Time Of The Butterflies And Persepolis: An Analysis

The role and portrayal of women in literature has significantly changed in the last century. Before, in some pieces of literature, women were portrayed as weak, insignificant, and flawed. But, the novels In the Time of the Butterflies and Persepolis break these standards by portraying the struggles of powerful, female characters who are living in an oppressive regime. The main characters in both of these novels possess unique personalities and character traits that motivate them to rebel and take action against the regime's rules and standards. In order to depict the growth of these female characters, Alvarez and Satrapi depict the characters moments of weakness and doubt. By emphasizing on these moments, Alvarez and Satrapi were able to create …show more content…
Through this unique graphic novel format, Satrapi is able to show how the main character Marji matures by illustrating her actions and thoughts. In the beginning of the graphic novel, six-year-old Marji sees the world through a very narrow perspective. She is young and naive, and holds the belief that God is the only one who can decide what happens in this world. In some of Satrapi’s illustrations, Marji has conversations with God, and she tells him that she is striving to be a prophet so she could be “justice, love, and the wrath of God all in one” (Satrapi 9, Figure 1 in Appendix). During Iran’s Islamic Revolution, Marji becomes interested in politics and the rebellion, and God became more of a minute figure to her. Later, Marji meets Uncle Anoosh with whom she builds a special bond because he stood up for what he believed in even if it was opposed by the regime. When Anoosh is executed by the regime, Marji suddenly loses her faith in God (Figure 2). Satrapi emphasizes Marji’s loss in faith and doubt in God’s abilities because it allowed Marji to transform from a naive girl into a mature and rebellious woman. For example, after Marji’s mother yells at her for cutting class, Marji was overwhelmed with her strict parents and how the repressive regime was becoming, so she smoked a cigarette to symbolize her transition into adulthood (Figure 3). Marji was such …show more content…
Alvarez and Satrapi were able to do so because they depicted the character's moments of weakness and doubt which made them stronger characters. By emphasizing on those specific moments, Alvarez and Satrapi were able to add dimension, depth, and strength to each of these characters. What sets apart these novels from other pieces of literature is that Alvarez and Satrapi take a feminist approach in their writing. By creating characters that bend traditional gender roles and strive from their weakness, these authors are, in a way, arguing for women’s