Persepolis Reader's Response

Marjane Satrapi’s, Persepolis, is one of the most interesting “books” I have ever read. Because it is a graphic novel, both the graphics and the text must be interpreted. It is interesting how such a serious topic could include as much humor as it actually does.

“To die a martyr is to inject blood into the veins of society” (115). This is probably one of the most important quotes of the novel. It is brought up on two different occasions, and each time it had a large effect on me as a reader. The first time this quote is introduced, the graphic is of a man with blood being taken from all over his body. This was hard for me to look at, but it fit with the text. Translated into simpler terms, the quote basically means that to die for your beliefs is to feed into society and motivate them. No deaths are in vain, essentially, because society benefits from it in some way. It does not seem, however, that the students of the school at least, respect the martyrs. They mock them and make fun of them on page 97.

The topic of social classes is obviously a prominent theme in Persepolis. In the beginning, Marji is with the maid, who is sent away. The text reads, “We were not in the same social class, but at least we were in the same bed” (37). The main character seems to be noting the fact that class really does not matter. It does not keep two people from having a relationship, or even sharing a bed. The higher the power, it appears, the higher the amount of evil. People with power take advantage of it and run away with it. When Marji says, “Back at home that evening, I had the diabolical feeling of power” (53) while looking in the mirror, she has devil horns on her head. She does not say “a” diabolical feeling of power; she says “the” diabolical feeling of power. This indicates that power can only come in the form of evil. Something that relates to the lower class, is the part of the novel that reads, “the key to paradise was for poor people. Thousands of young kids, promised a better life, exploded on the minefields with their keys around their necks” (102). The poor people did what the higher people told them to do. They fought for something that they didn’t necessarily believe in because they were promised of a better life, or a “key” to a better life. So many young men died with the “keys to freedom” wrapped around their necks.

Many things happen do not essentially make sense. Towards the beginning, Marji says that it was actually, in fact, “our own who attacked us” (39). Her mother had slapped her and the maid for being gone for too long. She felt like she was being caged, and their marks remained on their faces even after they left the scene (each has a black hand print on their face). This, in a way, marks them. They are marked as “punished.” Father on, on page 117, Marji smokes as “her own rebellion against her mother’s dictatorship.” In a way it seems that her problems at home, to her, are almost as bad as the problems within the country. When Marji’s mother says, “now that the devil has left” (43), it is somewhat ironic, because in the picture, there is a devil illustrated surrounding her with its arms reaching out; I am unsure of why this is so.

Some questions I still have involve Marji and her family’s trip to France. They are floating on a carpet for some reason, and I am wondering who the woman is beneath them that is floating in the wind. I also want to know why, on page 132, it displays Marji with two faces, and also the man with two faces. It is possible that it is supposed to suggest that they are shaking their heads “no” but I cannot see a reason why they would be doing that by looking at the text.