Children are constantly learning about themselves and the world around them. As they grow up, their world expands from their home to peers and, eventually, to people and places they know about. Children should learn about themselves and develop a positive self-image if they have to be successful citizens in society. They must learn how different they are as well how alike they are in relation to others. Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis is the story of Satrapi’s childhood growing up in a tumultuous post-revolutionary Iran. Instead of a simple coming-of-age story, Satrapi outlines the social and economic conditions that shaped her childhood and adolescence. The simplicity of a child’s mind and her confusion at adult notions is a constant theme in the book. This is brought forth in Marji’s childlike understanding of the …show more content…
As one grows up, one becomes aware of the need to protect and propagate one’s self-interest, and this then becomes the prime mover and operative principle of one’s life. As for children, they ‘do not know what’s good for them’ and do not understand the consequences of their actions. Thus they are more carefree in their rebellion while the adult takes care not to jeopardize their self- interest over their cherished principles, if they have any. Risk is thus a crucial theme in Persepolis; for Satrapi this is one of the primary distinctions between children and adults. The same philosophical understanding is also what underpins legal jurisprudence that makes a moral distinction between a juvenile offender and an adult offender. The theme of repression is an ever-present issue in Persepolis. The picture on the right shows a bearded Islamist explaining to children why the veil needs to be imposed to counter Westernization. However, Satrapi’s home was a place of liberal values and free expression. This is shown in the scene where Marji is split between