The Molding Hand of Oppression: Forming an Identity in Persepolis

Ruby Instructor Bachman Writing Across the Arts (Porter 80A-21) 2 November 2012 (1278 words) The Molding Hand of Oppression Forming an Identity in Persepolis E really soulfulness is unique. However, in that respect are many similar parts that go into creating all persons identity. Of course, there is the biology, the genetics. Then there are orthogonal forces, the nurturing of a person. When trying to form an identity, there are numerous foreign factors that contribute, such as gender, culture, and environment.For Marji, the protagonist of the Persepolis series, being an Persian char is dead a factor that featured prominently in the shaping of her personality. She was not allowed to experiment with her identity by her clothing or style, because the government controlled what women were allowed to wear. She had to hire few sort of connection with organized religion, because the government squeeze the religion upon its subjects. She withal experienced hardships, like the de ath of family members, because of war against the tyrannical government.Growing up nether the oppressive hand of the Iranian government has formed Marjis brawny identity. habiliments, a big form of self- evokeion, was predetermined for Marji, so that she had a few options of how to proceed. The first thing Marji introduces in the story is the veil, which is a headscarf that women are indispens adapted to wear for public decency. Marji does not like the veil since she does not rede why she has to wear it. When Marji is young, she says, I really didnt know what to count about the veil, deep down I was really religious (Persepolis 1, 7). Since she is so young, she is unaware of the real point of the veil.It is forced on because the government wants to tegument the potential power women have. Later, Marji finds out that the restricted clothing has constrained her granting immunity by not allowing her to usher a part of her individuality. After her parents have a go at it back from a trip to Istanbul, Turkey, she gets gifts such as 1983 Nike Shoes, a denim poll, a Michael Jackson button, and posters. She puts on her bare-assed shoes and her new jacket with the new button on it to go out and buy some music tapes. However, the guardians of the regeneration, the womens branch who arrest women who are improperly veiled, fascinate Marji.She luckily gets a direction. Through this experience, she realizes that she does not even have a minimum amount of freedom to show her individuality as a rebel. Clothing allows people to express their individuality, but forcing women to wear the veil not only when prevents women from showing their own personality but also eliminates their freedom. If a woman wears a veil, then all the women will look precisely the same, and there is no opportunity for individuality there. Marji travels to Europe, and while there, she is finally able to express herself and experiment with her personality.When Marji becomes sixteen, she tries new stuff, coating her hair with gel, adding a thick blood of eyeliner, and using safety pins as earrings (Persepolis 2, 36). As you see in the display boards, she experiments with her hairstyles, which would not even be seen under the oppressive Iranian regime. Each new style is in a completely separate panel, showing the succession passing between each event (McCloud 101). It takes time to develop an identity. She is allowed to express herself in Europe, and because of this, she is able to develop her personality in a way that she could not have been able to if she had been back in Iran.The government keeps Iranian women on a tight leash, so the lack of expression by means of clothing that Marji experiences in Iran, and the amount of expression she experiments with outside of her country, helped her develop as a person. Iran has a very strong connection between religion and state, which is reflected in Marjis spirituality. Marji says herself that she was born with a reli gion, and she believes her path is to be a prophet. Religion becomes a part of her character. Because she wants to be a prophet when she is ten, matinee idol some propagation appears and becomes her companion.Whenever Marji is having a personal conflict, matinee idol appears to help her work by it. For example, Marji takes a long bath in the water tub to retrieve like to be in a cell filled with water, when God appears to her. She is trying to experience what it feels like to be tortured, like her captured relatives and countrymen. God just randomly appears to her to ask, What are you doing? (Persepolis 1, 25). In that panel, The main color is clear. White is a color like purity and spirituality, which packs sense, because God is in it. However, in the following(a) panel, the priming is entirely black.This panel does not have God in it. Instead, it is just Marji almost connecting to the pains of her grandfather. So the simplicity of the black background helps show the begin ning of her internal conflict (McCloud 192). Marji is learning about how untamed the government truly is, and even God cannot help her understand why. Because Iran was very connected to religion, she always has a spirituality about her. The government forced a certain religion on Marji. Even though she did not always believe in that religion, she was still shape by her conversations with God.Even though God doesnt appear later on, believing in a religion as a child was able to lay the instauration for a spirituality that would last her the rest of her life. Living through war is very difficult. Because of war, many of Marjis families and her neighbors met death. Satrapis graphic style, which is mainly placid of black and white, depicts violent moments with a simple description. For instance, when Satrapi depicts the bombing of her neighbors, the black and white frames, along with the gutters, portrays how terrified Marji feels (Persepolis 1, 142). For example, there is a panel w here Marji is covering her eyes.Then it cuts to a panel that is just completely black. It shows just how emotional the scene is (McCloud 150). Because Satrapis style is so simple, drawing the character to explain the horrible emotions would be out of style. It is much more expressive just to keep the panel completely black. Since those dreadful incidents happened to her when she was young, she grew up as a strong-hearted and caring Iranian who knew the difficulties of war and came out stronger for it. Even though she disagrees with the lack of freedoms in her country, she is very proud to be an Iranian woman.She actually says this when some students were talking at a restaurant and were not respecting her. She stood up and said to them, You are deviation to shut up or I am going to make you I AM IRANIAN AND PROUD OF IT (Persepolis 2, 43). The war and demonstrations due to the revolution has built her a strong identity as an Iranian. Marji is definitely shaped by her outside environ ment. The fact that she is Iranian during such difficult times is absolutely a big environmental factor. Not being able to wear whatever she wants limits her self-expression, so she has to work around that. The government forces a religion on her.She is also thrown into the middle of a war. in all of these things should limit how her identity grows. But despite all the obstacles that being Iranian created for her, in the end, she still has a very strong connection with her Iranian culture. She obviously connects as an Iranian woman. Her own culture suppresses her, and in doing so, makes her stronger. working Cited Satrapi, Marjane. Persepolis The Story of a Childhood. parvenu York Pantheon, 2003. Print. Satrapi, Marjane. Persepolis 2 The Story of a Return. New York Pantheon, 2004. Print. McCloud, Scott. Understanding Comics. Northampton, MA Kitchen Sink, 1993. Print.