Satrapi wrote her book Persepolis to show western woman how Iranian woman live in Iran. Also, Satrapi decided to write this book to express her feelings about her culture. She chose the name Persepolis because it’s a city that existed before the revolution. This was the revolution of Iran becoming Islamic. She was always telling her friends stories about her life in Iran, and her friends were always listening to her stories about how the Iranian woman live there. At that point, she decided to do something so the world could know about how the women live in Iran. Satrapi wrote her book creatively, using images to show her story. She used an artistic approach when writing the book Persepolis to make it easy for western people to understand. The cartoonish images throughout the book give the reader a clear way to see how life was for her. Satrapi shows two different things. One thing she shows is how she lived in Iran.
Also, she shows how it was for her when she left the country. Satrapi was influenced by many women including: her mother, her grandmother, and the maid. When comparing the role of women in Persepolis with the current role of women in Iran, it is apparent how women still do not have the same rights as men. The lives of women in Iran are heavily controlled by rules that limit their individuality and freedom. Throughout Persepolis, Satrapi clearly portrays how life was for women in Iran and the influence they had on her life. First, the current status of women in Iran can best be described as an illusion of freedom.
Nearly everything a woman does in Iran is regulated. Throughout their lives, Iranian women have to live with a lot of restrictions, imposed by law and custom. Every part of their lives is controlled by the government. For example, how they must dress in public, the subjects they can study at a university and the jobs they are allowed to do in the workplace are each decided by the rules in their country. The lack of equality is even noticeable after a woman dies. If a woman dies, her family will receive less compensation than would they would for the loss of a man. Women in Iran can drive and move with some freedom. At the university level, women make up the majority of students. However, some universities have restrictions. Some universities prevent woman students from studying specific subjects.
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These subjects are usually related to technology and engineering. Through time there has been an increase in the number of restrictions and topics that are closed to Iranian woman. Depending on the university, specific regulations control which subjects can or cannot be pursued. When a woman in Iran leaves her home, she wears a headscarf and a long overcoat known as the “manteau”. It’s like a long jacket. Also, they can wear a black cloak known as a “chador” which covers all the body. Because this is the legal role for women in Iran, if they don’t put cover a police officer can punish them by fines or even imprisonment for repeat offenders. It’s different between the cities about how you cover your body and head.
Each city has its own expectations and perceptions on the interpretation of how this is done. For example, in north Tehran, women tend to push back their headscarf to show some of their hair. As for the ‘manteaus’, they are multi colored and stylishly from the waist. In the rural area of Iran, the women wear a drab black “chador” to cover their body. Also, how a woman can dress also depends on which political faction happens to be in the government. If hardliners are in control of the country, they don’t like to see any hair showing from women on the streets of Tehran. If reformers are in office, a woman might try wearing a headscarf as to render it almost invisible. ‘The hijab in Iran is not about religion. It is about an ideology in order to preserve power. It is uniformity. It is like Mao jackets that people wore in the Republic of China,’ Nafisi said. ‘[The Iranian government] brought this uniformity and they made women into semiotic signs, into political entities, you know. The first thing they did in culture was to delete women” (Nafisi qtd. in Rogerson 1).
Also, the unspoken rules can change from month to month. As well as there being rules for the women who live in Iran, there are also rules for the women who come as tourists. Even though the emphasis of following the rules is not as strong for tourists, women who visit Iran have rules to follow. For example, they like a spouse to wear a dress to cover their body but not the same cover Iranian women use. The rules change depending on the specific location and who is in control of the government. Also, sometimes an Iranian woman will choose to display her individuality and not conform to the expectations placed upon her. For example, “Women across Iran, forced to wear the HIJAB outdoors, have started removing the headscarf and posting defiant photos of themselves uncovered on a Facebook page called Stealthy Freedoms for Iranian Women (Catherine Philp writes).
Set up by Masih AlineJad, an Iranian Journalist in London, it has been condemned by official media in Tehran” (Iranians 25). Iranian women are allowed to work but there are restrictions. An Iranian man can stop his wife from working if he thinks it could hurt his family. The man can determine this and control the outcome. Also, if the man thinks his or his wife’s dignity would be negatively affected he can stop her from working. Some jobs and job positions are only available to men. Like with many parts of life for women in Iran, women’s opportunities in the workplace are also controlled by the men. Satrapi shows how the women in her life influenced who she is as an Iranian woman. For example, her mother and the maid influenced her into becoming a determined, intelligent, and influential person.
Throughout the novel, Satrapi showed how she was influenced by the women in her life through her growth as a person, her attitude, and her sense of purpose. Satrapi’s mother strongly influenced how Satrapi developed as an Iranian woman. Being one of the most influential role models in her life, Satrapi’s mother taught Satrapi to fight for what she believes in. When Satrapi shows her mother being photographed in a demonstration, Satrapi is illustrating her mother’s rebelliousness and her strength. In a scene later in the novel, Satrapi’s mother fights with her father to allow Marji to come to a demonstration. Satrapi’s mother says ‘she should start learning to defend her rights as a woman right now’ (Satrapi 76).
Since Satrapi’s mother taught her to be rebellious and fight for what she believes in, Satrapi does not conform like traditional women in Iran. Rather, Satrapi speaks her mind and does not conform like most do. Eventually in the novel, Satrapi’s mother views Satrapi as a strong, independent woman. Satrapi’s mother respects her as person who can make her own decisions. Also, Satrapi’s mother’s relationship with Satrapi is represented through her understanding that Satrapi has the right to choose her own voice and place in society. She wants her daughter to know that she does not have to conform if she wants to live a different way. In addition to being strongly influenced by her mother, Satrapi’s growth as an Iranian woman was also shaped through her experiences with Mehri.
Mehri is the family maid. She started working for Satrapi’s family when she was only eight years old. Satrapi and Mehri would have been friends if Mehri were not the family maid. Mehri was in a way like the older sister Satrapi never had. She falls in love with the neighbor, but is shamed by his rejection when Marjane’s father tells the neighbor that Mehri is of the servant class and forbidden to date him. This class distinction is arbitrary to Satrapi, and it marks a turning point in her life when she starts thinking about how unfairly people of lower classes are treated. But after that chapter, we never see Mehri again. Later on, the family has a different maid. Throughout Persepolis, Satrapi showed how it was for her as an Iranian woman.
Iranian women’s lives are strongly influenced by certain rules. Currently, Iranian women have some rights that reflect freedom, but there are still rules that govern the way they can live. This life style has an impact on each Iranian woman. Satrapi learned to stand up for what she believes through her experiences. Also, Satrapi successfully portrays how it was for her in this society. Satrapi’s growth as an Iranian woman was guided through her relationships with people such as her mother and the maid. Satrapi became an intelligent woman who understands her right as a person to think and believe what is true to her heart and spirit. Representing independence from forced conformity, Satrapi displayed her perspectives as an Iranian woman through her reluctance to follow something without believing in it.
