English Literature

“Loss of Faith” in Marjane Satrapi's Graphic Novel “Persepolis”

“Loss of Faith” in Marjane Satrapi's Graphic Novel “Persepolis”

Introduction

“I really didn't know what to think about the veil. Deep down I was very religious but as a family we were very modern and avant-garde. I was born with religion. At the age of six I was already sure I was the last prophet. This was few years before the revolution.”

Persepolis: the story of a childhood is a graphic novel that describes the life of a girl when she transforms from a young Iranian girl into a mature Iranian woman. During this period she comes across a lot of sufferings including not only hers but also a misery that is shared by each and every person associated with her. Her biggest suffering is her loss of faith (Mousavi, 2012, p. 92). This loss is augmented when she turns her back on her country and her God. Marjane could not cope with her Uncle Anoosh's loss therefore this is the crucial moment when she tells God to go away from her room as well as her life. Thus, the losses that were the most pivotal for her were of her grandparents, parents and her Uncle Anoosh, then the loss of her husband as a result of separation, the loss of her country and eventually the loss of her faith. All of these losses in her life bring the narrative to a heartbreaking ending.

Discussion

The Context

"Iran" and "Fundamentalist Islam" go in unison in the eyes of majority of the Western World (Axworthy, 2007, p.301). In the preceding years, different events taking place in the world have led a number of people to typecast those who are living in Iran as austerely following their Muslim faith to the level where they keep off all other influences of the world. Though, in going through Persepolis written by Marjane Satrapi, the reader might be astonished to discover that Satrapi never talks about her faith out-and-out. Even though the subject of faith cannot be overlooked ever in a book explaining what, to all intents and purposes, was an Islamic Revolution, Marjane does not lay emphasis on it and, in reality, it is appealing to observe how frequently the characters stood up in opposition to the conventional doctrines of their faith and how dead set against fundamentalism majority of them are. Marjane's vision of her Islamic faith infuses all through the story and can be noticed from the first scene as well. The story initiates with a chapter "The Veil" wherein the autobiographical self of Marjane, Satrapi is enforced to put on a religious head cover or scarf to school. Satrapi, in her early depiction makes it clear that she was never firmly religious. This can also be witnessed when we see Satrapi and her peers ignoring and, in actual fact, disregarding the religious attires (Schroeder, 2010, p.11). As the story moves ahead, we see Satrapi and her relatives and friends another time showing flexible understanding of their religion ...