Reader's Notebook 2, Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi

Marxist Theory
and
Feminism.

In the graphic novel Persepolis, the themes of Marxism and Feminism are apparent in the life of a young girl named Marji. Ever since a young age Marji has experienced the life of a war torn country and the constant battle of religion. It can be very confusing for a child, let alone the child of liberal parents who raised their child to be open to most things. Marji molds her views on the political world, as the book progresses, also the challenges of the government and the life of social classes in her home country.

One of the first instances where Marji comes to a roadblock is when the neighbor boy couldn't date their maid because of social classes that tears the country apart. The Marxist theory is based upon class order and the differences between the social structures. The government that Marji and her family live in is socially inept to equality. But then again there is not one perfect society where everyone is treated equally based upon social classes. Just today I was at Costco with my mother and two white couples went in before us and as we walked through the door the woman asked us where our membership cards were. It was a blow to the ego. I wanted to ask her why she did not card anyone before us but then that would have been rude. There have been other times where I felt this way. Yet I am sure it can not even compare to what Marji has been through and dealt with growing up. Her family wasn't poor; her father owned a Cadillac and had a live-in maid.

A job that cannot equal to some in their country. As a people the citizens live through oppression, and it begs the question: Will they ever see equality and freedom? The woman in this society in Persepolis are oppressed and not given the power equal to men. They are barred from showing any hair and cannot dress the way they want because of the religion that strikes the country's dictators and runs the government. Anything out of the ordinary and the "Guardians of the Revolution" were out to get you. They stopped Marji and scared her to death when she wasn't wearing "normal clothes" for a female to wear in public. It is sad to see women who don't want individuality and to be their own person through the expression of style. But then again these women grew up knowing nothing but this and they cannot change their opinions at the whims of Americans who want to 'save' them from themselves and their country.

Marjane slowly learns about the corruption that her home town is going through. When she learns about her grandfather and how he could have been a kind it bothers her. Later she learns that he was labeled a communist and tortured by a water chamber. Marji spends a long time in the bathtub to see what it was like to be in the water for a long period of time. This part in the novel bothered me. It bothered me that Marjane a young child would put herself through that situation to see what her grandfather went through. She is wise beyond her years but this does not become apparent till later in the novel.

Later in the novel when things start to get worse. Her friend’s house gets bombed, a policeman is about to raid their house and her uncle Fereydon. In the end she leaves to live in Vienna to escape from the wrath of the government and the harsh rules and regulations placed upon the people.

Marjane went through a lot, social class struggles, feminism, religions conflict and the corruption of the government. This novel was an inspiring piece of work that showed me that are things greater than myself that people have been trying to change for a long time.

"What I find inspiring about Persepolis is that it illustrates Marjane’s struggles. She works hard to be treated as an equal. She doesn’t just want to run away; she wants to reform her society. While that’s too much for one person to accomplish on her own, the fact that she tries makes Marjane an important feminist figure."
-http://feministblogproject.wordpress.com/2008/06/07/reading-response-persepolis/