In Marjane Satrapi's graphic novel Persepolis, Satrapi states that her goal in writing the book was to dispel many of the hasty generalizations made by the Western world about Iran, the The main one is that Iran the country is little more than a nation founded by fundamentalists and home to terrorists and extremists. To combat this misconception, Satrapi turns to examples of barriers and dissent towards the new conservative regime in Iran dating back to her adolescence. Using events from her childhood in Iran, Satrapi shakes the foundations of the myths and false beliefs assumed by the West. Satrapi writes that the first waves of conservative fundamentalism in Iran were met with unified national dissent. To support this claim he uses both personal and family examples of felt dissent towards the emerging reactionary regime. Satrapi successfully challenges stereotypes, but limits may be raised on the extent to which she succeeds in doing so. One limitation that might be placed on the historical accuracy of his writing is that it cannot be considered as historically accurate as a first-person narrative from a child's point of view, which, while persuasive, is biased. In the exhibition Satrapi clarifies the significance of her family in Iranian history. He does this when he writes about a conversation he had with his father, in which he states, “The emperor who was overthrown was [his] [great-grandfather]” (Satrapi 22). Given the political upheavals that occurred in Iran in 1979, one might assume that a despised former royal family might embrace any form of opposition to the regime removing it from power. However, Satrapi's family shows nothing but dissent and unease towards the new regime. Proving that a… middle of paper… Ran is much more than a country of extremists and fanatics. Satrapi seeks to extend her family's beliefs to the majority of the Iranian population, citing examples such as the large-scale uprisings against women's veiling and other conservative reforms of the new regime as evidence of a unified feeling of dissent nationwide. Satrapi never attempts to defend her government and is unlikely to have any interest in doing so, although she wishes the Western world to see the separation between a government's beliefs and actions and those of its subjects. In conclusion, Satrapi successfully challenges the assumptions of many people outside Iran that the Iranian people are as theologically conservative and politically reactionary as their government. Works Cited Satrapi, Marjane. Persepolis. Paris, France: Pantheon Books, 2003. Print.