Marjane Satrapis Autobiographical Persepolis - Essay Example

Marjane Satrapi’s autobiographical Persepolis is a graphical novel of her childhood in the strife-ridden Iran, during late 70s and 80s. The book is acommendable effort by the author to show the real Iran and perhaps that people all over the world are fundamentally united in having the same dreams, aspirations, emotions, strife and anger, wherever they may be and to whatever nationality, race or culture they may belong to. Life is a myriad of colors and evil is as much a part of one’s life as the good. The novel demonstrates that the experiences of the protagonist of the novel are not confined to one person but rather, people can identify with the characters in countless ways. The author starts the book from the time when people start agitating against the ‘Shah’ and the religious fanaticism starts to rear its ugly head. The first part ends when war breaks out between Iran and Iraq. The second part is the account of her stay in Europe when she was studying and the period of pursuing higher study in her own country after she returns to Tehran. Through sharp drawings and crisp words, she has been able to portray her gradual disillusionment with her country and the changes that take place in the country during and after the Islamic revolution. The literary critics acknowledge the book as a good literary work but the general public has recognized it as an exceptional work of human sensitivity that unites people in their brotherhood of universal values and human emotions. Satrapi has demonstrated that she is not alone who finds adjusting to a society that is undergoing socio-political changes difficult. Satrapi belongs to an elite class and her early childhood was spent in an environment that was modern, where people were free to express themselves. But during the revolution, they all experienced same agonizing transition as other people. The revolution changes things overnight and the very people, who praised the Shah turn against him. They find major flaws in his politics which are seen as secular and corrupt. The friendly police had become menacing. Persepolis has accurately reflected the changing society through the drawings which have become more pronounced in the threatening postures of the revolutionaries. The confusion amongst the public and the wary way they were conforming to the new order has all been excellently portrayed by Satrapi in the book. The behind-the-door utterances and the little ways, people show their defiance has all been skillfully scripted in the drawings. Streaks of hair coming out of the chader and veil showed their insolence despite their meekly following the dictums of the rebels. Even as a child, Satrapi as the protagonist, shows the inherent desire to cope with the changes in a manner that would lessen the impact of the evil influence. That is why she would rather be the Prophet and make the world better or even a soldier who fights for the country, when she comes to know that Iraq had attacked her country. She had passionate zen to correct all the social problems and says ‘I wanted to a Prophet because.. my maid did not eat with use...my grandmother’s knees always ached..’. Marji had used her wild imagination and has created identities that were capable of overcoming the adverse situations. When she hears the tales of torture within the jail from one of their family friends who had recently been released from the prison, she immediately imagines herself as the tyrant and ‘back at home that evening, I had the diabolical feeling of power’. She copes in her own inimitable ways and shows her despair and concern because the siege of American embassy by rebels would also not let her meet her friend ‘Kehva’! She is unaware of the seriousness of the situation just as I when the racists’ riots had broken out in our area and I wanted to play with my friend, rabbi, who was black. The book is a statement that world needs to empathize with the common man in Iran during the revolution and not make a general categorization. Throughout the books (part I and II), Satrapi has displayed an innate sense of confusion and distress when she comes across the fast changing values, especially the socio-cultural paradigms of the places. When she is sent to Austria for studies, initially she is captivated but gradually realizes the differences in the day to day activities. The modern society of Austria and the loss of her own identity in the midst of the new culture are acutely painful and I kept on identifying with her! In Iran, she was cocooned within the security of her family. While the her religion was conservative and relegated women as second class citizens who had to be covered from head to foot, her family was more progressive and believed in social etiquettes, respect for elders, gender equality and free expression. Her family’s values and traditions were as important as its modern approach to issues. Modern clothes and going to parties did not mean that one could show disrespect to seniors. In Austria, she was all alone and its open society neither encourages nor discourages any moral lapses. People were free to choose their path and were responsible for their own acts of omission or commission. She had become a free agent at a young age. It was a new world and she was as clueless about it as any other child in a foreign country. Even with her friends, she was a ‘third-worlder’ and therefore, it was not surprising that she finds herself in bad company and has started abusing drugs. Her grandmother’s advice ‘In life, youll meet a lot of jerks. If they hurt you, tell yourself that its because theyre stupid. That will help keep you from reacting to their cruelty. Because there is nothing worse than bitterness and vengeance . . . always keep your dignity and be true to yourself’ comes to her rescue. Her encounter with drugs in Austria matures her and leads to her disillusion with the western culture. The moving uncertainties and confusion of the young are vividly brought to life. Her return to Iran after a gap of nearly 10 years was as traumatic as her schooling in Vienna was. As a young woman of 21 years, she found it more frustrating to adjust to a society where women were considered second class and must be covered from head to foot. Satrapi’s strong character comes to the fore again and again when she continues to face the challenges of her life. She adjusts with the stifling social restrictions so that she can continue her education in Tehran. She falls in love and marries. When she realizes that her husband is a chauvinist and a hardcore conservative, she accepts her mistakes. She refuses to stay in a bad marriage and opts for divorce and continues to strive for better opportunities through pursuing higher education. Persepolis’ protagonist is a modern woman in a conservative society who dares to live life in her own way. Though Satrapi returns to Europe but she never forgets that she is an Iranian. Persepolis is a book with which all women can identify, irrespective of country, race or culture. Indeed the book demonstrates the universal appeal and approach of looking at issues and paradigms of modern societies. One can conclude that the book has demonstrated an uncanny bonhomie with the people who live in strife ridden regions and its sensitive portrayal of characters cuts across nationality, race, culture and religion. The graphics are explicit in expressing the various emotions of the people. Satrapi’s focus on socio-political upheavals attempts to force people to look beyond traumatic events and understand the wider implications of the changes that one has to undergo. The author shows how easy it is to lose one’s personal and cultural identity, if we always try to meet the demands and expectations of other people. Reference Satrapi, Marjane. (2003). Persepolis. Pantheon Books Read More