This week in ASTU 100, we were challenged by a new genre when reading Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi. Satrapi uses her artistic talent in the form of a graphic memoire, bringing us into her life as a child caught in the middle of the Islamic Revolution as well as the war between Iran and Iraq. Satrapi used the innocence of herself as a child to tell her story, and it is through “Marji’s” coming of age that the reader bases their understanding of these complex events in history. My knowledge of the political and social lives of Iranians during this time is admittedly minimal, but as Marji grew in the chapters of Persepolis, my understanding developed alongside her in a way that I feel would be unachievable in any other form. Although the story is told through young Marji’s eyes, the adult version, Marjane, often contributes to the story to fill in the gaps of Marji’s memory, as well as providing context that was out of Marji’s grasp at the time. This dual perspective is what gives both clarity and emotional depth to the story.
It is not only Marjane Satrapi who has realized the value in using this dual perspective. It was in a similar format that Roméo Dallaire, a Canadian UN Lieutenant General, wrote his book about the exploitation of children as soldiers, entitled, They Fight Like Soldiers, They Die Like Children. Although there are large differences between the topics of these two pieces, I was reminded of Dallaire’s book when reading Persepolis, and in doing so, found a new respect for Satrapi’s work.
Both authors attempt to reach a broad audience despite addressing very challenging, painful material. In order to do this they turned to using a child-narrator as a means to achieve understanding with their readers. Marjane Satrapi could have easily written about her experience as an adult in a scholarly format, but chose to tell it through the voice of a child. Dallaire could have reported his experience solely from his own perspective, especially since he holds a position of such high authority in the UN. However, he too chose to dedicate two chapters in his book to be told from the perspective of a child, in this case, a fictional character.
In his own words, Dallaire provides a rational for choosing a child narrator:
“Because this material is so painful, and because many of these children live in places many of us have never travelled, we create barriers in our own minds” … “[I’m] trying to use the power of my imagination to help the reader to connect to the reality of child soldiers.” ….“I believe that none of us will hesitate to act if we at last connect to these children through the child that survives within ourselves.” (Dallaire 16)
Clearly, he felt the voice of a child could convey the weight of the drama, much like Satrapi.
When first approaching Persepolis, I was doubtful that a 10 year old could report on such a confusing and sinister time of history. However, the authors’ success in creating an emotional connection to Marji, alongside the contextual information provided by Marjane was very effective. Just as Dallaire was able help me see through the eyes a child, so too has Satrapi in her work. I have now come to fully appreciate Marjane Satrapi’s ingenious, and beautifully portrayed memoire.
If you’re interested in a more detailed look into the work of Romeo Dallaire, I would recommend either of his books, They Fight Like Soldiers, They Die Like Children, or Shake Hands with the Devil. Or, for a quick summary, check out this trailer for his documentary.
-Lauren
Works Cited:
Dallaire, Romeo. They Fight Like Soldiers, They Die Like Children. London: Hutchinson, 2010. Print.
Satrapi, Marjane. Persepolis. New York, NY: Pantheon, 2003. Print.
