Many authors have depicted their struggles through childhood through their writings. From Elie Wiesel’s interpretation of the Holocaust in Night, to Jeannette Walls’ nomadic lifestyle in The Glass Castle, the use of writing to depict one’s life has become a prominent concept amongst various authors. One author who encapsulated this concept in particular was Marjane Satrapi, the author of Persepolis. Born in Tehran, Iran in 1969, Marjane Satrapi was subjected to a variety violence that broke out during the Iran-Iraq (1980-1988) and the Iranian Revolution (1979-present.) The plethora of mass murders and attacks ultimately led to Satrapi being sent to Vienna to continue her studies at the age of 14. In 2000, Satrapi published her graphic novel,
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In particular, we see Satrapi mature into an adult as she experiences multiple heart breaks from losing family members and friends and when finds herself in situations where the naïve nature of her childhood is tested. Towards the end of the novel, Marjane finds herself frequently facing the idea of maturity. Specifically, on page 117, in tier 3, Satrapi depicts the first time she smoked a cigarette. In the panels, during an act of boredom, she ponders about the ongoing presence of the Iran-Iraqi war. She, then, takes her first puff of a cigarette with minimal success. Afterwards, Marjane declares that she is now “a grown-up.” In this scene, Satrapi’s reflection on her first experience with smoking creates an emphasis on the loss of innocence. In most societies, the image of a cigarette reflects a sense of maturity given the laws regulating them and the societal standards of smoking. Given this, the cigarette portrays a sense of adulthood in the novel. By revealing that she believed she was no longer a child and instead an adult, we see a personality change in Marjane with the introduction of the cigarette. Later on in the novel, we see Marjane become a more independent person, as well as a more rebellious young adult rather than conforming to societal expectations. Overall, the inclusion of this scene exemplifies the fact that the loss of
In particular, we see Satrapi mature into an adult as she experiences multiple heart breaks from losing family members and friends and when finds herself in situations where the naïve nature of her childhood is tested. Towards the end of the novel, Marjane finds herself frequently facing the idea of maturity. Specifically, on page 117, in tier 3, Satrapi depicts the first time she smoked a cigarette. In the panels, during an act of boredom, she ponders about the ongoing presence of the Iran-Iraqi war. She, then, takes her first puff of a cigarette with minimal success. Afterwards, Marjane declares that she is now “a grown-up.” In this scene, Satrapi’s reflection on her first experience with smoking creates an emphasis on the loss of innocence. In most societies, the image of a cigarette reflects a sense of maturity given the laws regulating them and the societal standards of smoking. Given this, the cigarette portrays a sense of adulthood in the novel. By revealing that she believed she was no longer a child and instead an adult, we see a personality change in Marjane with the introduction of the cigarette. Later on in the novel, we see Marjane become a more independent person, as well as a more rebellious young adult rather than conforming to societal expectations. Overall, the inclusion of this scene exemplifies the fact that the loss of