Innocence In Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis

Everyone has been a child. Marjane Satrapi, the author of the biographical novel, "Persepolis", is no different. However, unlike most children, Satrapi experienced an abrupt loss of her childhood when one of her core childhood beliefs, a belief that there was a loving and caring god, was shattered. Because of this, the childhood innocence that causes someone so young to steadfastly hold on to her beliefs was broken, leaving her without any bearings. Thus, with the rejection of the god she used to worship, Satrapi demonstrates how the abrupt loss of innocence in one’s life can have expansive and profound effects on one’s actions and perceptions.

First, after her rejection of Allah, Satrapi began to reject a fundamental part of her country’s culture - tradition. To better comprehend this, we must first

In her younger years, Satrapi easily believed, without hesitation, the details about her government that were told to her. As seen in "Persepolis", she initially believed that the Shah was chosen by Allah to be the leader of her country, just because her teacher told her so (19). After her rejection of god, she began to mature, and her views on her country 's government and leaders were slowly altered. In her work, she aggressively states her own standpoint as she challenges the current stand of the government regarding the usage of the veils (75). Also, in the latter part of the novel, she did not merely keep quiet when her teacher spoke about how the regime had no political prisoners. Instead, she stood up and voiced her experience about her Uncle Anoosh 's death and the number of prisoners under the regime (143-144). Through these moments, it is shown that she was no longer the child she used to be. Rather, she found "herself" as a person who would stand up for what she believed in and openly rebel against