Persepolis chronicles the life a young girl trying to make sense of her war-torn homeland through humorous drawings and dialogue in graphic novel format. Autobiographical in nature, though difficult for a child to navigate the complex world of politics, Marjane Satrapi gives a child's perspective on understanding the changing, turbulent world around her ranging from the introduction of laws that made no sense, witnessing the changing of regimes, fearing violence and upheaval, and choosing to celebrate the unbreakable spirit of her people in the midst of it all, something can be said for the unassuming wisdom possessed by children in the presence of complete tom-foolery on the part of the adults they are expected to someday emulate.
The lighted hearted humor and "when given lemons, make lemonade" approach to the idea of simply accepting absurd rulings without question were perhaps some of my favorite aspects of the text. "Nuptial chambers" for virgin martyrs, beating the breast to honor the war-dead, defiantly removing the veil and using it as a jump rope or pretend horse rein were all exploited in a humorous fashion to demonstrate the intelligence of young Marjane Satrapi and her resolve to go along with what she believed was right instead of what was popular or senselessly made into law.
No comments:
Post a Comment