As a child, I spent little time reading comic books. I am not sure why exactly, but regardless I never developed an appreciation for them. I think if someone suggested this book to me, I would open it, glance at a few pictures, and quickly set it down with little intention of returning to it. Obviously circumstances under which I actually read the book were different because of this class. Now that I have read Persepolis (my first experience reading this genre), I can say that I was pleasantly surprised by Satrapi’s work. Not only does she write effectively, but the images add another avenue for the reader to better understand her story. I guess one could say the graphic novel works well.
In a country where revolution and war were seemingly the only occurrence to the outside world, Marjane Satrapi lived to tell her story of how she and her family survived the terrible events that they encountered through no choice or fault of their own. This story was enlightening to me as I have not spent much time reading about or thinking about what life would be like growing up in a country that severely limited my freedom (well, at least not in a country post World War II). In some ways I think Marjane’s life is relatable to those who lived in Nazi Germany. Although there was not a holocaust, families still experienced the horror of war in their own country. Surprise attacks, bombings, and tyranny were all part of the daily lives of the Jews as well as Marji and her family. Satrapi even references Nazism when Eby, her father, says: “That is like the Jews inviting the Gestapo in for a drink.” I think that quote came from the movie, but it does show that similarities can be drawn.
Behind all the violence during the war were Marji and her family—a family loyal to each other simply trying to survive and lead some sort of normal life. By normal I mean a life that does not revolve around war. Marji gives us a great sense of what that was like. I particularly enjoyed all the humor in the book. Two examples of times the book brought a smile to my face: Eby complained that if women showing hair was arousing to men then certain women should shave their mustaches; on page 133 when Marjane says: “Back then, Michael Jackson was still black.” These along with her descriptions of the forbidden parties her and her family hosted and attended gave me a sense of the people that I would not find any many other readings.
As far as her father’s statement that "politics and sentiment don't mix," I think in this situation they do. Although I think the family would be just as loving and caring toward each other if they lived in a country where neither of those occurred, I do think the war brought them together in a way that few other events could. For the family to survive they had to stick together and, in the time they spent together, they bonded. My contention is that a family that lives through tragic events and manages to stay close through all of the misfortune they encounter is more likely to have strong sentiment toward each other than one that does not.
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First off, I would like to say "congratulations" on reading your first graphic novel. There are many other great ones out there, and I for one find it distressing that graphic novels have not become a more viable medium (with "Persepolis" and a few others being rare exceptions.)
ReplyDeleteThe entire time I read "Persepolis", I never really made the link between the oppressive Islamic regime and the Nazi party. While the denizens of Tehran suffered unimaginable horrors, I never felt that their plight was so similar to that of the Jews during the Holocaust. Kudos on drawing upon the images from the book to make the connection.
I do strongly agree that, as you illustrated, sentiment was the glue that held Marjane's family together. In the face of such cold oppressive fundamentalism ("politics"), only a strong family love ("sentiment") can make one endure.
Also, I agree that the humor in the novel does very much to juxtapose the horror that occurs almost daily in Marjane's life. In addition, the parties, the forbidden posters, and Iron Maiden tapes give Marjane (and by extension, her family) freedom to enjoy themelves, if only temporarily. After all, the humorous events found in "Persepolis" (in the context of Marjane's life as it happened and of the reader's experience while reading) make the horror worth enduring.
Good blog, sir.
I had not read that many comic books as a youngster either, so I was also pleasantly surprised by the effectiveness of the graphic novel medium in telling Satrapi's story. I would be interested to see if any future autobiographies follow her suit.
ReplyDeleteAre you suggesting that if the revolution and war had not occurred that Marji's family would not have been as close as they were? It is an interesting idea, but I am not sure that I would agree entirely. Her family was already tightly knit prior to the outbreak of the revolution or the war against Iraq. Granted, the events made them lean on each other more closely for support, but Marji's parents sent her to Austria at the height of these events. I think that a family driven together by war would want to stay together rather than splitting in two.
That is not to say that I disagree with your overall assessment that politics and sentiment blend together in this narrative. Marji must overlook politics and lean on the love of her family to return to Iran, a country wherein she knows that she'll be a second-class citizen, but it seems to me that she would rather be considered a second-class citizen because of her gender rather than her nationality.