Marji In Persepolis

Persepolis Essay

The novel Persepolis describes the experiences of its author Marjane Satrapi as a young girl living in Iran in the 1970s and 80s. During this time period Iran was facing some serious issues that played a key role in the development of Satrapi’s character in her story. Iran before the story is a country controlled by the powerful and influential nation of Great Britain who desire oil. However, the puppet ruler for the British was overthrown in an event known as the Islamic Revolution when Iran reverted to its Islamic roots. After the revolution, religious leaders took power and the story of Marji begins. Throughout the novel Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi, the growth of the main character, Marji, is shown through many examples

However throughout the story she grows into a very different person. Her first instance of growth displayed in Persepolis is the knowledge of social class. Marji claims she is “ashamed to sit in her father 's cadillac” (pg 33) and she realizes that difference in social class is the reason the country is in turmoil. The next lesson Marji learns is forgiveness. After threatening a boy because of the deeds of his father, she is lectured by her mother before telling herself that, “You have to forgive, you have to forgive.” (pg 46) A third example of growth in Persepolis is Marji’s declaration that she was a grownup. The Marji 117 pages into the novel who smoked a cigarette and understands the complex topics such as forgiveness and social class is very different from the young girl at the beginning of Persepolis who dreamed of being a

However, similar aspects of growth were present as well. The death I experienced that led to my growth was that of my grandmother. One difference between the death of my grandmother and the death of Anoosh was the circumstances. Unlike Anoosh, my grandmother was not only old, her health had been failing for a long time. Also while Marji saw her uncle right before she knew he was about to be executed by her own government, I was not prepared for my grandmother’s death and I had not seen her for several months. These factors most likely impacted the grief felt by both myself and Marji. An example of this is Marji’s rejection of God. Perhaps due to the unfair nature of Anoosh’s death at the hands of the Iranian government Marji rejected God. I on the other hand, did the opposite, moving closer to religion to cope with my loss. Despite the many differences, multiple similarities can be found in Marji and I’s learning of loss. For example, the first death we each truly experienced was the death of one very close to us. Anoosh was Marji’s hero in her own family, similarly my grandmother was a constant positive force in my life. Another similarity is the period of grief both Marji and I experienced. Even when reading the story for the first time the image of Marji crying on her bed feeling lost was reminiscent of my own experience after learning of my grandmothers death.