Persepolis
Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis illustrates the author’s story of growing up in Tehran, Iran during the Islamic Revolution. Persepolis is a coming of age story that details the many worlds Satrapi navigated; from the dichotomy between her open minded Iranian parents and the various conservative regimes that dictated their country to Satrapi’s first romantic relationship after being sent to Austria. Despite the various perils of war, adolescence, and an uncertain future, Satrapi maintains her independent, honest tone throughout. Persepolis is a beautiful, vulnerable narrative about losing innocence while maintaining curiosity that is told through Satrapi’s unique style of illustration.
The illustrations in Persepolis are black and white, which allow the reader to focus on the nuanced facial expressions and subtle details occuring in the panels. On each page, Satrapi often alternates between beginning with a more detailed background to set the scene and then subsequently using a black background to focus on other elements of the scene. Her style for distinguishing characters is relatively minimal, but works well for building familiarity and empathy. Emotions are depicted through subtle lines drawn under the eyes or a shift in a character’s posture or color of clothing. In the beginning of the memoir, when Satrapi still possesses some naivety regarding the complexities of war, relationships, and ideology, she is often depicted wearing a white shirt. However, after she has experienced further suffering as a result of losing loved ones, moving abroad alone at 14, and being labeled an outsider, she wears black clothing. Satrapi also uses simple patterning as an effective method of distinguishing the multiple cultures that she was exposed to. When she’s in Iran, the panels often have swirling, decorative motifs that evoke patterns that one would expect to see on a Persian rug. Furthermore, when Satrapi envisions her future Austrian roommate, she imagines her in a plaid patterned dress, which alludes to notions of the countryside.
I found page 43 particularly interesting. After a series of massacres and revolts, the Shah finally fled Iran and sought refuge with Anwar Al-Sadat in Egypt. Satrapi’s parents explain that although the Shah has left, people’s celebration will be ephemeral as long as the Middle East has oil. In this panel, her father’s expression shifts from his regular reassured, pleased look to a more cynical, concerned expression. Satrapi achieves this shift by raising his eyebrows, lowering his eyes and simplifying them, and turning his mustache downward as in a frown. The black background of the panel intensifies the unfortunate realization. Perhaps the most compelling panel on this page is the bottom left panel, that depicts Satrapi and her parents along with a dragon figure. The dragon represents the former Shah, and even though Satrapi’s parents are glad that the “devil” has left, this dragon figure exerts an invisible claw before the family. The dragon’s body acts to outline the panel, suggesting these figures unclenching control over Iranian’s lives.
Additionally, page 102 illustrates the complex political situation in Iran that Satrapi was forced to process while also experiencing the staples of adolescence. The two panels on this page break from Satrapi’s smaller, more grid-like panelled pages. The top panel occupies a majority of the page, and it illustrates the young, impoverished children who were convinced to sacrifice their lives for religion. The figures are shown with the keys to paradise around their necks as they are dying in explosions. The figures are blurry and dark, with no distinguishing features, which illustrates the high degree to which they were robbed of their lives. The bottom panel depicts Satrapi going to a party and experimenting with a punk rock style that many teenagers cycle through. Unlike the children in the previous panel, Satrapi and her friends have distinguished facial features. Her friends’ poses while they dance mirror the children who are dying in the panel above.
Satrapi’s story is both haunting and hope giving, and her beautiful illustrations create a lasting impression on the reader.
