Obstacles In Marji's Life

Life threw young Marjane Satrapi, also known as Marji, a plethora of lemons throughout her life, and she was one of the few individuals to survive the sour nature of living in 1980’s Iran. This life entitled government oppression, unforgiving societal norms, and rigorous religious rules among other things. Marji endured the obstacles life threw at her by committing acts of rebellion, rather than going with the grain, which is what most of society chose as their path. These rebellious acts were risky, yet rewarding for Marji under the rules of the revolution because it helped her grow as a person. Family, government, and religion shaped the development of Marji’s rebellious nature and her ability to question life by presenting unique obstacles

Mehri, Marji’s maid and close friend was just broken up with her boyfriend, and when Marji “went back to [Mehri’s] room and she was crying” (Satrapi 36). This event taught Marji that the world is cruel and that life has unexpected, unfortunate tragedies. She quickly adapted to this situation and learned how to comfort someone in sadness. This affected her tone in the next few pages by it being more stern and persistent in response to the abrupt halt to Mehri’s happiness. Marji’s next obstacle is when she encounters beliefs of someone that are drastically different than her own. Marji hears about a fellow kid’s father’s direct involvement in the murder of one million people. She initially wants to attack him with homemade brass knuckles, but her mother preaches to Marji that “it is not for you and me to do justice. I’d even say we have to learn to forgive” (Satrapi 46). This attempted attack turned to a learning moment for Marji which taught her to judge a person only by their own actions. She also learned to forgive, which plays an important role later on in the book. This learning moment for Marji changed her tone into a more mature, less quick to judge one. When Marji’s finds out about the death of her best friend, Uncle Anoosh, she tells herself, in tears, “Everything will be alright…” (Satrapi 70). This life

Marji is able to survive because of her ability to adapt in an oppressive environment that forces ideas on the population, in which few survive if they choose to rebel. With the odds against Marji, she ultimately prevails as a more mature, yet still true to self person, making the book, Persepolis, her