Kim Yen Phung
Instructor Knapp
English 1B
16 October 2011
Irony in Persepolis
Persepolis is a story about Marjane Satrapi’s childhood and growing up during the revolution in Iran. As a young child, Marjane was confronted with difficult situations that happen around her, such as chaos during revolution, the conflict in social class, the death of her uncle, and the harsh rules of the new Islamic religious leaders. As consequence, Marjane loses her believe in God and finds herself lost without direction. While growing up, she stands up as an independence adult to rebel against the dictation of her mother at home and the untruthfulness of her teachers in school. Throughout the novel, Marjane uses graphic pictures with dialog to illustrate verbal irony and irony of situation. Each of these plays a role in forming the story that is impacted in changing the protagonist to become a rebel.
From the opening page of the novel, Marjane and her friends in religious school show their disobedience against authority. Marjane describes that it is obligation that she and her friends to wear the veil at school, she mentions that “We didn’t really like to wear the veil, especially since we didn’t understand why we had to” (3). In the same page, she illustrates herself and her classmates using the veil to play all kinds of games due to the fact that the new rules and regulations do not make sense to them. She used to go to French non-religion school under the Shah that she was not required to wear veil. After the King stepped down, all bilingual schools were closed down, because the new rulers said “They are symbols of capitalism” (4). It is ironic that people have fought so hard to overthrow the King because he was brutal to his people, then the new government system takes place in contradiction people still live under hash rules without freedom and peace. As an innocent child, she demonstrates that she disobeys against authority that she perceives the rules are nonsensical to her.
There is the conflict in social class in the society that Marjane’s childhood can acknowledge it is unfair. Marjane’s father denies the love of his maid, Mehri, with his neighbor. He tells her that “In this country you must stay within your own social class” (37). Furious with her father, she lies down with Mehri in the same bed even they are not in the same class. Marjane tries to comfort her maid and begs her maid to take her to demonstrate in order to fight against the unfair and injustice in the social. By the end this scene, both Marjane and her maid get a slap in their faces, because they disobey her mother’s authority and their fighting for justice never become to reality. The black hand marks on her and Mehri’s face are ironic for them to earn to what they fight for fairness. They get home safely but in fact “It was really our own who had attacked us” (39). As a young child, Marjane is a tender and soft heart, and she feels deep grief when she sees Mehri crying. She disagrees with her father’s explanation about the social class in Iran and people are treated in different ways, like her maid is not allowed to eat in the same table, and she also is not permit to fall in love with her neighbor. Marjane does not understand completely, but it does add the general feeling of injustice that she is aware as a childhood.
After the King was overthrown, Marjane and her family are happy and believe that the new potential government will bring the new justice and freedom. With the scene, the nation is happy to celebrate the glorious victory with a huge party. Marjane’s family feels relieved and delighted as her father said “Let’s enjoy our new freedom!” (43). However, Marjane uses the graphic with a large evil head dragon wrapping around the picture, representation of untruth. After the joy of the new transition, all schools are closed and then reopened, when Marjane comes back to school her teacher asks “Children, tear out all the photos of the Shah from your books” (44). As a small child, she is outspoken and tells her classmate that their teacher “Was the one who told us that the Shah was chosen by God!” (44). Because of this comment, she gets a punishment by standing in the corner. This is confused her because her teacher used to teach her one way in contrary another. It is ironic that Marjane and her family believe the potential government will reform the new system to bring better life to people, however the first thing she learns from the new fundamentalist regime government is lying right in her school where is a place leading her to act as a rebel.
Marjane admires all political heroes and their courage to rebel against the government. She loves her uncle, Anoosh, on the first sight because he is “A hero in my family” (54). He is represented of family and love due to the fact they are more important than political and social ideals. Her uncle has been a political prisoner under the Shah and he is released under the new Islamic regime. When the new Islamic government takes over, Marjane’s friends and her other families fled the country one after another but Anoosh announces and comforts her parents that “Everything will be alright!” (65). Ironical it is hard to believe, he is executed under the new Islamic regime that he has believed that everyone could live under peace. After the death from her uncle, Marjane pushes God out of her life and loses her belief without direction. She loves her uncle dearly and they are closed together. Therefore, her uncle’s death is impacted to her belief in God, and it breaks her thought of God is represented love, justice, and holy wrath for evil. As a result, her uncle’s death is so painful; it hurts her feeling badly and does add to her mind of disbelief in religion.
Marjane starts smoking cigarette to show her act of rebellion against her mother’s dictatorship. After Marjane skips class and hangs out with her friends at Kansas, as result her mother finds out and she yells at her. Marjane feels that her mother is one of the “Guardian of the revolution of this house!” (113). Disagree with her mother, Marjane sneaks away to her basement to smoke a cigarette that she has stolen from her uncle. She states that “I sealed my act of rebellion against my mother’s dictatorship by smoking the cigarette” (117). She feels it is unfair that her mother to treat her like a small child. By smoking cigarette to state her freedom and adult independence, it is also shown her reaction to her mother’s authority that is so hard on her. Even smoking cigarette tastes awful, but she determines not to give in, and finally she declares “With this first cigarette, I kissed childhood goodbye” (117). This is the moment that she is transformed from a childhood to a grown up, it is also added to her reaction of rebellion. However, Marjane introduces her uncle Tehar in the next scene, he dies from both heavy smoke and emotionally tress from the war. Ironically smoking is represented of freedom but it is also the way leading to destruction.
In conclusion, Marjane is transformed from an innocent child into a grow-up adult during the chaos of revolution, the conflict in social class, the death of her uncle, and the harsh rules of the new Islamic Republic government. As a small child, she shows her act against teacher who has taught her one thing in contrary to the real life. She also tries to break through the social class that everyone is treated equally, but ironically it cannot become in reality. In addition, she suffers her pain from the death of her uncle, therefore she does not believe in God any more. Furthermore, she tries to fight against her mother by smoking cigarette in order to have freedom, it is irony that may lead to consequent problems. As a result, she becomes a rebel against religious fundamentalist regime and her mother.
Works Cited
Satrapi, Marjane. Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood. New York: Pantheon Books, 2003. Print.
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