Venturing from Persepolis to Persepolis 2 was quite a journey. I feel as though I have not only traveled through the various comics, but through Marjane’s life as well. The childish language that Marjane speaks in the first novel is all but eliminated in the second. It was interesting to see the character grow up both physically and mentally.
In class on Monday we discussed if the stories were a Bildungsroman and I strongly believe that it is. Through the novels Marjane’s world around her is changing, thus forcing her to change as well. When she witnesses tragedy in her home country she sees first hand that horrible acts can be committed. In the second novel Marjane learns of her people being massacred for their beliefs. This notion puts into perspective that her homeland is no longer safe.
Marjane’s innocence is lost in the second novel as she experiments with drugs, alcohol, and boys. She marries and divorces, while learning life lessons along the way. One of those lessons is that some people do grow apart, but that doesn’t mean that they can’t still live a fulfilled life by themselves.
The last scene in the second novel struck me because it paralleled the last scene of the first novel. However, this time instead of the characters faces being filled with dread and despair, they’re filled with happiness. For Marjane’s parents know that she’s making the right decision because her homeland is not the place for her to flourish. Marjane’s face is one of joy as well because she understands that although Iran will always be part of her, the events that are taking place there do not represent what she believes in in life.
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