family to be punished in various ways.
After the exile of the Shah the country of Iran was in a very celebratory state. With the leader of Iran now gone people were more able and willing to voice their true opinions and beliefs. Marji realizes that many people who were avid supporters of the Shah were now pushing for the revolution and supporting the reform of the country. While this is angering that these people were so afraid of the Shah that they wouldn’t help at the beginning attempts of the revolution, Marji learns to accept them now that they are in support, even after their past actions. This process of modernization after the revolution both benefitted and had negative aspects towards the people of Iran. The main focuses of these negative aspects were towards women and the lower class citizens. Marji describes her housekeeper, Mehri, who was hired at a young age and had helped raised Marji from birth. Mehri had feelings for the guy who lived next door to Marji’s house. However once this boy found out the Mehri was the housekeeper he no longer had any feelings for her and she was heartbroken. This affected Marji and she could not connect why this had happened (Marjane Satrapi, Persepolis). This showed the differences in class and also how people were locked to their classes and had no chance of change. This may have been a major reason in causing the revolution because the negative feelings towards this from the Iranian people. Another major negative aspect of the result of the revolution was the Iraq-Iran war. With the original support of Iraq in the Iranian revolution, afterwards the Iranian’s then attempted to instruct the Iraqi’s to overthrow their government similar to which the Iranian’s did with theirs. Obviously this was taking as an assault towards the Iraqi government, and war quickly broke out between the two countries. As conflicts continue and Marji grows older and becomes more and more rebellious she is kicked out of school. With her rebelliousness threatening her safety and life, her parents are worried about her wellbeing. Because of her parent’s worries, they send her off to school in Austria, therefore breaking up the family. In an indirect manner the revolution and war itself can be blamed for this separation of family due to the effects that they had on Marji’s childhood. Iran’s push for modernization and religious dominance in the end was a double edged sword. While the country was turned over to a strong religious rule, it also caused many deaths and an unforeseen war. Change is a controversial topic and modernization is change. Therefore modernization has been and will always be a controversial topic among those people who it affects. With those who are conservative to change and those who are more liberal to the proposed change. Though the historical references and Marjane Satrapis’s experiences in Persepolis it has been shown that the Iranian revolution, the Iran-Iraq war, and the modernization of Iran have all been an uphill battle for those directly involved, and those who were indirectly involved, such as Marji.
Works Cited
Afary, Janet. "Iranian Revolution of 1978-79." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 2 Dec. 2012. .
"Iranian Revolution." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 12 Feb. 2012. Web. 02 Dec. 2012. .
January, Brendan. The Iranian Revolution. Minneapolis [Minn.: Twenty-First Century, 2008. Print.
Lesch, David W. "Iranian Revolution." The Middle East since 1945 Second Series. Detroit, MI: St. James, 2004. N. pag. Gale Vertual Reference Library. Web.
Rajāyī, Farhang. The Iran-Iraq War: The Politics of Aggression. Gainesville: University of Florida, 1993. Print.
Smith, Bonnie G. "Chapter 30, Revolution in Iran." Crossroads and Cultures: A History of the World 's Peoples. Vol. 2. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin 's, 2012. 1008-009. Print.
The graphic novel Persepolis depicts the Iranian revolution from a child’s point-view through the eyes of the author Marjane Satrapi. Satrapi describes her experiences and actions while being raised during and after the Iranian revolution. The Iranian revolution was based strongly on the Islam faith and the establishment of an “Islamic Republic” (Crossroads and Cultures, 1008). After the year 1980 when the revolution had been resolved, women and girls were required to wear veils and were discriminated against as less privileged by men. They had to attend different schools then the boys and were seen as lower class citizens. Marji saw these changes as wrong and she thought that she could help to change these wrongdoings in her society. As Marji grew older she thought that becoming a prophet would benefit her in helping to solve women’s social issues and reestablish women as important and equal members of society. While following Marji through this novel it will be shown that she resists these negative aspects of the revolution and she fights and battles against the government’s attempted control over the faith and organizations of Iran. …show more content…
In the years preceding the Iranian revolution the people of Iran along with the rest of the world believed that Iran was simply a source of oil and nothing more.
After their chance of producing a stronger form of government had been unsuccessful, “the country had to go back to their indigenous culture” (Encyclopedia Britannica, Iranian Revolution of 1978-79). While being a super cell of oil in the middle east, the government lacked the strength and support of their people to create a modernized and developed country. Because of many negative effects from the government such as “sociopolitical repression” (Encyclopedia Britannica, Iranian Revolution of 1978-79), the Iranian’s broke the final straw and were convinced to fight back against the Shah and create a more modernized and Islam based government
state. At a young age Marji was able to see the bad things coming from the Shah and she begins to learn about other countries that were in the same boat as Iran currently was. While studying different revolutions and political systems she develops her political and social beliefs at a young age and this make her want to make changes to the government and make want her word and ideas heard. However because of her young age and status she is not allowed to go out and participate in protests and other events. This restraint just makes her want it even more, and is a major factor in Marji’s desire for adulthood where she can make her own decisions and participate with protests against the poor reign.
Marji is portrayed as a character that is far beyond her time in intelligence. Even at a young age Marji is shown as a deep thinking and confident individual. With her ability to realize and understand the situations happening around her she is able to formulate her own beliefs on their situation and react in ways in which she sees fit. Marji quickly becomes a rebellious teen by skipping school and talking to boys around her home. She also becomes friends with older kids and the book shows that she is trying to release her childhood and become an adult (Marjane Satrapi, Persepolis). This is a common feat even in today’s society as children often want to grow up and be treated as an adult as early as possible. With Marji’s tough childhood through the revolution she has good reason to want to forget her childhood and move on to adulthood where she can make her own decisions and pursue her own agenda. Marji is marked by her advance in adulthood when she smokes her first cigarette which symbolizes her adulthood and rebellious nature.
Marji is depicted as a very strong person throughout the novel, and growing up during the Iranian revolution and Iran-Iraq War will certainly do that to an individual not matter what age. Growing up in a time of an extreme social, economic, and religious modernization proved to be difficult for Marji and her family. Marji and her entire family, in a way, were rebellious between keeping wine in their household and her father wearing a tie, they were slightly more lenient with Marji’s beliefs and actions then parents of other young Iranian kids. Any sort of acts that might symbolize the acts of people in the western countries were very strictly enforced and could easily cause a family to be punished in various ways.
After the exile of the Shah the country of Iran was in a very celebratory state. With the leader of Iran now gone people were more able and willing to voice their true opinions and beliefs. Marji realizes that many people who were avid supporters of the Shah were now pushing for the revolution and supporting the reform of the country. While this is angering that these people were so afraid of the Shah that they wouldn’t help at the beginning attempts of the revolution, Marji learns to accept them now that they are in support, even after their past actions. This process of modernization after the revolution both benefitted and had negative aspects towards the people of Iran. The main focuses of these negative aspects were towards women and the lower class citizens. Marji describes her housekeeper, Mehri, who was hired at a young age and had helped raised Marji from birth. Mehri had feelings for the guy who lived next door to Marji’s house. However once this boy found out the Mehri was the housekeeper he no longer had any feelings for her and she was heartbroken. This affected Marji and she could not connect why this had happened (Marjane Satrapi, Persepolis). This showed the differences in class and also how people were locked to their classes and had no chance of change. This may have been a major reason in causing the revolution because the negative feelings towards this from the Iranian people. Another major negative aspect of the result of the revolution was the Iraq-Iran war. With the original support of Iraq in the Iranian revolution, afterwards the Iranian’s then attempted to instruct the Iraqi’s to overthrow their government similar to which the Iranian’s did with theirs. Obviously this was taking as an assault towards the Iraqi government, and war quickly broke out between the two countries. As conflicts continue and Marji grows older and becomes more and more rebellious she is kicked out of school. With her rebelliousness threatening her safety and life, her parents are worried about her wellbeing. Because of her parent’s worries, they send her off to school in Austria, therefore breaking up the family. In an indirect manner the revolution and war itself can be blamed for this separation of family due to the effects that they had on Marji’s childhood. Iran’s push for modernization and religious dominance in the end was a double edged sword. While the country was turned over to a strong religious rule, it also caused many deaths and an unforeseen war. Change is a controversial topic and modernization is change. Therefore modernization has been and will always be a controversial topic among those people who it affects. With those who are conservative to change and those who are more liberal to the proposed change. Though the historical references and Marjane Satrapis’s experiences in Persepolis it has been shown that the Iranian revolution, the Iran-Iraq war, and the modernization of Iran have all been an uphill battle for those directly involved, and those who were indirectly involved, such as Marji.
Works Cited
Afary, Janet. "Iranian Revolution of 1978-79." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 2 Dec. 2012. .
"Iranian Revolution." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 12 Feb. 2012. Web. 02 Dec. 2012. .
January, Brendan. The Iranian Revolution. Minneapolis [Minn.: Twenty-First Century, 2008. Print.
Lesch, David W. "Iranian Revolution." The Middle East since 1945 Second Series. Detroit, MI: St. James, 2004. N. pag. Gale Vertual Reference Library. Web.
Rajāyī, Farhang. The Iran-Iraq War: The Politics of Aggression. Gainesville: University of Florida, 1993. Print.
Smith, Bonnie G. "Chapter 30, Revolution in Iran." Crossroads and Cultures: A History of the World 's Peoples. Vol. 2. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin 's, 2012. 1008-009. Print.