IndexOppression as a Key Theme in "Persepolis"ConclusionWorks CitedThe Islamic Revolution is a historical event that is often depicted in many inaccurate stories. Marjane Satrapi, the author of Persepolis, shares with her readers an authentic vision of not only what the Islamic Revolution was, but what it was like to live in Iran during that time. Throughout her story, Persepolis Marjane shares multiple events that happen over the course of her life from age ten to fourteen. Throughout these events, she presents several conflicts and problems happening in her life and the people around her. Infiltrating these issues are themes that spread throughout the novel. Ranging from patriotism to religious foundations, Marjane shows how each theme changes over time and how important each theme becomes in the novel. One of the issues targeted is oppression, which is by definition prolonged cruel or unfair treatment or control. Oppression is shown in different ways throughout the story through graphics and quotes. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Oppression as a Key Theme in "Persepolis" Marjane's life takes many twists and turns throughout the story, causing her life to go from its highest peaks to its lowest peaks. One of the causes of this is witnessing oppression in his personal life. The first time Marjane really felt oppression towards her was when she was about ten years old and she and Mehri went to demonstrate to keep the republic alive. The day they went was Black Friday, which is the only day they shouldn't have gone because many protesters were killed by what many say were Israeli soldiers. When Marjane's mother heard that they had left she was so furious that she slapped them both. When this happened, Marjane declared: "But in reality, it was our own kind who attacked us." What Marjane is saying here is that even though they were not shot or injured during the demonstration, they were still people of their own kind, her mother suffering because she believed she was standing up for the right cause. Another oppressive moment in Marjane's personal life is when she is a little older and her mother comes home crying. When Marjane's mother returned home she was crying because she said that "two bastards" had come up to her and insulted her. The men had told her: "That woman like you should be pushed against the wall and fucked, and then thrown in the garbage and that if I didn't want that to happen, I should wear the headscarf." This is a big event in Marjane's life because the two men were men of the same kind as her who started treating women like her mother like garbage just because she is not a fundamentalist woman and does not wear a headscarf. This event really affects Marjane's mother making her feel unsafe and disgusting in her own neighborhood because people say it's the woman's fault if she gets attacked for showing her hair. Finally, oppression is shown in Marjane's personal life when she is fourteen and is caught wearing symbols of decadence. When she was caught wearing these symbols she began to be interrogated by fundamentalist women. The woman wanted to take Marjane, hold her and punish her by whipping or in any other way to make her change her behavior. When she came home she didn't tell her mother because she didn't want to go out and she didn't want to lose her freedom to be herself. The oppression manifests itself not only in her personal life but also in the world around her. One of the multiple ways oppression is shown around her is with.
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