Clothing In Persepolis

Through her graphic novel, Persepolis, author Marjane Satrapi comments on the distribution of power in Iranian society, through the perspective of a coming of age story. The main character, Marjane, struggles to discover herself and her identity in a society which suppresses individuality, as a means to preserve the strength of higher powers. By examining the work through its graphical narration, seemingly insignificant “frames” and images become important motifs and symbols when discussing the power struggle which Marjane faces. Although the author of Persepolis criticizes the oppressive distribution of power in Iranian society, she uses the images of clothing as a motif to demonstrate the potential that individuals have within themselves …show more content…
Satrapi decides to open her novel with an image of her elementary school class photo (3). Through the image, she portrays a row of young girls who are dressed so identically to one another, that they are essentially indistinguishable. Satrapi attempts to convey the fact that these girls, despite being only ten years old, are not free. The veils conceal their unique traits and act as the “chains” of society, which hold them back from expressing their individuality. In addition, the girls are intentionally drawn with dull and saddened expressions, in order to portray the heavy emotional toll that the veil has on them. Although they could not fully comprehend the veil’s purpose, they still experienced its oppressive consequences. Satrapi and her classmates were deprived of their childhood innocence, because societal pressures took away their freedom of self-expression. The veil prevented them from feeling carefree and lighthearted, by forcing traditions onto them from such an early age. The division of the frames contributes to the portrayal of the single, dominant power that pressures these traditions onto the young girls. Satrapi chooses to separate herself off from her classmates, in order to introduce herself as the unique protagonist. By cutting the frames in this manner, audience are lead to believe that the following panel will present the other characters and how they contrast Satrapi. However, her and her classmates are so identical, that they can easily be switched out for one another without there being a visible difference. Through this, the author is hinting at the presence of a single power, which forces all of these young girls to hide their individuality beneath their veils. In Iranian society, the forced wearing of excessive clothing successfully makes Satrapi “one of