The Meaning Behind Marji’s God

In my current literature class, which emphasizes the concept of what it means to be a ‘global citizen,’ we are reading the graphic memoir Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi. Satrapi recalls a time when she was a young girl growing up in Iran during the Islamic Revolution. In the beginning of this memoir she often refers to God as a symbol of comfort and reassurance for her. As Satrapi quotes “Every night I would have a big discussion with God.” As the story goes on however, she looses interest in God and the important role he plays in her life as she becomes more invested in the revolution. What intrigued me about her relationship with God was his physical appearance displayed in the comic strips in this memoir. He was Caucasian with a big bushy white beard. At one point she compared his appearance side by side to that of Karl Marx. As I thought more about why she portrayed God like this I began to think about her background. Satrapi grew up in a very modernized setting so her opinions and beliefs were often more westernized and controversial than a Fundamentalist Iranian. For example, her father drove a Cadillac, she was very into the “punk” style, she rebelled in school against her what her teacher’s taught, her family had a maid etc… Her social beliefs were also very modernized. Her parents encouraged equality for women and were very progressive thinkers in general. The influence of Satrapi’s family as well as her choice to expose herself to European authors such as Karl Marx and Rene Descartes seemed to profoundly affect the way she not only perceived and understood the Islamic Revolution but also her faith. At first Satrapi believed God visited her many times and his presence always seemed to calm her. She lost interest in Him when her uncle Anoosh was executed after being imprisoned for being revolutionists. She became confused about why God could let such horrible things happen and she could no longer rely on him as a friend. I wonder if later in Satrapi’s life she ever regained a connection with a God like figure who may or may not have possessed the same qualities as the God she grew up with. Perhaps the influence of war and revolution and rebellion complicated everything too much and she abandoned her faith forever.