The story of Marjane Satrapi is tragic in part because the growth of Satrapi herself is paralleled by the growth of a truly independent Iranian state. However, what becomes clear in retrospect is that while Satrapi has developed a great deal, her homeland has not. And the Islamic fundamentalist regime looks to remain in power well into the foreseeable future.
Thursday, November 20, 2008
The Iranian Revolution to the Present
Perhaps the most tragic impression I have from the book is that conditions in Iran have improved only marginally since the time period of the novel (1979-1984). Tthe country is still governed by the Shari'ah law that the revolution was founded on; the veil, among other things, is still required, dissent is still repressed. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Iranian president, insists on a nuclear program and the dissolution of Israel, as well as all the fundamentalist policies currently in place.
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3 comments:
While Satrapi really seems to have flourished under Western circumstances, one part of the movie that struck me in particular was the moment when her mother's friend dawned a veil when Marjane's father entered. Despite her freedom to do otherwise, the woman voluntarily follows the law. I honestly am not sure what that means, I simply thought it might tie in well.
In relation to what Dan said, I was really surprised that while Marji was in Iran she wasn't repressed. She did wear the veil but still let some hair out and was wearing clothes she liked. But when she came back from Vienna, she seemed much more obedient. I expected that exposure to Western culture would make her even more rebellious.
In response to Rali, Paul Rabinow's statement, "the comprehension of the self by the detour of the comprehension of the other," can be applied in this situation. Once Satrapi is exposed to Western culture, she is able to more easily understand her own childhood and the events she witnessed and experiened. Never having known anything different, it is difficult for her as a child to follow the rules. Once she is exposed to the "other" side, she can more easily accept her culture for what it is.
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