Examples Of Juxtaposition In Persepolis

While individual merit may sometimes be a factor in one’s opportunities, our society often still relies heavily on wealth and status to determine such things. One’s education, hobbies, health, and friends, among many other aspects of his life, are all shaped by how much money and respect he and his family has. This is true in most societies, both today and in the past, and can bee seen in Marjane Satrapi’s graphic novel Persepolis, in which she uses juxtaposition and irony to show that social class often plays a large role in what opportunities people have and how they treat each other.
One way that Satrapi depicts this issue is by placing contrasting images together. For example, she discusses how she became devoted to reading at a young

age in order to understand the revolution in her country, and she mentions that one of her favorite authors was Ali Ashraf Darvishian. She then illustrates three panels summarizing a few of his stories, all of which show young children laboring to provide for their families. The next panel shows Marji sitting in her father’s Cadillac, claiming that this minor action brought her shame (Satrapi 33). While many Iranians were struggling, Satrapi’s family was quite well-off, as displayed by the expensive car. This comparison shows the discrepancy that she begins to notice between economic classes in her society, which then reappears throughout the story, while also helping to show how she disapproves of it. The author later uses the same technique when explaining recruitment for the war against Iraq. One panel shows young, lower-class boys flung into the smoky air by mines with the “keys to heaven” around their necks. Yet just below that is another panel showing kids from wealthier families at a party (Satrapi 102). The panels are drawn similarly to indicate a connection, yet clear distinctions in the art styles, such as shading and facial expressions, allow very different emotions to be conveyed. This purposeful combination of images specifically shows the variance in how children of different classes fit into society: some are sent to die in battles while others blissfully celebrate and have fun.This reflects how lower classes are often called more heavily upon to support their families or communities, while those higher up have greater privileges to avoid this or lead easier lives Throughout her story, Satrapi organizes her panels in such a way to contrast how affluence affects the way people experience the world.
Furthermore, Marjane build upon this idea of distinct and restrictive groups by using irony.

First, she explains how her family’s maid, Mehri, fell in love with their neighbor and wrote to him every week. When Marji’s father finds out, he talks to the boy and ends this relationship. Despite having shown quite progressive ideals featuring equality and having many communist friends, he now cites Mehri’s status as a maid to justify the incompatibility. Young Marji then establishes the hypocrisy in this by shouting, “Dad, are you for or against social classes?” (Satrapi 37). The irony of one so seemingly in favor of social homogeneity suddenly upholding categorization by wealth shows how inequality is such a major part of society that even those who disagree often revert and continue to conform with it. A further example of irony can be seen when the Satrapi family gets pulled over after a party, and Marji and her grandmother must throw out all of the alcohol before the men can search the house and find it. However, her father enters , explaining that “Their faith has nothing to do with ideology! A few bills were all he needed to forget the whole thing!!” (Satrapi 110) Those with authority seem only to believe in the laws of their religion when they want it to and can thus be bribed to ignore them. The irony of this intermittent and immoral belief draws attention to the fact that the opportunity to escape punishment would only be available to those who had the extra money to give away. Poorer people would not be able to afford to bribe the police and would have to either follow the laws completely or face punishment, while those who are wealthier can get away with doing neither. Satrapi’s occasional ideological contradictions manage to effectively point out the flaws in her society, especially as they pertain to class

distinction.
As in Marjane’s portrayal of Iran, social classes are still a major part of our society: organizing and separating people, fuelling animosity, and dictating politics. However, she seems to warn against this and consistently depicting these prejudices negatively. Readers of this powerful book should recognize her various attempts to warn about the injustice of using status to arbitrate one’s worth, and should take measure in their own lives to treat all people with the consideration and chances that they deserve.