16 Persepolis Vs Streetcar Theme Comparsion Flashcards
HOPE VS. DESPAIR
A Streetcar Named Desire: • Moments of hope (small intimacies, brief kindness) are continually crushed by abuse and rejection. • The promise of a better future remains unattainable in a decaying society.
Persepolis: • Marjane oscillates between fleeting optimism (creative expression, familial love) and pervasive despair from political oppression and personal loss. • Even during acts of rebellion, the weight of trauma drives her toward melancholy.
Comparison: • Both works are defined by the tension between hope and despair—with momentary resilience ultimately overpowered by external forces.
POWER & OPPRESSION
A Streetcar Named Desire: • Stanley’s power is both physical (brute strength, violence) and psychological (exposing Blanche’s past, gaslighting). • His final dominance is shown when he forces Blanche’s institutionalization (symbolized by destroying the paper lantern).
Persepolis: • The Iranian regime enforces power via strict laws, fear, and public executions (e.g., Anoosh’s execution). • Women’s oppression is symbolized by the mandatory veil and pervasive surveillance.
Comparison: • In Streetcar, power is immediate, personal, and brutal; in Persepolis, it is systematic, state‑imposed, and psychologically pervasive.
CONTROL & SOCIAL ORDER
A Streetcar Named Desire: • Social norms enforce strict gender roles and class expectations, isolating Blanche and confining Stella. • Society’s judgment and gossip intensify the personal downfall.
Persepolis: • The state controls citizens through political and religious laws, propaganda, and class‑based oppression (e.g., golden keys for poor boys). • Conformity is enforced by fear and severe punishment.
Comparison: • Both texts show external forces (societal norms vs. state ideology) imposing rigid control, limiting personal freedom.
IDENTITY & SELF‑PRESERVATION
A Streetcar Named Desire: • Blanche constructs a fragile, illusory identity based on old Southern gentility to hide her trauma. • Her self‑preservation depends on maintaining a persona that ultimately cannot withstand harsh reality.
Persepolis: • Marjane’s identity is fluid—she continually reinvents herself to survive between Iranian traditions and Western influences. • Her self‑protection is shown in her deliberate changes in appearance and behavior.
Comparison: • Both protagonists reconstruct their identities for protection: Blanche clings to outdated illusions, while Marjane adapts dynamically to conflicting worlds.
SOCIETY AND FITTING IN
A Streetcar Named Desire: • Blanche is alienated from a modern society that no longer values the genteel ideals she represents. • Social scrutiny and judgment further isolate her.
Persepolis: • Marjane struggles to belong in both Vienna and a repressive Iran, caught between two incompatible cultures. • Attempts to fit in intensify her internal conflict.
Comparison: • Both characters are forced into extreme isolation by societal expectations and a failure to reconcile past identities with present norms.
DESIRE AND ITS CONSEQUENCES
A Streetcar Named Desire: • Blanche’s desperate yearning for love and acceptance drives her to build elaborate fantasies that ultimately shatter. • Her unchecked desire leads to mental collapse and ruin.
Persepolis: • Marjane’s youthful exploration of romantic and sexual desire offers moments of liberation but ends in betrayal and disillusionment. • The cost of desire is personal loss and compromised values.
Comparison: • In both texts, desire is double‑edged—promising escape and validation while resulting in devastation.
ROLE OF WOMEN
A Streetcar Named Desire: • Female characters (like Blanche and Stella) are constrained by patriarchal norms that lead to abuse and devaluation. • The ideal of feminine purity and submission is central to their social roles.
Persepolis: • Women are controlled by state mandates (e.g., the veil) and strict social codes limiting freedom. • Marjane’s journey reflects a struggle against both cultural and politically imposed gender roles.
Comparison: • Both texts reveal how women are oppressed—whether by interpersonal abuse and societal judgment or by state‑driven control.
PAST VS. PRESENT (TRUTH VS. ILLUSION)
A Streetcar Named Desire: • Blanche is haunted by her idealized past that clashes with a brutal present; her life becomes a battle between truth and illusion. • Her self‑deception leads to isolation and ultimately collapse.
Persepolis: • Marjane’s personal history collides with the harsh reality of a repressive present, forcing her to navigate between nostalgia and harsh truth. • The constant tension between memory and reality is central.
Comparison: • Both protagonists suffer from a conflict between past and present—Blanche is trapped in her illusion, while Marjane negotiates between cherished memories and painful reality.
REBELLION AGAINST AUTHORITY
A Streetcar Named Desire: • Blanche’s resistance is quiet and internal—she tries to maintain her dignity despite overwhelming external forces (like Stanley). • Stanley’s brutality exemplifies the crushing nature of authority.
Persepolis: • Marjane openly rebels against state oppression—challenging dress codes, propaganda, and state mandates. • Her rebellion is both personal and political, even though it comes at a high personal cost.
Comparison: • Both texts show rebellion against authority: in Streetcar, it is internal and largely futile; in Persepolis, it is overt and defining despite its expense.
ROLE OF FAMILY
A Streetcar Named Desire: • Family history (e.g., Blanche’s ruined heritage) and relationships (e.g., Stella’s dependency on Stanley) are sources of shame and conflict. • Familial bonds often reinforce oppressive societal norms.
Persepolis: • Marjane’s family offers unconditional support and maintains strong cultural connections amid external chaos. • Family acts as a sanctuary, even as political forces threaten to break it apart.
Comparison: • In Streetcar, family intensifies personal tragedy; in Persepolis, it provides stability and love despite external oppression.
GENDERED PURITY
A Streetcar Named Desire: • The ideal of feminine purity condemns Blanche—her reputation depends on an unattainable sexual virtue. • Social control over women isolates and devalues them.
Persepolis: • The mandatory veil and strict dress codes enforce a public image of feminine purity that limits freedom. • Women are expected to conform to rigid standards, with deviations harshly judged.
Comparison: • Both texts show how purity ideals are weaponized to control women—destroying Blanche’s potential in Streetcar and curtailing Marjane’s expression in Persepolis.
EXILE AND DISPLACEMENT
A Streetcar Named Desire: • Blanche is exiled from a lost era of Southern gentility and feels adrift in a modern, hostile world. • Her internal displacement deepens her isolation and despair.
Persepolis: • Marjane experiences both literal and metaphorical exile—first in Vienna and then in a changed Iran where she doesn’t belong. • Displacement shapes her identity and deepens her internal conflict.
Comparison: • Both characters are marked by a profound sense of displacement—Blanche from her past and Marjane between two worlds—intensifying their isolation.
LOVE AND RELATIONSHIPS
A Streetcar Named Desire: • Romantic relationships are marred by abuse, power imbalances, and harsh judgment—Blanche’s search for love is exploited and crushed. • Intimacy is overshadowed by the threat of control and violence.
Persepolis: • Marjane’s relationships, from early infatuations to her troubled marriage, reflect her struggle for connection amid political and cultural repression. • Love is a battleground between personal desire and external pressures.
Comparison: • Both texts portray love as fraught and dangerous—offering brief solace but ultimately compromised by overwhelming forces.
SYMBOLISM OF CLOTHING
A Streetcar Named Desire: • Clothing indicates social status and identity—Blanche’s refined wardrobe contrasts with working‑class attire. • Moments of undressing reveal vulnerability and the stripping away of illusion.
Persepolis: • The veil is the central symbol—representing state control over women’s bodies and the conflict between conformity and self‑expression. • Changes in clothing mirror Marjane’s evolving identity.
Comparison: • In both texts, attire serves as a powerful symbol: in Streetcar it underscores class and fragility, while in Persepolis it becomes a marker of oppression and resistance.
ABUSE AND VIOLENCE
A Streetcar Named Desire: • Violence is overt—physical assaults, rape, and psychological cruelty (especially by Stanley) dominate relationships. • This brutality is both personal and emblematic of broader societal decay.
Persepolis: • Violence is systemic and state‑driven—through public executions, arrests, and a climate of constant fear. • The psychological impact of violence is deep and pervasive.
Comparison: • Both texts depict violence as a central force: Streetcar shows direct, intimate abuse; Persepolis portrays institutional violence that saturates everyday life.
ISOLATION AND LONELINESS
A Streetcar Named Desire: • Blanche’s emotional isolation is acute—her inability to reconcile her idealized past with the present leaves her utterly alone. • The confined setting and sparse dialogue reinforce her loneliness.
Persepolis: • Marjane experiences profound loneliness both in exile (Vienna) and at home in Iran, where she is misunderstood. • Visual elements like empty panels and muted expressions capture her isolation.
Comparison: • Both characters endure profound isolation—Blanche through self‑imposed walls of guilt and illusion, Marjane through the combined pain of cultural and political estrangement.
