Gender Inequality In Persepolis By Marjane Satrapi

In society today, it is often evident that not all aspects of life have adapted to gender equality. Although people continuously try to promote and advocate towards gender equality, certain groups in society still operate with men and women placed on different pedestals. In the graphic novel Persepolis, the author Marjane Satrapi respectively suggests that men and women contrast each other in times of imminent danger and violence. Through Marjane and her friends being sheltered from the Iranian revolution and the men being constantly encouraged to fight in the war, we can see the contrast between the men and womens emotional and mental response to the violence beginning to form.

Marjane Satrapi (nicknamed Marji by her friends and family),

They shoot people! - You can participate later on” (17). Through this her parents have implied that she was not allowed to attend the demonstration because they believed that it was not a place for a young girl. Although, it should be noted that Marji was not the only girl to be sheltered from the truth of the violence that has been taking place in their country. A friend of Marji, by the name of Laly, had not seen or heard any news of her father in ten months (48). When Laly is asked about the where about’s of her father, she quickly states that he is simply “On a trip”(48). Yet in reality far away from Laly’s sheltered world, her father had been imprisoned by the government for writing a subversive article in the Keyahan (a local Iranian news paper). The truth behind the whereabouts of her father was never revealed to Laly until his return from prison. Laly was not told the truth about her father because her family was trying to shelter her from the reality of the cruel violence and wrongful prosecutions which were taking place in there country. Marji and Laly eventually come

Women and men are evidently treated differently as people when around violence, however their behaviours and emotions towards violence contrast each other as well. When the subject of the violence of the revolution is brought up around Marji she becomes very sentimental and patriotic as a character. After the first bombing near her home Marji remarks to her father “Dad! Do you remember what you learned during your military service? Are you going to war? Are you going to fight? ”(81) When the violence erupted Marji was worried about her father’s well being, making sure that he would not have to fight if the violence continued to escalate. Marji, like many other women, when violence first struck did not react with more violence. Although their emotions were running high they kept their composure with all the terrifying events surrounding them and did not fight the violence with more violence. Marji’s mother echoes this idea, that women are more caring and forgiving in times of violence while speaking with Marji: “…it is not for you and me to do justice. I’d even say we have to learn to forgive”(46). This quote reveals that Marji’s mother believes that there should be no more violence and that the last thing we need to do is to create more violence to stop the violence. The idea of creating peace without violence portrayed through Marji and her