Week 2 Persepolis Book Club

1.     What do we know and understand about the main character’s sociocultural background/ identities?   

The main character in this book is Marjane, born, and grew up in Iran. She and her family went through the Islamic revolution and the Iran-Iraq war. These social conflicts have a significant impact on her political and religious view, and her identity formation when she lived in the Vienna and the time she returned to Iran. 

At the beginning of the novel, Marjane was very passionate about her religion. She believed that she could be a prophet and often piously talked to God. With the Islamic revolution going on, there is no scene in the latter part of the book that she is talking with God like her childhood. Her view of her religion changed.

Marjane’s family is modern and avant-garde, especially her parents. Marjane’s parents are both political activists, who play a critical role in her strong-willed personality and a strong sense of political awareness development. Marjane’s father is a photographer, who frequently risks himself in those demonstrations and takes pictures, which is strictly forbidden by their country. For Marjane’ s mother, the most impressive thing about her is the photo of her participation in a demonstration published in the European newspaper. Throughout the book, Marjane’s parents were very supportive of her passions and her strong desire for freedom and kept addressing that Marjane should be true to herself and never conform herself, which turns out she is. The influence also can be seen from her identity finding when she lived in Europe. 

2.  How does your sociocultural background and identities and literacy or schooling experiences compare to the main character?

Marjane was born and grew up in Iran, and went to a western country for education. Marjane is multilingual. She experienced the western culture, which is different from her own culture, and developed her world-view about a different culture. When Marjane moved to Europe, she had struggles in her identity finding.

My background has several similarities with Marjane’s. I was born and grew up in China. Studying in the U.S gave me the opportunity of experiencing and understanding a different culture. I also went through struggles in identity finding at the beginning, which I think is a must-go-through process when you live in a foreign country. I’m bilingual. My family members, like my grandparents and parents, all experienced social revolution. Besides the history class, I heard stories that happened in the revolution time from them.

Different from Marjane, I was born and grew up in a peaceful era in my country. The schooling I received is consistent, and religion in my country is not allowed to appear in or has any influence on school education.

3.  How do you reflect upon your positionality in relation to the characters in the novel?

I understand Marjane's struggles in her identity finding when she lived in Vienna. I also had a lot of confusion and puzzles when I moved to the U.S, struggling with finding my identity in this country. Before I came to the U.S, I only lived and traveled in the Asian countries, and never really experienced western culture. However, I agree with what Marjane said in the book - "If I wasn't comfortable with myself. I would never be comfortable", which I think is a simple but not very simple philosophy in identity finding.