ENGL 115W Final: Persepolis
27 Apr 2018
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Persepolis
Reading Journal
Throughout Marjane Satrapi’s graphic novel, Persepolis
, Satrapi highlights her struggles
as a woman in a “very modern and avant-garde” family, yet a very religious fundamentalist
country (6). Thus, a crucial theme in this graphic novel is Marji’s quest for identity. A significant
question that she explores is, can she form her own beliefs based on both the beliefs of her
family and her country or are these beliefs mutually exclusive? Marji’s internal struggle is
clearly displayed in the first panel of page 6. The backgrounds of each side of the panel are
oppositely coloured, with the left side being black and the right being white; the panel, including
Marji, is also split exactly in half. This depicts Marji’s equal division between her family’s views
and her country’s views. Her face is almost expressionless, revealing that she shields her internal
conflict from others. The hint of discontent she shows displays her true feelings of confusion.
In the same panel, Marji states that “deep down [she] was very religious” and it was only
“as a family [they] were very modern and avant-garde,” showing that at this point her in life, she
wants to dedicate herself to religion, but she also values her family’s beliefs (6). However, she
considers being religious and being modern as black and white; there is no grey area, as she
believes that each view fails to enhance and is incompatible with the other. Although the
background of the left side is black and the right side is white, Marji is wearing white on the left
and all black on the right. This shows that there can
be
connections between opposing outlooks.
At this point, Marji does not realize this and believes she can only belong in a single culture. As
a result, she feels compelled to choose a side, displaying her naivety.
The left side of the panel represents her family and their progressive beliefs. Whether it is
the emphasis her grandmother places on dignity, the courage of her uncle Anoosh, the leniency
