Satrapi's Persepolis

Orientalism is a way of viewing the world as divided into two unequal halves: the Occident and the Orient. Occidental means Western Hemisphere, and Oriental means Eastern Hemisphere. These ideas of orientalism are challenged in Satrapi's Persepolis. A book about a young girl Marji who lived in Iran in the 1980’s, and therefore is placed in the beginning years of political and religious turmoil in Iran. Satrapi Juxtaposes the western view of Iran to Iran by showing similarities between America and Iran through Marji’s youth and adventures throughout the book.

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

The false belief that, other than the rebels, the general public is totally oppressed by the government. This is disproven in persepolis with Marji’s trip to the black market. On her walk on Gandhi Avenue illustration states that “The food shortage had been resolved by the growth of the black market” (136). Satrapi introduces the black market into the story to challenge orientalism. Another way that Satrapi shows that the general public was not under complete control was through how rebellious Marji was to the Guardians of the Revolution women. These women were a branch of government to arrest women who were improperly dressed and veiled. If the government was fully oppressing the public then marji would have been to afraid to wear the items that her mother got her from turkey. When marji was aggressively approached by the guardians of the revolution she simply lied to them about what she was wearing say that the Michael Jackson button was “Malcolm X, the leader of the black muslims in America” (137). When the lying did not work she cried until the women gave up and went