Persepolis By Marjane Satrapi: An Analysis

Persepolis details Marjane Satrapi’s life from her early childhood in war ravaged Iran to her adult years spent in Vienna, Tehran, and Paris. In the first part, one of the most intriguing moments that stood out to me is when the Iraqi bombings begin on Iran. This particular moment, not entirely significant for the onset of the war itself, marks a personal development in Satrapi, who comes to realize the true atrocities of war, and morphs from a mere child to a rebellious individual.
Satrapi’s life before the war was very simplistic, as with any ordinary child in Iran. She abides by the rules and symbols of the regime that are set in place after the Islamic Revolution, such as the veil. However, once her beloved Uncle Anoosh is executed, her world changes drastically. Satrapi in this short period begins to realize the true atrocities and deception of the war on her people: “thousands of young kids, promised a better life, exploded on the minefields

with their keys around their necks” (102). This message was striking for me, because she discovered the true cost of war on the Iranian people. She also discovers that her government refused a peace settlement to continue the incessant war against Iraq, and that “to die a martyr is to inject blood into the veins of society” (117). Through this, she concludes that the cruel government depends on the war, and that nearly a million other people would still be alive if the war could have been avoided.
Furthermore, as the regime becomes more oppressive, Satrapi rebels against her mother by smoking a cigarette!

This small act she carries out has a profound impact on me, because I realized that she has become an adult now, leaving her childhood behind. This signals a turning point in her life, and it was important to me because I could relate this change. It made me reflect on my personal transition from a child to an adult, and think about all the small, often unrecognized moments that we go through in our lives. Her act of lighting the cigarette displays how such minuscule moments can covertly start depicting our development into adults.
This specific moment in Satrapi’s life also made me compare our upbringings as individuals. It made me realize the extent to which one’s environment has on his or her development. Satrapi’s upbringing in tumultuous Iran caused her to become a rebellious adult. Her growth into an adult is one of the most distinguishing events in her life, and made her into the person she is

today.