Persepolis: Colonial Lens

The graphic novel, Persepolis written by Marjane Satrapi, recounts the Islamic Revolution, through the eyes of a young girl named Marji. The novel opens with a brief introduction of the politics in Iran that led to the Islamic Revolution (pg. 3).  The introduction explained how Iran was very appealing to many colonizers due to its wealth and location. The discovery of oil in Iran in the 20^th century invited even more powerful foreign countries, such as Great Britain, to pursue colonization in Iran. During this significant discovery, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi (The Shah), was in power and was influenced by the liberties and ideologies of the West which is why at the beginning of Persepolis, Marji was attending a French school with boys and did not have to wear a veil. Furthermore, Marji family was middle class and was able to afford a car and a maid, which was mainly possible due to The Shah. However, these freedoms were enforced through a totalitarian monarchy. The Shah’s decision to lead with little religious guidance and his indoctrination by the West led to his removal. An Islamic Republic replaced the Shad and the novel, Pesepolis, portrays how the new Islamic Republic was perceived and protested. Satrapi, strives to portray the two polarized groups that formed from the rise of the Islamic Republican: liberals vs. Fundamentalist Muslims. The fundamentalist supported the Islamic Republican as they made strides to decolonize Iran from the U.S, which appeared to honour the name of Allah. Satrapi clearly supports the liberal’s side as she writes the main character into a family that protest against the laws and ideologies that was instituted by the Islamic Republic. Numerous times throughout the book, Marji is found begging her parents to let her come along and protest with them. The fundamentalist is portrayed as an oppressive group especially towards women. The Islamic Republican’s enforcement of the wearing of veils and the closing of schools are negatively portrayed in Persepolis. Another way Satrapi shows her allegiance to the liberal group is the way Marji viewed Marx. Marji made the comment that Marx looked very similar to God. Marx’s writing was however banned from Iran when the Islamic Republican rose to power. Since Marji compared Marx to God, it is apparent that Marx is highly regarded to Marji.

The conflicts throughout Persepolis can be boiled down to the tension between Theocracy vs. Democracy. These two sources of conflict are significant as they influences society and laws as well as government relations with other countries. Readers from western societies might be confused as to why there were a lot of people in Iran who supported Theocracy and the Islamic Republican instead of opposing it and fighting for democracy and individual freedoms. Western readers need to understand that Islam was a sacred religion in Iran for thousands of years. The laws and beliefs of Allah is revered and is a guiding compass for many people in Iran. To disregard something that is perceived to impact one’s life after death is very scary and could explain why fundamentalist were so adamant about instituting certain laws and practices. However, Persepolis, does little to portray this perspective and tends to focus on the liberal oppression. This could potentially be explained because the graphic novel is displaying the revolution through the lens of a young girl whose parents faced many hardships for opposing the Islamic Republic. The graphic novel nonetheless, is a great read that educates readers on the Islamic revolution through a visual representation.

Outside sources: https://satrapi1.wordpress.com/about/