Individuality In Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis

In Marjane Satrapi’s graphic novel, Persepolis, the audience follows young Marji’s childhood in the backdrop of the Islamic Revolution in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s. Young Marji develops her own sense of individuality, nurtured through her family’s modern lenses and lifestyle. Her modern family and their individuality sets them apart from the religious conformity that was demanded by the Shah at this point in Iranian history and culture. It is very important to note that the conflict between individuality and conformity during the revolution was cause enough for persecution. As Marji grows up and develops more of an individual outlook she begins to rebel. At this point her individuality has rubbed so fiercely against the demand of conformity that it is no longer safe for her to continue to live in her own home and nation. A major theme in Persepolis is the clash of individuality and conformity in Iran specifically during the Islamic Revolution. In Iran, Marji struggles to maintain her own sense of individual identity in a setting where religious conformity is so
Marji explains near the beginning of the book how women wore the burka one of two ways, completely covered and in representation of the fundamentalist woman and the modern woman who let a few pieces of hair show through. Marji claims that this is simply a ridiculous misogynistic rule and unfair at that. Still the nail that sticks up against the fundamentalist demand for conformity is nailed down. “They insulted me. They said that women like me should be pushed up against a wall and fucked. And then thrown in the garbage. ...And that if I didn't want that to happen, I should wear the veil...”(74). Marji’s Mother could have lost her life in this scene. I think that this scene appropriately speaks to the audience just how intense harsh the fundamentalist conformity was on Iranian