Coming of Age in Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi
The graphic novel Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi tells the story of Marjane’s younger self coming of age. Marjane comes of age and finds the woman she wishes to behave like, acting how she believes reflects a true and strong woman. She reads books and observes her parents to learn about everything going on. She looks up to her family members and her opinions stem from theirs. In the novel, young Marji grows up during an extremely tough time in Iran. At first the shahs control the country, and then the Iranian Revolution throws out the shah, only to have Ayatollah Khomeini replace him. But the brutal, oppressive regime cannot break Marji. Once the fundamentalists take over her country, Marjane knows she does not agree with the strict ways, so she comes to terms with her religion and decides how she will follow it. Marjane comes of age in Persepolis by learning from her family, coming to terms with her religion, and disregarding the oppressive regime. To begin with, Marji obtains many of her opinions and views from her family, and she comes of age by following them. She looks up to her parents, her Uncle Anoosh, and her grandmother and often seeks them out for guidance. During the Iranian Revolution, Marji always wants to go with her parents to demonstrate. At first, demonstrating in the garden satisfies her enough. But then she tells her parents, “I want to come with you tomorrow….I am sick and tired of doing it in the garden”