Idenitity in Marjarie Satcapi´s Persepolis - 1940 Words

During our class discussions, the issue of identity in Marjane Satrapi’s novel, Persepolis (2004), became a contentious issue. The question was asked whether Persepolis might be understood to being in-dialogue with western ways of seeing and did the effects of modernization influence the identity of Marjane’s protagonist in Persepolis. How does the novel involve the issue of identity? I will extend the argument and, through the exploration of Marji’s changing ideologies, I will attempt to prove that Marji is caught between the traditional eastern culture and western modernization. A major venue for identity formation is an individual’s homeland or nation. At the outset of the novel, Marji’s identity is ascribed to her because of her†¦show more content†¦To be caught between the opposing ideas of Iran’s fundamentalist mentality, which restricts gender equality and liberty, and the western ideas of freedom and gender equality, become a turning point that fragments Marji’s sense of identity. Marji emphatically states that â€Å"I really don’t know what to think about the veil, deep down, I was very religious, but as a family, we were modern and avant-garde† (p. 6). The life that is influenced by Marji’s ideological perspectives, developed through eastern and western values, creates a binary division between those values. The internal conflict that is precipitated by being caught in-between Islamic values and western values, deeply divides Marji’s cultural identity. Marji’s lack of a true cultural identity instigates a rebellious behaviour in her. She wears denim jean jackets with a button which has Michael Jackson images on it. In conjunction with this, Marji wears a headscarf. The mixture of the traditional Islamic headscarf and the western style of a denim jean jacket is evident of Marji’s doubt and undecided allegiance to her cultural values. As a result, Marji is caught between the two identities of modernism and the Islamic fundamentalism. According to Schroeder, â€Å"life becomes more complicated when Marji defies the principal at her school and is expelled† (2010, p. 57).