The purpose of a graphic novel is to allow an author to express their thoughts and ideas in a unique method. In a traditional novel, the author must rely on words, and in turn, the reader is left to guess the identities, characteristics and interactions between the characters, plot, and environment. Only in recent years have graphic novels come to the public’s attention, largely through the success of the recent movies 300 and Sin City, both based on the colorful works of Frank Miller. Yet Marjane Satrapi’s autobiography. Persepolis is a new turn in the genre in that it focuses on the Iranian turmoil of the 1980s, an event mostly unknown to Western audiences at the time, One aspect of Satrapi‘s work that bears great meaning is the use of black backgrounds to heighten the intensity of a scene, ranging from somber to painful to joyful. The novel consists of black and white panels, indicative of Satrapi’s bleak outlook on life.
Some of the more dramatic scenes to be analyzed bear similar meaning in regards to the setting. The dark backgrounds in Book 1 are focused exclusively on Iran, the center of oppression and persecution. While Book 2 is based primarily in Europe, and the black scenes represent the authors‘ social isolation and rebellion from her culture. Although the work is entirely monochrome, the author is able to weave a colorful tapestry that depicts her coming of age. According to Satrapi “Image is an international language,,.it means the same thing in all cultures” (Satrapi interview). Regardless of the audience, anyone can identify and relate with a visual image that invokes a particular mood. Throughout Persepolis, the black backgrounds that appear serve as a constant reminder of the day—to—day turmoil faced by the protagonist and her family, whether it is depicted through the fundamentalist regime or through the ongoing search for her identity.
Within the first few pages, Satrapi sets the stage for the coming conflict that consumes the work by presenting a brief glimpse of her early childhood in pre-fundamentalist Iran. The novel opens with the author as a young girl; happy and free in a non-denominational school, yet her tone hints at change. The closing of bilingual schools, and the mandate that all women must wear veils marks the first steps toward revolution The veils represent the oppression felt throughout the country, especially among women (Satrapi page 5 top panel). The conflict only grows from here on. As the novel unfolds, the reader sees the rampant brutality of the shah’s regime, which culminates in one of the first death scenes. The image of the burning souls as white and pure, contrast to the darkness surrounding them.
This is the first of many acts committed under the regime that eventually leads to the shah’s abdication. The resulting celebration on page 41 is one of the few panels in which Satrapi displays an optimistic scene with a dark background, The variously patterned shirts in the crowd show the unification of different walks of life and unrestrained freedom. On the other hand, the darkness also foreshadows difficult times ahead for the country as a whole, Political instability quickly becomes a common factor in the novel. As the new fundamentalist regime seizes power, the freedom felt by the country quickly disappearsi For Satrapi, it heralds the opportunity to meet a member of her family who has been a political prisoner of the old regimes. Her uncle Anoosh confides in Satrapi several stories about his involvement working against the shah. Before they make a truly lasting bond, Anoosh is jailed and executed within a few weeks.
The scene following his death and Satrapi’s outburst against God is a powerful insight into the author‘s mind. She is separated from her religion, family, and old way of life. Suspended in the blackness of space, it is seems as though she is detached from the world, even the stars and planets seem to distance themselves Even with this constant struggle against the fundamentalist regime that has a chokehold on every aspect of Satrapi’s life, she is able to find respite on vacation with her parents. The swirling winds and flying carpet carrying the author and her family are deliberately placed as a type of otherworld experience. Far away from Iran, Satrapi’s family finds freedom in Europe, while the omnipresent blackness seems to beckon her back to Iran. Her return is marked by a fundamentalist fervor that seems to be intent on suppressing one‘s identity.
Along with her classmates, Satrapi is forced to wear the veil and honor martyrs of the Iraqi conflict. It is nearly impossible to spot the author in the scene since everyone has assumed the same identity. As Book 1 comes to a close, the country is further plunged into the mire of oppression Satrapi is encouraged by her parents to go to Europe to be independent and to continue her education. The last scene of the first book is truly stirring. As her parents turn to go, Satrapi sees the outline of her mother draped over her father’s arms, eerily reminiscent of Michelangelo’s famous work the Pieta, where Christ’s body is draped over his mother’s lap. By casting her father’s face in darkness, Satrapi immediately sets a somber mood for the close of the first book, almost akin to a funeral march, while at the same time the darkness also foreshadows trouble for the author in Europe. The second book marks a shift in the author‘s view, focused more on her adolescence and personal conflicts as opposed to the turmoil and chaos in Iran.
During Satrapi’s time in Europe, the dark backgrounds take on a whole new meaning. Rather than focusing on scenes of sadness and destruction, detailed depictions of awkward social situations and unfamiliar environments become common, This shift in emphasis correlates to Satrapi’s developing personality and new group of companions. Satrapi‘s first social experience clearly takes a strong blow at the ethics she has grown up with. The smoke wafting around her, along with the rampant and open displays of love are a direct opposite of the strictly conservative values of Iran. Satrapi furthers this isolation by placing herself in a corner, with a bewildering look into the reader’s eyes that is almost a plea for help. To combat these rising emotions, Satrapi slowly turns to drugs as a way to cope with the social pressure and to forge a new identity separate from her childhood in Iran.
The more she tries to hide her past, the more it comes back to haunt her. Her mind is nothing short of an emotional battleground, presenting images of her childhood along with the dark void in the background that represents Iran; her past, present and future. Eventually, Satrapi comes to terms with herself and realizes that she belongs with her family. They are the foundations that have allowed her to leave Iran and seek education and freedom in the Western world. In a sense, her country is calling her back Upon Satrapi’s return, the joy she exhibits in seeing her parents is brief, as the scenes of violence again become a part of her daily life The execution of political detainees is a particularly violent image. As her father gives her the details of the last few years in lran, Satrapi creates a gripping mental picture. The prisoners are covered and surrounded in black, a universal representation of death and despair. As the dead are piled in the foreground, the outcome of the others is obvious to both reader and prisoner.
The conflict in her homeland seems to go hand-in-hand with her personal struggles as Satrapi continues to search for her place in society. At around the time she meets her first husband, Reza, the author seems to have found her niche as a sophisticated and outgoing woman, a bold enterprise in her culture. As she focuses more on her education, an important image resurfaces that highlighted the end of Book 1. The depiction of the Pietu returns in a new form to reflect the ideology of the Iranian government, and to serve as part of Satrapi‘s ticket into a college of art. This is a strong insight into the ideas of the government of the time, where martyrs assumed an almost.
Christ—like status, and were promised great rewards should they die in the name of their country, Satrapi eventually enrolls in the university and pursues a career in art, and is later accepted to a school of decorative arts in Strasbourg, marking her second departure from Iran. The final panel of the book bears great significance and relation to the end of Book L It is bittersweet, Unlike Satrapi’s first trip to Europe, this time she does not have to bear the sight her mother collapsed in her father’s arms. Satrapi has fully matured and is now prepared to live her own life Unlike her first trip to Europe, this time around her parents display a look of pleasure that their daughter is truly ready to live on her own. The white background also heightens this bond between parent and child. On the other hand the authors’ grandmother is turned away in sorrow and darkness, eyes downcast, clearly aware that this is one of the last times she will see her granddaughter.
Even with this depressing image, Book 2 ends on an upbeat note in comparison to the pain and sorrow felt by the family for the majority of the novel. The confident smile on Satrapi’s face is enough to assure the reader that she is headed to a productive life, and seems to have found a balance between herself, her family, and her country; the driving forces throughout her life. Marjane Satrapi’s unique autobiography draws on every aspect from her childhood and frames it as a journey. Her story is a rich and detailed account of Iranian society, the hardships of the Iranian woman, and her life-changing experiences abroad, Satrapi makes excellent use of every panel to tell her story, filling each one with meaning and depth.
In particular, her use of black backgrounds shows a wide range of emotions, from death and chaos to celebration andjoyr Satrapi even makes the themes of these panels on par with the setting, with the blackness in Iran akin to fundamentalist injustice and persecution. On the other hand, the dark panels in the Europe symbolize the social awkwardness and crisis of identity felt by the protagonist. To draw it all together, the graphic novel as a whole allows the author to express both plot and character development, and allows the audience to actively visualize each seen. The use of black and white in Persepolis is a clear dichotomy between scenes of pleasure and pain. The Visual aspect of this book is by far the most enriching characteristic; it successfully grabs the readers‘ attention, and shows the Western world one of the most overlooked political and social conflicts in modern times.
