Imagine getting up, brushing your teeth, eating breakfast, and rushing out the door. Once you get to school, you are forced to wear a veil over your head, and if you refuse you are beaten and scorned. This was the harsh reality Marji faced in the graphic novel Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi. Persepolis is a graphic novel style memoir about the Iraq and Iran war, and how Satrapi grew up with chaos around her. Marji dealt with the horror of protests, false propaganda, consistent death around her, and the normalized sexism in her society. Persepolis demonstrated the constant sexist acts forced upon women.
In fact, there is evidence early in the story showing how women were treated in Persepolis. In this example, Anoosh, Marji’s uncle, tells Marji a story about his uncle being arrested, and his girlfriend visited him before he was executed stating that she wanted a child with him. He warns her of the suffering she will face, “You know what its like to be an unmarried mother in this country. Youll be shunned.” (Satrapi 58, panel 7). This shows that the women in Iran are viewed as dirty women whom cannot commit to a man and gives their body out for free. This gives out quick judgment for the women and Iran won’t try to hide the fact that they are harassing them.
In another scene, “Look at her! Last year she was wearing a miniskirt, showing her beefy thighs to the whole Neighborhood. And now Madame is wearing a chador. It suits her better, I guess” (Satrapi 75, panel 4). The idea of revealing skin is unacceptable in Iran. . There is another instance where Marji’s mother’s car broke down, so she called for Marji and her dad to pick her up, she was approached by two fundamentalist me who shamed her for not wearing a veil. Her husband asks what happened and she tells him what they said to her “They insulted me. They said that women like me should be pushed against a wall and f***ed. And then thrown in the garbage…And if I didn’t want that to happen, I should wear the veil…” (Satrapi 74, panel 4-5). The disrespect for the humanity of women in Iran is shown through the suffering Marji’s mother had to endure just for revealing her hair. She was treated as a child who needed to be disciplined.
127 our experts are availableright now
Furthermore, the role of women is continuously increasing throughout the book. For example, Marji is faced by the Guardians of the Revolution, who are in charge or arresting improperly veiled women, such as Marji, so they pull her aside and criticize her clothing choice. “Lower your scarf you little wh**e! Aren’t you ashamed to wear tight jeans like these” (Satrapi 133, panel 7-8). The Guardians of the Revolution criticized her in a rude manner. It had her believe that she was walking around and showing everyone that she was “on the market”.
In another example, Marji is wearing a valuable piece of jewelry that she refuses to give to the principal, the principal shunned her and tries to low the jewelry form Marji’s wrist. “What are you doing with that bracelet? Give it to me right now!” (Satrapi 143, panel 2). This shows how a woman or even a girl must fight for her own independence. It’s not going to come to her on a silver platter like it does for men, any sign of modern choice is seen as an inconvenience for men. Even when trying to fight for their rights, women are constantly taken down by the law. This time, when Marji and her parents take part in a demonstration, chaos occurs, and the fundamentalist get nasty. “‘The scarf or a beating!’” (Satrapi 76, panel 5). The women in Persepolis were taken down too and treated as is the has a lack of common sense. The modern woman was beaten back into the laws view of her every time she tried to show religious freedom.
As seen in Persepolis, women are objectified and degraded. When the veil was first established in Iran for good, a newscaster who told lies to the country, encouraged the women to wear the veil. “Women’s hair emanates rays that excite men. That’s why women should cover their hair!” (Satrapi 74, panel 7). This fake fact helps to further the ides of fundamentalists, forcing the people to wear the veil. This treatment of women deprives them of their human qualities, women in Persepolis are not treated as humans with feelings, but as sexual objects. As Marji grows, she becomes more aware of the political issues around her and voices her opinion, she speaks up to correct the teacher in her religious class and after that incident, Marji’s mother gets a call from the school, she is surprised by Marji’s actions and warns her of the worst.
“Its against the law to kill a virgin, so a Guardian of the revolution marries her and takes her virginity before executing her. Do you understand what that means??” (Satrapi 145, panel 6-8). This indicates how women are used in Iran, to be raped and thrown away, like garbage. This would be considered another form of punishment, and women are forced to fear men and now because of the veil they are forced to live under men’s shadows. When Marji thinks of the war, there is one quote that sticks with her and affects her the most. “To die a martyr is to inject blood into the veins of society.” (Satrapi 115, panel 4). Women in Persepolis live by this quote every day. Although the women are not martyrs, they are the people under the state, and Marji thinks that it is the state’s way of continuing war so they can keep control of the people.
Women in Iraq during the war were denied of natural rights, and the book Persepolis helps to illustrate this idea in a memoir. Understanding the conditions of other countries helps us to see the good of our own country. It helps us to become more grateful of how we have progressed in society. As we continue to grow, we can carry this mindset with our struggles, and learn how to grow as individuals.
