How do language and image depict a metamorphosis of Marjane Satrapi’s faith throughout “Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood” and “Persepolis 2: The Story of a Return”?

Relationship can be considered one of the most ambiguous words, having variable interpretations based on different perspectives. Some believe that it is a platonic entity, while others believe it is a romantic mutual feeling between human beings. Thus, what a relationship means to one may differ from another. In Marjane's case, she has a strong feeling of a relationship with her God that originates profoundly and deteriorates throughout the story. Marjane Satrapi is the author of the complete Persepolis which comprises "Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood" and its sequel, "Persepolis 2: The Story of a Return", where in the form of an autobiographical graphic novel, she discusses some fragile themes about society such as gender, rebellion, identity, war, social inequality, and, surely, faith. The first volume, published in 2000, depicts her childhood in Iran during the Islamic Revolution and the Iran-Iraq war where she gains consciousness of the unjust world due to witnessing the danger of the war, the limitation of personal freedom, and the oppressive regime. The Islamic Revolution took place in 1979, led by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, and changed the official governance of the country by overthrowing the King, also known as the Shah, and establishing the Islamic Republic of Iran. Due to this new regime and other causes, such as territorial disputes, political ideology, regional power struggle, and economic factors, the Iran-Iraq war began. Hence, her parents decide to send her abroad to secure her a safer and greater life. While the second volume, published in 2002, is focused on her adolescence and young adult years when she moves away from Iran to study abroad in Vienna and gets hardly influenced by her environment, which results in intensive drug use and loss of identity. Mainly due to those factors, she later returns to her home country, hoping to find comfort. However, she falls into a big depression. Evidently, there must be some change in the protagonist's faith throughout those series. Thus, this essay will demonstrate by a character timeline how language and image depict a metamorphosis of Marjane Satrapi's faith through her relationship with God. This is explored in the question: How do language and image depict a metamorphosis of Marjane Satrapi's faith throughout "Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood" and "Persepolis 2: The Story of a Return"?

Marjane has gone through many bumps in her life. This element can be seen after the death of her close ones or the hefty changes she has gone through. Consequently, based on her previous experiences, her whole lifestyle has shifted, such as her way of acting, thinking, and living. Accordingly, this would affect the people in her entourage, including God. While the change in her behavior could make their relationship more resilient, it could also become more unstable. Page six is when she first introduces her opinion on religion.

The author utilizes a juxtaposition to convey her two perspectives on the veil. On one side of the first panel (figure 1), Marjane has her hair down and, in the background, many depictions of innovative tools are used, such as a hammer and a ruler. Those graphics come together with the narrative to symbolize her family's more modern and avant-garde way of living. However, on the other side of the panel, Marji is depicted with a veil and drawings of the ancient Persian alphabet to symbolize the Islamic influence on her. Both of those very different perspectives come in contrast to highlight her ambiguity on this topic. Additionally, her frowning face adds emphasis to convey that she is not happy being stuck in the middle of two opposing lifestyles.

The next panel (figure 2) depicts Marjane smiling as a baby illuminated by dashes. The narrative and the image both come together to convey that she is happy being born with religion. This crown of light around her head foreshadows that she is chosen to become a prophet as it is transformed into a sun in the following panel (figure 3).

Thus, the writer uses the symbol of a sun around her head to emphasize that she is the chosen one.

Furthermore, she uses the three panels at the bottom of the page (figure 4) as well as an ellipsis to introduce the causes of her will to become God's disciple. They include her housekeeper not eating with them, her father driving a Cadillac and her grandmother's always aching knees. Additionally, the author utilizes the repetition of the word "because" to enumerate them. However, none of her reasons to become a prophet have any connection with God. Hence, the author employs repetition to illustrate Marji's undeveloped understanding of becoming His disciple. This conveys an allure of innocence and shows the reader that although she does not know the explicit role prophets effectuate, she still finds reasons to help people through God.

However, the next page demonstrates that she did base her first three rules of her holy book on the first prophet of her country. The use of a short anecdote, a three-panel dialogue, is present at the bottom of the same page (figure 5) to depict Marjane demonstrating the rules she created to her grandma. Again, none of those rules involve God, though they come in contrast with the reasons she wants to be a prophet. Thus, it is now obvious that she tries to conjunct God with helping her close ones.

Although it is currently evident that she has some kind of religious faith in her, there is no mention of her relationship with God. Her close relationship with Him gets introduced on the next page. This new imaginative character is presented through the depiction of God, her own perspective of God, which is a white man with a long white beard (figure 6). It illustrates her young commitment to become a prophet although she says she is not ready yet. The narrative voice stating that she has big discussions with God every night contributes to the impression of a close relationship. This imaginative dialogue with Him depicts her early attachment to religion.

Additionally, His arms wrapped around her symbolize a sort of comfort and assurance to persuade her to become His disciple (figure 7). Thus, highlighting her profound connection with God. However, her wish of becoming a prophet is soon critiqued by her environment.

Through the use of the teacher's dominating presence in the panel (figure 8), an onomatopoeia: "HAHA!HAHA!HAHA!" (figure 9), and the firm statement of one of her pupils projecting her craziness for this belief (figure 9), the author conveys a judgmental and mocking tone over her faith. Her parents confronted her about the situation that happened in school. However, she lies about wanting to become a doctor to avoid conflict, which makes her feel disloyal to God. Her feeling of guilt portrays her ambition of becoming a prophet and her strong relationship with Him. Despite her destiny being critiqued, she still remains loyal.

This is shown through her late-night conversation with God, where she assures Him that she will become a prophet, but no one must know. Additionally, the conjunction between the narrative and the symbols that she effectuates with her body to convey that she "wanted to be justice, love and the wrath of God all in one" (figure 10), also emphasizes her loyalty.