The development of Marji’s Maturity in Persepolis The story of Persepolis is about a young girl named Marji growing up during the revolutionary war in Iran. Marji’s parents both have a very liberal point of view and are in support of the war in order to overthrow the government. The story begins right after 3,000 political prisoners were released from jail. This included the father of Laly, who is Marji’s friend. Marji’s uncle, Anoosh, is also released and portrayed as a hero throughout the story. Throughout the story the revolutionaries take over, however end up being worse than the original government. Marji is exposed to many aspects of the war that are confusing for a child as young as her. The way that Satrapi developes Marji’s jealousy …show more content…
of Laly, Marji’s view of Anoosh, and her changing feelings about the war show that Marji matured throughout the story. In the beginning of the story you can see Marji’s immaturity through her jealousy of her friend Laly.
Laly’s father, Siamak, has just returned from being a prisoner of war (Satrapi 47). Both Marji and Laly see him as a hero because of the struggles he faced while standing up for what he believes in. Marji quickly becomes jealous of Laly for having a hero in her family (Satrapi 52). The fact that Marji is jealous of her friend who had her father in prison clearly shows her initial immaturity. Marji hears the things that were done to the prisoners such as ripping out toe nails, getting whipped with electric cables and burned with iron rods (Satrapi 52). However she can not fully comprehend how physically and emotionally painful being a prisoner is. If she did fully understand what Siamak went through she would never want her own father to go through that pain. Marji shows that she can not fully comprehend the horrific conditions prisoners were put through for a second time when she turns the concept of torture into a game. Marji’s game included her pulling the upper lip, twisting arms and shoving garbage in other childrens’ mouths. Marji also does not understand the pain that Laly and her mother felt having to worry about Siamak while he was in prison. She is jealous of Laly for something that was actually very painful for her whole family. This shows the audience that Marji is still too immature to fully understand the
war. Marji does not see her own father as a hero because he was not an active part of the war like Laly’s father. Marji even becomes angry at her father and begins to act cold towards him (Satrapi 54). Rather than trying to understand the possible reasons her father is not an active part of the war she immediately becomes irritated that he does not have heroic stories to tell like Laly’s father did. While a mature adult would be thankful that their loved one was not fighting in a war, Marji was upset that her father was not part of the action. This shows us that Marji still viewed the war as exciting rather than the truth which is that war is full of tragedy. One more way that Marji showed her jealousy of Laly was when she lied to her friends about her father being in prison (Satrapi 54). She made up elaborate stories of her father going through gruesome conditions in order to impress her peers. She is so worried about what her friends think, that she does not think deeply about how her father going to prison would truly affect her. In reality she probably would not be excited if her father was actually in prison. She would probably become scarred for her father and want him back home. The fact that Marji wants her father to go to war so she has a way to impress her friends proves her immaturity in the beginning of Persepolis. In Persepolis Marji meets her uncle Anoosh, who she views as a hero (Satrapi 54). As soon as Marji finds out that Anoosh has been an active part of the war she considers him a hero and is extremely fascinated by him. While Marji’s relationship with her uncle developes you can see that she starts to mature. When Marji first meets her uncle she is purely thrilled that her uncle was a part of the war, so that she can say she has a hero in her family. At first while Marji listens to Anoosh's stories she is only excited about the action and worried about Anoosh being just as heroic as Siamak. Marji shows that she wants her uncle to be even more heroic than Laly’s father my comparing them throughout Anoosh’s storytelling. An example of this is when Anoosh talks about how he had to hide from the Shah soldiers all the way in the USSR (Satrapi 57). Marji states that not even Laly’s father has been to the USSR which implies that Anoosh is more of a hero because he had been there. Another example of Marji comparing Anoosh and Siamak is when Anoosh told her that he had went to prison for nine years. Marji mentioned that this was longer than Siamak had been, which made it more admirable. Undermining one individual's struggles is another example of how Marji shows her immaturity in the beginning or Persepolis. At the end of Anoosh's storytelling is when we see Marji begin to mature. Anoosh tells her that she must never forget his stories and it is her duty to pass them along to future generations. Marji vows to Anoosh that she will never forget (Satrapi 60). She understands the importance of knowing the good and bad parts of history so that future generation including hers can learn from the past. The promise to try to pass along these family experiences shows that Marji is starting to see the importance of the war. Anoosh's trust that she will pass on the stories shows that he believes she has the maturity and capability to pass family stories on. Another way that Marji’s hero, Anoosh, helped Marji mature was by treating her as an adult. He was the only adult in Persepolis that talked to Marji about the war directly. In the beginning of the story Marji had to listen in on her parents conversations about the war (Satrapi 50). This proves that even Marji’s parents thought she was too young to be a part of the conversations about war. Anoosh talking to Marji directly allowed her to ask questions and better comprehend what was going on around her. Her new understanding of the war caused her to become more mature. By the end of Persepolis Marji’s feelings towards her hero, Anoosh, changed drastically. In the beginning of Persepolis all Marji could manage to feel was excitement that she even had a hero in her family. She wanted someone that she could brag about to her friends. In the end of Persepolis Marji had a real appreciation for Anoosh and the sacrifices he made. She truly admired his actions and cared about Anoosh. This was shown when Anoosh was sent back to prison and executed. As soon as Marji knew that Anoosh had been imprisoned she feared for him. She was not excited like she would have been in the beginning of the story. She understood the dangers he faced and cried on the way to the prison to see him for the last time (Satrapi 68). Marji also became angry with God for taking away her hero. Whereas in the beginning of Persepolis she was able to feel comforted by God. The change in Marji’s feelings towards Anoosh shows that she has matured a lot during the story of Persepolis. She no longer sees war as an exciting show to be entertained by; Marji finally understands that the war is a tragic event that is causing many people to suffer. Throughout Persepolis readers can see Marji mature through her feelings toward Laly, her relationship with Anoosh as a hero,and her changed view of the war. In the beginning of Persepolis Marji feels envy because her father is not an active part of the war. After hearing her uncle’s stories she realizes that she has a hero in her family too. She also learned that the war was much less exciting and much more of a horrific event that is affecting everyone in her county. The development of Marji's thoughts and opinions really shows that she matured throughout the story of Persepolis.
Persepolis Argumentative Essay In the memoir “Persepolis” by Marjane Satrapi we learn the effects the revolution had on the Satrapi’s family. To summarize, Marji grew up around the Islamic War. This caused her to become very curious about why people act a certain way or do things. In the story, she is constantly learning from what’s right and wrong.
Persepolis is a inspirational story written by Marjane Satrapi in the perspective of a young girl’s life during a powerful, historical moment in Iran. The Islamic Revolution was a life-changing moment that impacted her view on the world around her and her innocence shaping her into the woman she is today. Not many people understand what it feels like to feel pain, hurt and abandonment as a child from major and minor things. The author writes this story and decides for it to be a graphic novel to allow the not only young readers, but also for those who do not understand what happens everyday in the world they live in. Satrapi uses all rhetorical stances, ethos, pathos, and logos to show problems, purpose and emotions.
The most significant similarity that Satrapi shows in persepolis is the similarities of Iran and American schooling. He does this through the main character Marji. The western view that the author challenges is the view that the
Margi had been out shopping for jeans with her friend Shadi. Then all the sudden there was a big boom and Margi`s heart sunk when she found out that a missile had landed right in her neighborhood. ‘I didn't want to look up. I looked at my trembling legs. I couldn't go forward, like in a nightmare. Let them be alive. Let them be alive Let them…” (Satrapi 140). She quickly took a taxi to her house and found out that her family was alright and that everything was going to be ok. This made Marji reflect on how she acted to her mother and father and really question what she would do without them. If her parents had died then the last thing she would have said to her mother was for her to give Margi one thousand Tumans which was a ton of money because their currency value had dropped drastically. The bombing of the Baba-Levy`s house was one of the most influential parts of Margi`s life to that day. It forced her to reflect on how she has treated her parents and in the future she will remember that things could change any second so you should treat every second like it's your
One of Marjane’s first coming of age moments occurs fairly quickly. She learns that her grandpa was tortured by being trapped in a cell filled with water. She tries to feel his pain by spending several hours in her bathtub (pg 25). Before this moment, Marjane did not know that people she knew could experience so much pain and torture as her grandfather went through. She got piggy back rides from her grandpa without realizing that every step he took put him in even more pain. After she discovers this fact, she is thrown into empathy for her grandfather. From this moment on, she realize...
Persepolis is a coming of age story written by Marjane Satrapi in 20001. Depicting a young girl growing up during the religious revolts in Iran. Throughout the story the main character loses her innocence. The author uses the appeals of genre, ethos, pathos, and logos, historical context, and illustration to depict the loss of innocence in the main character.
Throughout Persepolis, Marjane Satrapi displays the vital role that the women around her have in developing her character and becoming the woman she is today. Women such as her mother, her grandmother, her school teachers, the maid, the neighbors, and even the guardians of the revolution influenced Marjane and caused her to develop into an independent, educated, and ambitious woman. Throughout the novel, Marjane never completely conforms or lets go of her roots, this is primarily due to the women who have influenced her. Marjane’s mother was one of the most influential people in her life, her mother taught her to be strong and independent. By introducing her mother through the story of her mother getting photographed at a demonstration, Marjane presents her mother as being independent and rebellious (Satrapi 5).
Persepolis is a book that centers on the author’s family during the Iran-Iraq war that lasted for eight years. Marjane’s experience of the war is quite innocent since she saw it from the eyes of a well protected child. She grew up with need to help and make things better for everyone without really understanding what it takes to make the world a better place. In her mind the only possible way to make a change is by becoming a prophet and using supernatural powers to make the world a better place. Marjane’s childhood is proving that children form defense mechanisms to deal with difficulties. These defense mechanisms take children to “happy” places where things are better and everyone is happy unlike in the real world.
When it comes to culture, different views can cause major conflicts, and these said conflicts occur in the novel Persepolis. The book is a memoir about Marjane Satrapi, also known as Marji, growing up in Iran under the Shah’s rule and the Islamic rule. Even with the many different cultures in Iran, she stuck up for what she believed in and rebelled against the things she thought were wrong. In Persepolis, Marjane’s growth is affected by various aspects of culture including religion, government, and social organization.
Persepolis was a heartwarming film showing how the people of Iran struggled under the leadership of the Shah. The Shah's primary goal was to modernize Iran. Part of modernizing Iran was turning it into an absolute dictatorship. The Shah was a ruthless leader. He jailed those who did not follow his laws. The Shah violated the basic principles of human rights, such as freedom of speech and religion. The Shah's son was also a ruthless leader who made himself like a king; he denied Iranian citizens peace. Under the Shah's son Iranian citizens were often whipped, killed execution style, or went to prison for speaking out. Brainwashing people into believing, that the way to heaven was by obeying the Shah's rules and if they did not honor the Shah they would go to hell.
To begin with, Satrapi writes Persepolis from a child’s point of view. Young Marjane Satrapi displays the characteristics that any child might have. She is simple, innocent, and easily influenced. For example, when her parents are demonstrating against the king, Marjane Satrapi says, “As for me, I love the king, he was chosen by God” (Satrapi 19). Her teacher tells her this, and she believes her teacher because Marjane Satrapi is a child and, in all innocence, will believe anything because her teacher, in her eyes, knows everything. Situations such as this show the influence of authority on her as a child because the teacher is an authority who tells Satrapi a misleading fact and Satrapi believes her, or is influenced by ...
Persepolis 2: The Story of Return is anchored around how Marji is affected by the social injustice that occurred during the Islamic Revolution. Growing up as “a westerner in Iran and an Iranian in the West,” (Satrapi 274) changes and molds her into the young woman she is at the end of her journey. In this second chapter of Satrapis life she moves away from the comfort of Iran and finds a life in Vienna. Marji desires to find her purpose and identity during her brief time here and faces many battles with language barriers, people and herself. Marjis past from Iran haunts her and instills the idea that she needs to make something of herself while in Austria. Finding that Austria took her down a darker path where the light was scarcer and the
In 1980 it was the start of the Iran-Iraq war. The most recent Shah of Iran had just left the throne and fled to get away from the Islamic revolution. Marjane Satrapi represents how imperialism, social classes, and loss of innocence affected people in Iran during the 1980’s. She represents this in her book, Persepolis. Marjane wrote this book as a child during the Iran imperialism and revolution. They had eventually went into war, in which Marjane was there for. She grew up in a political home where her parents were politically active and also very religious. They made Marjane become a very strong and opinionated girl. Marjane and her family were better off than other families, making her opinion different than some children in Iran.
She didn’t understand the purpose of the veil and so she and her peers toyed around with the veils. “Everywhere in the streets there were demonstrations and against the veil.” (Satrapi 5) She was surrounded with constant demonstrations that were for and against the revolution. With one side opposing with the “veil!” (Satrapi 5) and the other with “freedom!” (Satrapi 5), this affected Marji to become conflicted. “I really didn’t know what to think about the veil. Deep down I was very religious but as a family we were very modern and avant-garde.” (Satrapi 6) Marji lived with very modern parents and with her being very religious deep down it confuses her on what she should be thinking about the revolution. With this compared to any child anywhere, most children would be redirected into what their parents think about a situation. In this case, Marji follows her the last prophet path with the guide of
Throughout Persepolis, Marjane Satrapi displays the vital role that the women around her have in developing her character and becoming the woman she is today. Women such as her mother, her grandmother, her school teachers, the maid, the neighbors, and even the guardians of the revolution influenced Marjane and caused her to develop into an independent, educated, and ambitious woman. Throughout the novel, Marjane never completely conforms or lets go of her roots, this is strongly due to the women who have influenced her.