Persepolis- Winter

reading task
MANASVI GANIGA
PROMINENT THEMES IN THE BOOK
Family
War
Misogyny and Chauvinism
 Family
• When Marjane left for Austria the first time
her life went into a downward spiral without
her family

• Throughout the book we see how important

Marjane’s family is to her solace
• We see the importance of having a family or
a support system to rely on as we Taji's
childhood friend comes rushing to Taji's
place during the bombing.
• Marjane’s family plays a crucial role in
shaping her personality
• She almost idolizes her grandmother
 WAR
 It shows the catastrophe caused by
war .The kind of panic it creates not only
at the epicentre but also how capable it is
of shaking an entire country.
 The war also gave rise to aggressive
nationalism.
 War has also been glorified and young
minds are led to glorify the idea of
martyrdom
  War both stunts and quickens Marjan’s
growth, and brings out both the weepy
and sensitive child and the strong and
wilful adult in her.
 MISOGYNY AND CHAUVINISM
 Persepolis opens at the moment in Iranian
history where the oppresession has started .
 The irony of calling the guardians of revolution
“brother”
 However, she continues to speak out against
the contradictions and unfairness she notices
around her, which gets her expelled from
school. 
 Her parents reveal to her the extent to which
the state believes it has a right to control
women’s bodies
 Women in the country however had
contradictory points of view on the regime’s
rules
 ““I wanted to be ” Once again I arrived at “You criticized us, while all our
justice, love and the same conclusion, one brothers have different hair
the wrath of God all and clothes. Sometimes they
must educate oneself”
in one.” wear clothing so tight you can
see their underwear”

“Thereason for my shame and for the
Revolution is the same: the difference
between social classes.”
“It's fear that makes us
lose our conscience. It's
also what transforms us
into cowards.”
 GLOBAL ISSUES:
Authoritarian government
As Marji explains, “We all lived in fear.”
Marjane's biggest fear when returning to Iran is
giving up the freedoms she has enjoyed in Vienna.
(Similar to the situation of refugees)

An entire nation revolted against its government,

only to be faced with a new government that is
even worse than the one overthrown?
Freedom was curbed people were supposed to
follow strict legislation set by the state
Modern day relevance can be linked to Sudan
where the people revolted against dictatorship but
that government was replaced by a worse military
leader and they are back where they started.
 FUTILITY OF WAR
• Catastrophe caused by war hasn’t led to any gain
except the pre-conceived notion of “pride and
glory”
• Sadly, this scene is not uncommon even today
• For many people war has become a part of their
daily lives like the people of Iran
• For eg, the conflict between Israel and Palestine
has been going on for ages without any real
winners or India and Pakistan can also be taken
as an example
• Nothing except destruction and instability has
been contributed by these wars
“Glorification and patronizing of
war and aggressive nationalism”