Satrapi and Voice

“The Veil” is about Marjane Satrapi growing up and wanting to be a prophet because of the bad things she saw around her. In “The Bicycle”, she learns about Marx and Descartes and imagination versus reality. Marjane wants to participate in the demonstration but her parents won’t allow it. “The Water Cell” shows how Marjane learned about her ancestors and wanted to feel what it was like to be imprisoned like her grandfather. In “Persepolis”, her grandma tells her about the revolutions and her dad comes home late from a protest. “The Letter” says the reason for the revolution is the difference between social classes. Their maid is unable to marry her love, their neighbor, because she is of a lower social class. The went to the demonstration and many were killed by their own. In “The Party”, the Shah left and everyone celebrated. Marjane wanted to kill Ramin but forgave him because her mom said she must. “The Heroes” are about these “heroes” Marjane knows who get out of jail and come to her house. Marjane played torture games with her friends.

Basically, the benefits of identifying with Marjane are that you obtain her senses of liberation, gender bending, and coming of age. These ideas are all positive, orientational metaphors for how Satrapi, the author, feels while writing this narrative. Satrapi’s voice is heard throughout the entire length of the book and over the course of each of the individual stories or excerpts from her life. You can read her thought bubbles that build upon her earlier narrative thoughts. Her thoughts prove that she is a very rebellious child. Her actions also show this because she goes to the demonstration with her maid and has ideas about creating demonstrations in her own life.

Satrapi, Marjane. Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood. New York: Pantheon, 2003.