Since the first English publication in 2003, Persepolis has stood almost as an invention among books. The first of its kind, a comic novel, it is itself a novelty. Marjane Satrapi exposes the story of her childhood, beginning in 1979 when she was ten, and moves forward to her eventual departure for America at age fourteen. During the intervening four years, wars and revolts revolutionized her world. Many factors came into play and forced her to deal with reality beyond her years. Hers was a culture and a circumstance far different from our own. I would like to examine an important difference and two similarities between Iran of the past and America of today: social classes, views of education, and religious natures.
Early on in the book, Marji’s maid, Mehri, comes to her for help. Mehri has a suitor, the next door neighbor’s son Hossein, and she wishes to write letters to him. However, she cannot write, and so she convinces Marji to transcribe letters for her as she pretends to be Marji’s sister. Word gets around and eventually comes back to Marji’s father, Ebi, who does not like the idea at all. Ebi immediately walks next door and confronts Hossein with the truth that Mehri is only pretending to be his daughter but is in reality his maid. Hossein rejects Mehri, surrenders all correspondence, and terminates the relationship.
If that situation were to take place in America today, I believe that anyone looking on would be shocked. In fact, the person who rejects the other because of social class reasons would probably be looked down upon. With equality of opportunity as one of the foundational principles governing modern American society, how could we possibly tolerate views that clash so obviously with our own? I think that we all too often jump to the conclusion that any separation or distinction between persons is bad. I would submit that it is good for society to be divided between classes, yet with the ability of persons to move between classes. Distinctions are good and natural, but they do not need to be absolute in all cases.
Education is highly prized in many countries, including the U.S., and Iran appears to be no different in this book. Near the end of the book, Marji’s parents enter the scene to talk with her. Their reason for beginning the discussion is a decision on their part to ship Marji off to Vienna to further her schooling and to get her out of Iran. They base this conclusion on two premises: who Marji is as a person and who she is as a student, her education. One of the most important quotes in the story comes at this point, “Above all, trust your education” (147). Marji’s parents prize the learning of their daughter beyond anything else that they could give her.
This sentiment is echoed in America, but it is not duplicated. As a generalization, Iranians appear to see education as the goal. They strive to learn everything they can with the belief that their education will enable them to be somebody. Marji’s parents evidenced this in their premises. Marji was who she was because of the education she had already received. To be more of a somebody, she needed more education. Here in America, it seems that all too often a person is evaluated by their popularity with the general public, and that largely based on their financial stature. The driving goal of education today seems to be for students to make more money. In my opinion, that is wrong. The right goal should be to understand God’s creation, the world around us, so that we can regain the knowledge of God that we have lost in sin.
Persepolis also illustrates the truth that all men are inescapably religious. Marji demonstrates this perfectly. She claimed, “I was born with religion.” Marji illustrates this as she decides that she is to be the last prophet. No prophet is complete without a god since their role is to transmit the words of that god. Therefore, she says, “Every night I had a big discussion with god” (8). Despite her careless and whimsical relationship to this god, she recognized the reality of the spiritual realm.
Every human being has an inborn sense that there is in fact a Higher Authority. In any culture, nationality, or language group, we will inevitably find an intuitive knowledge of the existence of the spiritual realm. How else can we account for this phenomenon unless we cede that it does in fact actually exist? America lays claim to being “one nation under God” yet proudly boasts in her atheistic achievements. I see both Iranian and American cultures as religious cultures; both countries worship a source of authority. For Marji it was her self-proclaimed god. For America, the society that endorses no god, I say that Americans do indeed actually worship a god: the god of self.
Persepolis is a particularly intriguing book. I despise the frequent use of profanity, but I did learn a great deal about the views of a young girl entrapped in a hostile environment. Her battles are real and they are present in America today, although, not in such epic proportions. Satrapi writes well and enables you, the reader, to see and not to be told, to feel and not to be forced. I benefited from reading Persepolis but I would not recommend it unless it is to subject it to a critical analysis.
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