Not Because of the Revolution

         Persepolis is one of the most unique books I have ever read. On one hand it is about the Iranian revolution of 1979 and the years following it. The effects it had on the Iranian population and philosophy. On the other hand it is about a girl named Marjane Satrapi and her coming of age. When you connect these two story lines it makes for an extremely interesting book containing both accurate and informative historical content, and smart, funny details about growing up as a teenage girl in pre and post-revolution Iran. However, it is often hard to differentiate between whether Marji's actions are caused by the hard times she is growing up in, or by her own person, independent of whatever outside events are occurring. One of the topics our book club focused on was how her personal philosophy and, therefore, actions were affected by her environment and whether they are therefore excusable. I think that Marji's actions are affected by her upbringing in the times of revolution rather than the effects of the revolution itself and therefore she is responsible for them.
        The revolution of Iran left many families without family members, killed in riots and tortured for being communist thinkers. It left many bereft of money or jobs after organizations were labeled bourgeois or "western." Many imprisoned young women were raped as it was against the law to kill a virgin. Compared to there occurrences, Marji's family was virtually untouched by both the Shah or the revolutionary regime. Her father kept his high level job and continued to make money to support the family while they hosted illegal parties. They were not effected by the government and flaunted their excess without regard to how it might effect their neighbors or any other non-related party. Following her self righteous parents, Marji was taught to express herself no matter the consequences and be independent of propaganda and authority while being fully immersed and enamored of revolutions of all kinds. This upbringing led Marji to get expelled from two schools and marry a man that she knew she did not truly love, all events that many shrugged off due to how she "suffered" under the revolution and regime but I believe are due to her upbringing.
         Marji was expelled from two schools due to her confrontational actions, actions that both adults in the story and my fellow book club dismissed as being ok because "she went through tough times." However, Marji's problems stemmed from trouble with accepting authority figures due to the fact that she turned everything into her own personal revolution. Marji's parents bought her many books on the topic to "educate her." She then became a revolutionary fanatic at the age of 8, dressing like Che Guevara and attempting to start a class revolution by helping her maid have a forbidden affair. These events, coupled with her parent's encouragement and avid revolutionary support, led Marji to believe that she should change everything she thought was wrong with no regard to authority: causing her to be expelled twice.
         One other questionable action that Marji committed that many excuse as brainwashing by the society she grew up was marrying a man that she did not love, and realized this on a subconscious level. While many dismiss this as an affect of the revolution and the pressure society put on her, I believe that it was another affect of her upbringing. Marji's marriage was more a rebellion against her past than a reflection of it. Marji had been raised and accustomed to despise marriage as it was stressed by the regime. By marrying Reza, she was going against what had led her almost to death, as a contradiction on herself.
           Persepolis exemplifies the difficulty in growing up in an ever changing world and how it effects impressionable young adults, but I believe that neither the regime or the revolution led Marjane to her bad decisions but her upbringing and attitude thereof.