Persepolis is a coming-of-age novel that tells the story of Marji, a young Iranian girl growing up during a time of revolution, unrest, and war. Her path of growth and development changes direction in a single moment and she begins to become a young adult with her own opinions and points of view. Marjane Satrapi reveals Marji's moral development in her coming-of-age novel Persepolis through the theme of coming of age. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The Theme of Old Age Through Marji's Character At the beginning of the novel, Marji was innocent and naive about everything that happened in Iran. All he understood was that there was unrest in his country; however, he did not fully understand the gravity of the situation. Marji was in her own bubble with her unrealistic ideas of the world. Marji, for example, doesn't understand how serious torture is and what it's really for, and makes it a fun game: “Those stories gave me new ideas for games. I have an imagination too… the burning mustache torture consists of pulling the two sides of the upper lip” (Satrapi 53). This shows how Marji knows very little about what is going on because if she did, she would know that torture is not really a fun thing to joke about or a fun game to play. However, this quote provides insight into the benefits of a child narrator. It shows how a child storyteller is able to reveal creativity and offer a new perspective through imagination. In this way, Satrapi helps the reader understand how he felt about her in that moment when she was experiencing it. Marji's innocence is preserved until the crucial moment of her adolescence. The crucial moment was the bombing of his city, which marked the beginning of the war. Coincidentally, right in the panel before the bombing, Marji screamed at God and told him to get out of her life. Also, on the same page, Marji's uncle Anoosh, who was important to her, was executed. This moment clearly changes Marji and marks a shift in her worldview. As they are bombed, Marji recounts this by saying, "And so I was lost, without any orientation... What could be worse?" (Satrapi 71). Using a rhetorical question, Satrapi addresses the reader almost directly. This makes the reader stop and wonder how Marji feels and put themselves in her shoes. From this point on Marji adopts a rebellious lifestyle. This moment shaped the story and added to the coming of age theme because it helped Marji develop further as a character and as a person. It helped her grow up a little and find herself and what she believes in. That pivotal moment not only contributed to the coming of age theme, but also helped develop the story because of the impact it had on the protagonist. He begins to act and defend what he believes in. This is especially evident from his adoption and love of Western culture, which is forbidden. She loves listening to Kim Wilde and wearing Nike sneakers, which get her into trouble: “They were guardians of the revolution, the women's branch. This group was added in 1982, to arrest women who were improperly veiled. (Like me, for example)” (Satrapi 132). Even though she knew she could get in trouble, Marji still went out in public improperly veiled, wearing skinny jeans, Nike sneakers, a denim jacket and a Michael Jackson pin. Satrapi uses these allusions in these panels to connect with readers everywhere and help them understand that Marji is no different from the.
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