A Different World: A Reader Response to Persepolis

"With this first cigarette, I kissed childhood goodbye,"(117) Marji states as she raises the lit cigarette in her hand. Persepolis, written by Marjane Satrapi is the story of her unforgettable childhood, and the history of her country, Iran. Satrapi's memoir shows her family's struggles as well as the people in her country.
As a reader, I have an incredible cultural distance to the characters in Persepolis. I found this book difficult to read because I could not understand where the characters were coming from. I have been blessed with luck for growing up in a Democracy where peoples' ideas are used and embraced. I am not too familiar with the conflicts that have gone on between the Iraqis and the Iranians for many years. With that being said, it became more of a history lesson rather than a close cultural look at Marji's story.
In addition, this had been my first experience reading a graphic novel. I thought that the book was a quick read but I know it was because I didn't spend nearly enough time studying the pictures as I did the text. I have become so accustomed to reading and studying the text rather than pictures so it was difficult to do both. I ended up going back to the beginning of the book and taking a closer look at all of the pictures. I enjoyed Satrapi's use of black and white in her drawings. The sharp contrast added drama and intensity to her drawings.
Not only did I enjoy the pictures, I also enjoyed the characters. Marji captured the mentality of a ten-year-old with perfection. Through her early teenage years, Marji developed into a determined revolutionary, much like her mother. Marji's parents were strict, yet they demonstrated liberalism in the revolution. I felt that one scene in particular skewed my image of her parents. I did not understand why Marji's parents would chose to endanger their lives and their child's life by secretly making alcohol in their basement. To me, it seemed out of character and I'm not sure why Satrapi would include this particular incident. The characters introduced within the plot intrigued me. Anoosh was one of my favorite characters in the story. I became just as interested in his life as Marji did when he told her his life stories, and I was crushed to read that he had been executed.
The story of Persepolis offered an interesting perspective of the conflicts going on in Iran. It opened my eyes to many issues such as social class, religion, religion, and government influences. One would usually read about events like this in a history book written from the American perspective. The way that Marji told her story made me feel shocked and annoyed with myself. How did I not know that something like this happened? I didn't realize how lucky I am to have the life I have. "Don't forget who you are and where you come from,"(152) Marji's father tells her before she boards her plane. The story of Persepolis left me emotional in my seat and really opened my eyes to the hardships of different cultures.