There are many different influences in the world today; a big one that most people in the world face is religion. Religion is an influence that people first encounter during their childhood. They grow and learn to have faith. People’s perspective on religion is affected by their culture, their family and the events they witness during childhood. Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi is the story of a young girl growing up in Iran, during the Islamic Revolution, and the war with Iraq.
Throughout the novel religion develops along with the plot, in good and bad ways. In the story Marji loses her faith and it changes who she is, religion also changed her lifestyle by the government putting religion into the law. Religion is a topic that people label as vast and confusing, however, Satrapi tells this story of religion through the eyes of a child. This creates a unique perspective that readers can relate to. In Persepolis, Satrapi portrays different perspectives of religion. She shows how religion is interpreted in positive and negative ways by her use of her perspective as a child, first hand experience, and by showing how religion can corrupt politics.
As a child, Marji believes in God. She says, “I was born with religion” (pg 6). Unlike other children, Marji wants to be a prophet when she is older. This idea is not normal for a child or anyone under the Muslim religion since prophets have always been men. Her classmates laugh at her dream of becoming a prophet and her teacher speaks to her parents, but Marji stays true to her passion. Marji believes religion should be used to create good things and change anything bad.
Growing up, Marji doesn’t understand why her maid cannot eat at the dinner table with her family or why her friends do not . .wing into adulthood and how her innocent view on life can be changed because of the place she lives. As a child, Marji does not demonize the Muslim religion like others do. This perspective of religion drastically changes as the Islam Regime takes over and religion is used for horrible things. The perspective of a child is important because it shows how without any previous ideas about religion, someone can see how it can be used for good.
Satrapi tells her unique story to show the significance of religion in cultures. She shows how important it is to separate religion and state. This concept is still prominent today as people fight for their freedom from religion. Satrapi weaves a memoir that reflects the thoughts of a child on topics that are complex. The simplicity of a child shows how simple the topics can be and how religion can be used for good instead of evil.
