Feminist Critique of Persepolis

Perception of Women:

In Persepolis, despite the fortune that Marjane has two strong female role models in her life (as well as
strong male ones) she depicts mixed perceptions of both Iranian and Western women, as artificial and
genuine, as rebellious and conformist, as unique and indistinguishable.
As the two main female influences in Marjane’s youth, both her mother and her grandmother present
fair representations of female independence and identity. Marjane has an almost romanticized view of
her grandmother, and views her as the moral compass in her life, encouraging her independence when
she decides to divorce, and reminding her of the sacrifices made to fight for rights and justice in Iran
when Marjane acts without “Integrity!”(Persepolis, p.293). Her mother also encourages her to “become
independent, educated, cultured,” and to value the importance of education for a woman in such a
misogynistic society.
Satrapi also explores the theme of female companionship, as Marjane first becomes distanced to other
Iranian women upon her return from the West, yet regains this sense of unity once she distinguishes
those who still attempt to sustain a sense of personal identity beneath the veil.

Perception of Men:

Similarly to her perception of women, Marjane’s view on men is supported positively by both her father
and her uncle Anoosh; both men are politically liberal and seem to strongly support women’s rights and
education. However, her depiction of Iranian men in general is a much less favourable one, as they are
often perceived as arrogant and threatening. Although not accurate of Iranian men as a whole, the fact
that men are being brought up to believe that they are superior to women and have a right to control
and demand obedience from them, would undoubtedly influence a certain amount of egotism within
them, as Marjane’s friend Farnaz argues that “from men’s point of view,… their dicks are irresistible”
(Persepolis p.334).
In contrast to her favourable perception of men as a child, romantically, Marjane is much less fortunate,
and she initially suffers from “a great lack of affection” (p.219). From her first boyfriend coming out as
gay, to walking in on her boyfriend cheating on her on her birthday, to divorcing her first husband 3
years into the marriage, much of Marjane’s encounters with men appear to be extremely unlucky.

Some critics may argue that by focusing much of the book around her romantic relationships and
breakups, Satrapi is trivialising the horror of the Iran-Iraqi war and of the importance of the struggle for
political and cultural freedom for both women and Iranians as a whole. The fact that she becomes
suicidal over breaking up with her boyfriend, having survived both war and revolution, could make her
account of the impact of Iran’s political turmoil less effective.
However, there are many responses to this claim, including the argument that Satrapi’s novel is both
self-reflective and self-critical, that as an honest and accurate account of her experiences, she must
retell her youth as it was. By illustrating her awareness of the triviality of her experiences, she is able to
critique them justly:

In addition, it may be argued that having been brought up in a society where women are valued in
relation to men: as a virgin daughter, a married woman, a mother to a man’s children. The battle
between the desire to become an “educated, liberated woman”, as valued by her mother and

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grandmother, and the desire to have a male counterpart in her life, as valued by Islamic society,
provokes and internal conflict of desires and expectations. Her depression following Markus’ ‘betrayal’
seems far more justified when we take into consideration her sense of abandonment and isolation by
the rejection of the first man she depended on, but also, the disappointment in herself at having
betrayed her own independence by allowing a man to dictate her life so much so that he may bring it to
a standstill.

Satrapi's View on Feminism:

Considering the fact that Persepolis explores some highly feminist themes and strongly critiques both
patriarchal society as well as sexism towards women in general, it would seem easy to assume that
Satrapi is herself an adamant feminist. However, in many interviews, she appears strongly reluctant to
associate herself with feminism or claim any feminist intentions within Persepolis. In an interview with
ABC News, Satrapi claims that:

“I am absolutely not a feminist, I am against stupidity, and if it comes from males or females it doesn't
change anything. If it means that women and men, they are equal, then OK, certainly I am a feminist. It
happens that I am a woman, so it becomes a "woman coming of age story." I think if I was a man it
wouldn't change so much, they never call it a "man coming of age story." It is a human coming of age
story, let's go for the humanity and humanism”(ABC News)

Here, many critics may argue that Satrapi is contradicting herself, since, by definition, feminism is the
belief that women deserve an equal place in society to men, a belief which she appears to strongly
argue for throughout her novel. This attitude towards feminism is possibly a product of feminism as
portrayed as a Westernised belief that women are better than men. In an interview by Annie Tulley,
Satrapi answers the question “Do you think the definition of feminism is to define that women are
better than men?” with:

“That is what I feel. When they talk about “The men ruined this, the men did that,” it is a person, and
their sex comes after what they’ve done. I believe that we say too much “We the women” and “We the
men,” but should say “We the human beings.””(Annie Tulley, Bookslut, 2004)

Many women, may in fact, agree with Satrapi’s definition of feminism, viewing many feminist arguments
and viewpoints as overcompensating for sexism, and instead of campaigning for equal rights of men and
women as human beings, are unjustly focusing on the rights of women.

The Veil:

In Persepolis, the Islamic state makes the wearing of veils compulsory, under the assertion that it is a
symbol of both Iranian culture and Islamic religious law. However, although many believe that the Koran
promotes the veiling of women, the origin of this custom in fact dates back to “ancient Middle East,
veiling was introduced as a practice by the lawmaker Hammurabi of Babylon, who required that women
who were the property of individual men in marriage should be veiled in the streets to show their
respectability, while those who were held in common by men, -prostituted women- should remain
bareheaded to show their lowly status” (Lerner, 1987). This evidence supports the argument that rather

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than religious motivation, the desire of the state to cover its women is more accurately based in the
primitive desire of men to control women as possessions.

“To prove that you have politically dominated other groups, you either raise your flag on top of your
building or even better the flag is the black cloth that women are wearing and they are walking all over
the streets of that city… If every single woman of that neighbourhood is totally veiled, you have both
social and political flags and you have proven that you have dominated” (AWID, 2009, P.13)

Citing:

Satrapi, Marjane. 'Persepolis'. Published by Vintage 2008. Copyright Marjane Satrapi 1998. Print.

AWID (2009) 'New Insights on religious Fundamentalisms. Research Highlights.' Toronto, Mexico City,
Capetow.

Cook, Miriam. 'Women Claim Islam: Creatiing Islamic Feminism through Literature'. Published by
Routledge 2001 Great Britain. Copyright 2001 by Routledge. Print.

Heath, Jennifer. 'The Veil: Women writers on its History, Lore and Politics

Feminist Critique Number 2

The book is about the Islamic Revolution in Iran and the Iran Iraq War. The protagonist of the story is
Marji, who represents Satrapi as a young girl growing up in Iran from 1979-1982. Central to the shaping
of the story is the perspective of the narrator. Marjane, the voice of adult Satrapi, serves as the narrator.
The narrative has been distinctly shaped by following the story of a muslim, female child, growing up in
an upper class family. Marji’s challenges are not the same as a boy’s growing up during this time or as a
girl who belongs to a lower class. Her unique perspective puts a bias on the story that she is telling. This
does not make it less valid, but it is something that should be recognized when analyzing the events
described in Persepolis. I am going to focus specifically on how Satrapi’s gender has influenced her
narrative.

By observing the gender bias of the narrator, we can gain insight into the what issues are of central
concern to women, especially during times of crisis, like the Iran Iraq War. Marjane begins her story by
talking about how the veil, as she refers to the hijab, impacted her childhood, specifically her life at
school. When the veil is first presented it is made to seem like a solely women’s issue. It is the female
teachers at Marji’s school that force her to wear a hijab. In addition, on page 5, a panel is captioned
“Everywhere in the streets there were demonstrations for and against the veil.” Yet, only women are
depicted in this panel, with veiled women on one side chanting “the veil!” and bareheaded women on
the other side chanting “freedom!” This makes it seem like women are choosing whether or not they
and their fellow women should wear the veil. However, later on in the book, a more mature Marji
recognizes that although only women wear the veil, it is not women perpetuating their own oppression.
In a panel, on page 74, a man on a TV is saying that “Women’s hair emanates rays that excite men.
That’s why women should cover their hair.” The panel is captioned “And so to protect women from all
the potential rapists, they decreed wearing the veil was obligatory.” This panel indicates that Marjane

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recognizes that men are the ones forcing women to wear the veil, and therefore actively oppressing
women. It also brings up the reoccurring issue in cases of rape where blame is moved away from men
and onto women, perpetuating a culture of male dominance.

It is important to recognize that not all women view the hijab as a sign of oppression and that views can
change over time. During the 1980’s, women living under the Islamic regime in Iran were forced to wear
a hijab. Many intellectuals like Marji and her mother viewed the hijab as a sign of oppression and defied
the regime by refusing to wear it or wearing it improperly. However, in today’s increasingly anti-Islam
political climate, some Muslim women see wearing the hijab as a sign of defiance and of pride in their
culture and religion. For instance in an interview, Leila, a muslim women living in Berlin, said that “as
time passed, my hijab was more than a symbol of faith, it became a symbol of resistance and a political
symbol.” (http://queermuslimproject.tumblr.com/?og=1) Like recognizing that Marji’s view is just one of
many, it is important to recognize that Leila’s view is unique to her. However, it does highlight that
forms of resistance can change as political climates change. By mentioning that “as time passed” Leila
alludes to the idea that wearing a hijab was not a straightforward decision. It was something she
decided for herself due to her experiences and formation of distinct opinions. By forcing women to wear
or not to wear a hijab, governments are limiting women’s ability to make their own decisions and
limiting their self expression, which is both close minded and oppressive.

Women being positioned in subordinate roles to men is not unique to the Islamic republic. In her blog
post, ‘We Have Always Fought’: Challenging the ‘Women, Cattle and Slaves’ Narrative
(http://aidanmoher.com/blog/featured-article/2013/05/we-have-always-fought-challenging-the-
women-cattle-and-slaves-narrative-by-kameron-hurley/) Kameron Hurley highlights that the roles
women played, especially in times of war, are often not told. Often, the stories told in books, in film, and
on television focus on the actions of men and the support that women gave them. Although, Persepolis
partially breaks free of this standard, telling the story from a female perspective, Marji is still positioned
primarily as an observer. This is accentuated by the fact that she is a child, since children are also put in
subordinate roles to adults and are constant observers of adult life. Marji watches as Siamak Jari and
Mohsen Shakiba, two male friends of her father’s are released from jail and as her Uncle Anoosh is
imprisoned and then later executed by the Islamic republic. In the majority of cases it is the men who
are jailed, killed, punished, or sent off to war. This perpetuates the view that men are the fighters and
the ones involved in the action while the women offer support and serve as passive observers. This
follows the pattern recognized by Kameron Hurley and that reappears throughout history.

A boy, specifically a boy belonging to a lower class, growing up in the early 1980s in Iran would be more
likely to be sent off to war and face physical violence than Marji. Having a reduced risk of being sent off
to war, sent to jail, or killed influences her perspective and her actions. For instance, Marji often takes
risks and acts rashly. This may in part stem from her lower potential for consequences. However,
although Marji is in less physical danger than other people living in the Islamic republic, it is shortsighted
to think that the war did not effect her. Her childhood was shaped by violence and oppression. The
Islamic Revolution and the Iran Iraq War have forever scarred her youth, shaping her story as
significantly as her gender has.

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