Persepolis - Literary Analysis - Juan Carlos

1. What theme or themes does the author explore in the novel?  Which passages in the text connect to theme?

Politics

Persepolis PDF

The book Persepolis, written by Marjane Satrapi, occurs in the beginning of years of political and religious turmoil in Iran. According to Chapter 1,  in 1979 a revolution took place. It was later called the "Islamic Revolution" .  In Chapter 1, it also mentions that in 1980 all bilinguals schools had to close down because they are symbols of capitalism and then that lead to the Cultural Revolution. 

Persepolis PDF

According to page 3, in 1980 it became obligatory to wear the veil at school. That same page also mentions how they didn't really like the veil, especially since they didn't understand why they had to wear it. On page 5, it mentions that everywhere in the streets there were demonstrations for and against the veil. In conclusion, this book explores the idea of how politics can have positive and negative effects on people. Whether it is closing down bilingual schools or obligating women to wear the veil, politics will certainly change their country and create new laws. But what we have to remember is that there will be some that agree with the government while there will be some who will protest against it. 

Femeninity

Image Citation

In Iran women have strict dress code. In Iran and women are told what to wear. Telling women what they should or not wear is contributing to the fact that women are having limited rights. They are told how to act, what to think, and how to raise a family. A passage that supports this theme of femininity is  page 78, where children of different genders must split up and go to different schools. Marjane is not happy about this, as she has many friends that are boys, from her old school. In conclusion, it is clear that this book shows how in many places, there is inequality between men and women.