Persepolis Themes

Marjane Satrapi’s autobiographical novel Persepolis received global recognition for sharing growing up in Iran during the Islamic Revolution, and was thus turned into a film under the directing of Satrapi. The coming of age story explores many themes connected to the idea of captivity and freedom. This essay will explore captivities and freedoms within both the novel and film mediums of Persepolis, and how these two versions of the same story are capable as well as limited in exploring this concept. Through this exploration, the novel’s more complete exploration of these concepts will be demonstrated.

An immediate distinction between the novel and film is the use of artwork and space. While both mediums explore and utilize these elements, due to the differences of mediums they are implemented in contrasting ways. Satrapi’s novel is …show more content…
These scenes include authorities dressed in gas masks approaching groups of protesters, protesters celebrating one of the fallen as a martyr, as well as battlefield scenes. This adds a third type of scene; one Satrapi neither experienced nor created a personal assumption of. The viewer takes these scenes as factual events, and the entrapment of war, and authorities are explored in a form separate from personal experiences. Although helpful in developing a sense of restraint, there are implications of adding these apparently objective scenes. Persepolis clearly holds many biases in the telling of events throughout the story, which can be excused since it is an autobiographical retelling of Satrapi’s personal experiences, meaning biases are acknowledged. By adding scenes separate from Satrapi’s personal life which still adhere to a certain stereotyped image, the biases in the film are not clearly addressed. The biased personal narrative blurs with reality, and an incomplete picture is painted as factual and