Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis is a novel that deals with the Iranian revolution and the physical and emotional journey that Satrapi herself undertook in order to escape from the violence and oppression that gripped her home. Her novel is in many ways a device to analyse and expose the Iranian revolution in a focussed and specific manner, by focussing not on the experiences of the masses, but rather on the experiences of only a handful of individuals. Satrapi was left emotionally scarred by the revolution, having lost relatives and friends as a result leading ultimately to her separation from her parents at the age of 14 at which point her resistance to the oppression posed a threat. Satrapi’s reflection could be described, in many ways, as a form of redress, perhaps not for the masses but for herself certainly. The ability of creative practices to analyse and reflect on past experiences is shown to its true potential in the novel.
Satrapi’s analyses of the events in Iran begin with details regarding the expulsion of the Shah of Iran, an act in which her family played various roles. This marks the point at which the story truly begins, following onto the establishment of the democratic republic and the oppression that ensued, as well as the horror of the Iraq-Iran war of 1980-1988. She details the trials that she and her family faced during this time and notes the personal loss that they experienced, in a sense this makes the atrocities more accessible to us as readers. By focalising on individuals, Marjane allows us to make sense of the events in relation to a few as opposed to the many, creating a more personal experience. This marks just one of the powers that she exerts through her creative practices.
Throughout the novel Satrapi concerns herself particularly with oppression, especially the oppression of women who, much to Satrapi’s disgust, were forced to wear the veil. She notes in her novel that hair was arousing to men and thus it must be covered up, it was the duty of a woman to do so.
Satrapi herself was rebellious to this circumstance, for example wearing the veil but showing some hair. She reveals to us in the novel that this type of resistance was common and emphasises the importance of even such small efforts to resist the regime.
In spite of her resistance Marjane was eventually, at the age of 14, convinced by her parents to leave Iran, this migration occurred on a vast scale as many people sought to escape the oppression and violence of their country. Satrapi was sent to Vienna and after several years in Europe was forced to return to her own country. In spite of her long absence she notes that she returned to a little improved state where she was again forced to submit to the power of the regime and marry in order to be with the man with whom she was in love. This ultimately sees the dissolution of the relationship, after which Satrapi eventually leaves Iran for good.
Holistically the novel gives the reader a very broad view of the events between the late 1970’s and 1990’s from a focalised point of view, concerning only a few individuals. The novel could be interpreted as a form of redress and emphasises the power of creative practices to address societal wrongs. It also sheds some light on the issue of migration although in a smaller way. The main focus, however, is to confront the issues that plagued Satrapi’s childhood and young adult life through detailed reflection in the form of a creative practice.
Score: 4/5
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