Persepolis Flashcards
Summary of the plot
This was written w chat, I did check through this, but yea, if you see any mistakes / things you think are wrong plz tell me
The story begins in 1979 in Tehran, Iran, when ten-year-old Marjane Satrapi is growing up in a privileged, politically active family. She is deeply religious and believes she has conversations with God, who she sees as a guiding presence. She tells her grandmother that she wants to be a prophet when she grows up, hoping to bring justice and fairness to the world. However, the Islamic Revolution drastically changes her country, and her dreams begin to shift.
The Shah is overthrown, and Marjane’s parents celebrate the supposed victory of democracy. However, a new Islamic Republic soon takes control, enforcing strict religious laws, including the mandatory veiling of women. Marjane and her classmates are forced to wear veils at school, despite not understanding why.
Marjane becomes increasingly aware of the deep social inequalities in her country. This realization is reinforced when she learns that their maid, Mehri, has fallen in love with the neighbor’s son. Unaware of class divisions, Mehri exchanges love letters with him, believing they can be together. However, when Marjane’s father discovers the relationship, he informs the boy that Mehri is not his daughter but a servant. As a result, the boy immediately loses interest. Marjane is furious and hurt by this injustice, realizing that social class dictates personal relationships in Iran, even in her own progressive household.
As political tensions rise, Marjane hears stories about her family’s history of resistance. She idolizes her uncle Anoosh, a Communist revolutionary who was imprisoned and tortured under the Shah’s regime. He tells her about his past, including his escape to the Soviet Union and his time in prison. She sees him as a hero, but her admiration turns to heartbreak when he is arrested again, this time by the new Islamic government. Before his execution, he tells Marjane that she is the daughter he never had. His death deeply affects her, and she becomes disillusioned with both the new and old governments.
Meanwhile, the Iran-Iraq War begins, bringing bombings and devastation. Marjane’s family tries to maintain some normalcy, but fear grips the country. One of the most traumatic moments of her childhood occurs when her Jewish neighbors, the Baba-Levys, are killed in a bombing. Marjane sees Neda, their daughter, buried under rubble, with only her bracelet remaining. The image haunts her, solidifying her realization that her country is no longer safe.
Despite the dangers, Marjane continues to rebel in small ways. She listens to banned Western music, wears punk jackets, and challenges authority at school. However, her boldness puts her at risk, particularly after she argues with a teacher about the government’s lies. Fearing for her safety, her parents make the heartbreaking decision to send her alone to Austria for a better future. The book ends with her emotional farewell at the airport, as her mother collapses from grief, and Marjane boards the plane, leaving her childhood behind.
Summary of the second plot
Now fourteen, Marjane arrives in Vienna, eager for freedom but quickly overwhelmed by loneliness and culture shock. She first stays with a friend of her mother’s, but their relationship is strained, and she is sent to a Catholic boarding school. There, she clashes with the strict nuns, who look down on her for being Iranian, reinforcing her sense of alienation.
Marjane eventually befriends a group of rebellious European teenagers, including punks, anarchists, and hippies, who introduce her to parties, drugs, and Western counterculture. She tries to reinvent herself, adopting their carefree attitudes, but struggles with feeling like an outsider. While they see rebellion as a choice, she has lived through real oppression and war, making her perspective different.
As she grows older, she falls in love with a boy named Markus. She is deeply devoted to him, believing they have a special connection, but he eventually cheats on her. Devastated, she spirals into depression and isolates herself. Unable to pay rent and ashamed to ask for help, she becomes homeless, wandering the streets in the freezing winter. She falls gravely ill and nearly dies but is saved by a kind stranger. Feeling like she has hit rock bottom, she calls her parents, who beg her to return home.
Back in Iran, Marjane struggles to adjust to life under the even more repressive regime. She feels like a foreigner in her own country, having experienced years of freedom in Austria. She enrolls in university to study art, but even there, she faces severe restrictions, particularly for women. Female students are forced to wear long, loose clothing, and the morality police monitor their behavior. At one point, Marjane and her classmates attend an underground party, but when the police raid it, one of her friends jumps from a building to his death, showing the deadly consequences of Iran’s oppressive laws.
Despite the repression, Marjane continues to challenge authority. She protests against sexist policies at school and experiments with makeup and Western clothing, knowing she could be punished. Hoping for stability, she falls in love and marries a man named Reza, but the marriage quickly turns sour. She realizes that she does not love him and that marriage is not the escape she thought it would be.
Eventually, Marjane understands that she cannot live freely in Iran. Her parents, recognizing this too, encourage her to leave for France, knowing it is her only chance at happiness. In the final scene, she says a painful goodbye at the airport, looking back at her parents one last time before stepping onto the plane. She leaves Iran for good, knowing she may never return.
Text Type
Graphic novel
Format
chapter by chapter
Flashback
The captions are (were) ‘present’ Marjane, while dia/mono logue is in the chronological time in the story
Main characters’ names
Marji Satrapi
Her Uncle Anoush
Her father, Ebi Satrapi
Her mother, Taji Satrapi
her grandmother (not named)
The maid, Mehri
Purpose
She said “If people are given the chance to experience life in more than one country, they will hate a little less. It’s not a miracle potion, but little by little you can solve problems in the basement of a country, not on the surface. That is why I want people in other countries to read Persepolis, to see that I grew up just like other children.”
Context
Book takes place from 1980 - 1984
Second book is from 1984- 1994
First book takes place in Iran
Second book half takes places in Austria half takes place in Iran
Audience
Originally published in French so uh, Europeans who speak french, specifically the French
(woah, I didn’t see that coming when you said French speaking Europeans)
Tone
Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi is written in a personal, candid, and reflective tone. It blends elements of humor, nostalgia, and tragedy, making the story both engaging and emotionally powerful. The tone is often matter-of-fact when depicting historical events but becomes more intimate and emotional when addressing personal struggles. Satrapi also uses irony and dark humor to highlight the absurdities of war, oppression, and cultural conflicts.
Author and publication info
Book one was originally publised in two volumes in 2000 and 2001 in French
Book two was also published in two volumes in 2002 and 2003 in French
The American version has two novels and was translated in 2003 and 2004 respectively
Written by Marjane Satrapi
