Persepolis Identity

In Persepolis, Marjane Satrapi is growing up in a time where brutal Iranian regimes fight individuality with rules and regulations and imprisons those who do not comply to them. In school she is taught to wear her veil, obey orders, and speak only when spoken to and told that the regime is God's work. While at home, her free-thinking parents tell her otherwise. Marji grows up being pulled between two sides. Marji is forced to make her own judgements because she cannot rely on the ones around her. Her self-understanding evolves by becoming involved with her parent's political conversations, and paving her own way to maturing. Her parents become a large influence because she admires their self-confidence and rebellion against the system and aspires to join them in their fight. Through everything that is culturally changing and fighting she tries to make the most sense of it as she can while people try to keep her at arm's length from the large issues that she so desperately tries to fight for. She directs her own future because Marji is a strong, stubborn character which believes in her causes and thus, she evolves herself from a naive girl to a intelligent and insightful adult.

This frame is the embodiment of Marjane's inner confusion about her role in her life. In the text she states how torn up she is because she has two separate sides which pulls toward different beliefs, and she doesn't quite understand how she fits into it. What draws your eye most in this frame is the divide. This is the only frame like this in the book and the one that most visually states the divide Marji carries within herself. Everything is in opposition except for Marji's face which seems to appear sad. One the left side is wheels and measurements and what appears to be tools in white against a black background while she wear white clothes. On the opposing side she wears a dark black veil against a white background with intricate and beautiful swirls. What I also find interesting about this frame is that it almost seems to speak to the left-brain right-brain roles - wit the left half being more mathematical and the right half more creative. Her face is an important aspect to this shot as well.  It's the only whole thing in the frame and the most separate from anything else which proves how distant she feels from these two opposing sides. This is quite a beautiful abstract close-up on how Marji feel internally by bringing it externally on the page. 

This is a more literal scene than the previous frame, but it still holds some abstract elements which we more often see in the beginning of the book than the end. I think this frame is one of the most important in the entire novel because of how significant this moment is. This is right after her Uncle's execution where she is feeling more sadness than she's ever felt in her life. She's angry, upset and just heartbroken. She feels let down by God and almost blames it on him for this tragedy. Against a black background, you can see the distance and the anger she holds towards God, with her biting speech the focus of the frame. This shot is the last time you see "God" in Marji's life. Up to this point, God serves as almost this imaginary comforting friend to Marji - and God always wraps Marji up in her arms and tells her everything will be alright. But now, in a previous frame, she starts to tell herself that. This is one of her major steps in becoming an adult. This bitter moment that has let her realize that she's a black background, you can see the distance and the anger she holds towards God, with her biting speech the focus of the frame.