What Is Marjane Satrapi's Influence On Persepolis

In her autobiographical graphic novel, Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood, Marjane Satrapi tells of her childhood during the Islamic Revolution and the subsequent Iran-Iraq War. She lived in Tehran, Iran’s capital city, and was ten years old when the Shah fled Iran to escape the revolution. The 1979 revolution overturned the existing political order, thus creating what appeared to be an atmosphere for idealized social change and progress. The revolution was situated unquestionably in Marxist thought; it sought to establish the rule of the oppressed: to eradicate poverty, exploitation, and excessive wealth. However, Satrapi recognized the constraints she was living under. Under Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, she rebelled against the restrictions placed on young people, especially girls, and against the censorship of Western culture. Through Persepolis, Satrapi claims her own historicity in Iran, while at the same time works to “destabilize standard narratives of history” (Chute 92). Satrapi confirms this notion in her …show more content…
When she fell in love with their neighbor’s soon, she recruited Marji to help her write letters to him. When Marji’s father found out about the situation, he went to the neighbor’s son to inform him that she was actually their maid and not Marji’s sister. When he realized she was in a lower social class than him, he stopped writing to her. Marji’s father informed her that “their love was impossible […] because in this country you must stay within your own social class.” Marji’s father’s actions are an example of an upper-class effort to retain what they already have. He thus upholds the very “superstructure” he protests against. Marji responds: “But is it her fault that she was born where she was born? Dad, are you for or against social classes?” As the question goes unanswered, Marji’s awareness of Mehri’s relationship to her family further fueled her desire to