Persepolis: A Difference In Perspective

I don’t know about you guys, but until recently, I had always been a bit sheltered when it came to reading the literature of other countries. I always thought: “but why would I?” I was content to stay in my little American world and not expand my knowledge of other cultures. Thinking back on it, that was a rather uneducated of me. What can you learn from reading the literature of other cultures? Rather a lot, actually. When you embrace the differences and viewpoints of others – even when you don’t necessarily agree with them – you are allowing for a better type of communication. Haven’t you ever been in an argument when neither of you saw eye to eye until you really listened to the other person’s point of view? If not, you’re missing out – and probably start more fights than you can finish. In being able to connect to the viewpoints of someone else – or at least attempting to do so – you are bridging a communication gap. In doing so, you are facilitating free thinking and the growth of new ideas.

The ability to understanding another culture’s viewpoints or values is necessary when reading Persepolisby Marjane Satrapi. For those who have never read it, it is the biography of a girl growing up in Iran during the Islamic Revolution – a time of cultural and political upheaval. The main character, Satrapi, experiences the increase in government and religious control of both her country and her people. When reading Persepolis, there are several differences in cultural and religious practices than what I – and probably a great portion of you readers out there – are used to, growing up in a Western culture. There are also, however, several similarities as well.

Shall we talk about the similarities first? Okay great. So Satrapi is what most societies would call a normal pre-teen/teenager: annoying, independent, and thinks they know just about everything. Satrapi was raised by more western-thinking parents and as such, she attended a more Western school and was expected to put her education first, while also upholding the expectations of a close familial unit (in other words she was super family oriented). Also, Satrapi enjoyed several aspects of Western culture, like tennis shoes, jean jackets, and rock bands. These similarities I have mentioned are things that all people could understand, or at least acknowledge. Though Satrapi’s story occurred before I was born, the things she liked or felt are things that even twenty or thirty years later, I can still empathize with and recognize.

Let’s move on to the differences, for there are several. During the Islamic Revolution, the importance of religion was emphasized more heavily in Iranian culture. They were expected to pray several times a day, and they were only allowed to dress a certain way. For example, the women were forced to wear veils. The veil is present in Persepolis and is used quite often by Satrapi in a rebellious way. She wears the veil, but still chooses accessories that are Western, like her jean jacket or tennis shoes. In addition, there is a large difference between how men and women are expected to act and the roles they are expected to play. Given my more Western viewpoint, this was obviously a bit hard for me to swallow. I am, however, well aware of the gender roles that have occurred in the US in the past. But arguably, we have moved past that somewhat. For a nation to uphold such gender roles in more present times was somewhat of a culture clash for me. Between the gender issue and the veils, I found that I had more difficulty accepting those things emotionally. However, because I can separate my own perspective from those things, I can understand the literature and experiences therein, intellectually.

To that end, I learned a great deal about Iranian culture by reading Persepolis. Based upon what the US media would have us believe, their nation has nothing to offer the world. But that just isn’t true! Persepolis is just another example of what a nation has to offer others if people would just try to branch out. Personally, though I found a few things hard to swallow given my own cultural background, I think it is important for people to understand why cultures are different, instead of just dismissing them.