There’s a point in Persepolis where Marjane says she’s too Western for Iran and too Iranian for the West. Re-reading this graphic novel with an extra decade of life and a deeper understanding of what makes the West the “West” and how we ‘other’ cultures different from our own, brings me to a more challenging conclusion. Satrapi’s tale is ‘More Western’ than Iranian.
That’s not a criticism nor a reduction of the rich cultural heritage that runs through this book. It exists as her own semi-autobiographical coming of age tale, to explain a turbulent couple of decades on Iran’s history. Raised by open-minded affluent parents, seeing the Islamic revolution play out through Marjane’s formative years is difficult to see when I think about my own teenage years a decade or so on from the period in the book and watching my daughters move into that stage of their lives. The Iranian republic effectively erased this strata of society, the affluent, liberal intelligentsia and replaced it with something more uniform.
To allow the Western audiences she wants to engage with this story, the tale has a more classical Hero’s journey arc, with Marjane experiencing set backs and overcoming them through personal growth and digging deep to find internal reservoirs of strength. This feels like a deliberate choice, knowing that some of this book, especially the earlier scenes when 6 year old Marjane is most insistent that she’s going to be a prophet and speaks to a white bearded God, would result in it being banned in Iran and other countries for blasphemy.
It’s an interesting re-read against the weekend’s warmongering events. The Islamic Republic shown here is repressive but also slightly chaotic and idiotic, a far cry from the efficient war machine depicted in the press. The truth is, as always, likely to fall between the two ends, and this book offers a Westernised glimpse into life in Iran.
