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“‘But tell me how you’ll arrange for old people not to suffer?’
‘It will simply be forbidden.’”
This quotation, which occurs in Chapter 1, The Veil, as Marji explains her early religious devotion and dream of becoming a prophet to her grandmother, helps set the tone for the graphic novel. For one, the quotation and scene reveals a lot about the book’s protagonist, Marji. Her knowledge of history and Islam shows that Marji is a precocious young girl. She is bright, optimistic, yet also naïve. She has a profound sense of justice and compassion and wants to relieve the suffering of others. But she is too young to understand the complexity of society, the reasons for suffering, and the steps required to solve such problems. The quotation also signals that humor will be a major component of an otherwise serious story. It is funny to hear a small girl confidently and self-righteously explain that she will relieve suffering by simply forbidding it. On a deeper level, the quote reveals the inadequacy of mere faith to provide justice and peace. This foreshadows Iran’s takeover by a theocratic authoritarian state that centers faith in god over governance.
“We had demonstrated on the very day we shouldn’t have: on ‘Black Friday.’ That day there were so many killed in one of the neighborhoods that a rumor spread that Israeli soldiers were responsible for the slaughter. But in fact it was really our own who had attacked us.”
This quotation, which occurs in Chapter 5, The Letter, just after Marji and Mehri are punished for attending the protests without permission, foreshadows the coming division in Iranian society. Frequently throughout the story, characters express their disappointment and outrage that their worst enemies are their fellow Iranians. Iran has a long history of being invaded for its access to the far east, its riches, and its oil. This history is frequently alluded to in the story as a source of national and cultural shame and resentment. But when Iran finally throws off the yoke of foreign influence, its people immediately descend into the darkness of authoritarian rule by fellow Iranians. The panels that contain the quotation show Marji and Mehri each with a handprint on their cheeks from Taji’s slap. The images convey the sense of shame Iranians feel that their own worst enemy is themselves.
“‘Your father acted like a genuine hero, you should be proud of him!’
‘I wish he were alive and in jail rather than dead and a hero.’”
This quotation, found in Chapter 11, The F-14s, after Pardisse’s father has been killed in the war, makes a powerful point about Iranians’ sacrifice in the war and the value of heroism. In Persepolis, Iranians are frequently forced to choose between their ideals and their survival. Indeed, ideals and ideology play an outsized role in Iranian society under theocracy. The regime frames every new policy and state decision in ideological terms. It uses propaganda that encourages total devotion to god and sacrifice for one’s country on ideological grounds. Those who resist the regime do so out of a sense of justice and at great risk to their physical safety. Pardisse’s experience shows that these issues are complex. Her father was a fighter pilot imprisoned for trying to oust the radical Islamists. He was released so he could fight only to die in battle. Pardisse’s poignant wish that he was alive in prison rather than dead and a hero cuts through all of the ideology and historical context to remind Marji of what is really important.
“After the death of Neda Baba-Levy, my life took a new turn. In 1984, I was fourteen and a rebel. Nothing scared me anymore.”
This quotation, which occurs in Chapter 19, The Dowry, after the Baba-Levys are killed in a bombing raid, is the final turning point of this stage of Marji’s life. She has become so infuriated and so hurt by the tragedy that she turns toward a kind of nihilism. She simply doesn’t care what happens to her anymore, and her anger and confusion are causing her to act out. Now that Marji is a young woman, her outspokenness is especially dangerous. Her mother understands this best, and when she sees Marji’s increasingly rebellious behavior she decides that Marji must be sent away from Iran for her own safety. Therefore, this quotation gives the root cause for the final tragic event of the graphic novel: Marji’s estrangement from her country and her separation from her beloved family. It sets the stage for the book’s continuation as young Marji makes her way alone to Europe.
