Lyla Lindsey
Marjane Satrapi's graphic novel 'Persepolis' details her life as a child growing up in revolutionary Iran, her school years in Austria, and her eventual return to Tehran. Marjane's parents sent her to Vienna, Austria, to escape the dangers of the ongoing Iran-Iraq War and the oppressive Islamic regime. However, Marjane faced challenges in Austria, including feelings of homesickness, alienation, and drug use. She also experienced racism and discrimination, contributing to her sense of displacement. After a period of homelessness and illness, Marjane returned to Tehran, expecting to feel at home, but instead felt even more out of place. She eventually travelled to France to study art, leaving Iran behind.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Reason for leaving Iran | Iran-Iraq War and repressive fundamentalist Islamic regime |
| Destination | Vienna, Austria |
| Age at relocation | 14 |
| Year of relocation | 1983 or 1984 |
| Housed with | Family friend, Zozo |
| School | Lycée Français de Vienne |
| Housed in | A boarding house run by nuns |
| Housemates | Lucia, an Austrian girl |
| Language barrier | Yes |
| Drug use | Yes |
| Homelessness | Yes |
| Reason for return | Hospitalization for bronchitis |
| Return location | Tehran, Iran |
| Education in Iran | Studied visual communication |
| Degree | Master's degree from Islamic Azad University in Tehran |
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What You'll Learn
- Marjane Satrapi's parents sent her to Vienna, Austria, to escape the Iran-Iraq war
- She felt alienated from her Iranian heritage and her new Austrian surroundings
- She faced racism and discrimination from classmates and others
- She became a heavy drug user and had several boyfriends
- She returned to Tehran, Iran, after the fall of the Shah and the establishment of the Islamic Republic
Marjane Satrapi's parents sent her to Vienna, Austria, to escape the Iran-Iraq war
Marjane Satrapi was born in Rasht, Iran, in 1969, and grew up in Tehran in an upper-middle-class, politically active, and ""westernized"" family. Her parents were supporters of leftist causes against the monarchy of the last Shah. In 1983, at the age of fourteen, Satrapi was sent to Vienna, Austria, to escape the Iran-Iraq War and the repressive fundamentalist Islamic regime. Her parents believed that Tehran had become too dangerous for their teenage daughter.
Satrapi was supposed to stay with the family of her mother's best friend, Zozo. However, it soon became clear that Zozo did not want her in her home. As a result, Satrapi moved into a boarding house run by nuns. She was told that she would have to share a bedroom and that the outside door would be locked at 9:30 pm every night. When asked about her religion, Satrapi replied that she did not have one, which was met with a frown from the nun. Despite these challenges, Satrapi found comfort in the well-stocked supermarkets of Vienna, a stark contrast to the war-torn Iran she had left behind. She also made friends, including Lucia, an Austrian girl who became her roommate despite the language barrier.
Satrapi struggled to find a sense of belonging in Austria, feeling alienated from both her Iranian heritage and her new Austrian surroundings. She faced racism and discrimination from her classmates, who viewed her as an outsider. Satrapi was treated as an outsider and exploited even by those she thought cared for her. She was shocked to discover that her new friends were all sexually active and used drugs. To fit in, she started pretending to smoke joints and eventually became a heavy drug user herself. Satrapi also had several boyfriends in Vienna and had sex with her most serious European boyfriend, Markus. However, when she realized he was cheating on her, she gave up on life.
After a period of homelessness and a bout of bronchitis that left her hospitalized, Satrapi decided to return to Tehran. She had expected to feel at home there, but instead, she felt even more out of place than she had in Vienna. She learned about her parents' experiences during the Iran-Iraq War and felt overwhelmed with guilt. She vowed never to speak about what happened to her in Austria, as it seemed insignificant in comparison. Satrapi's time in Vienna had a profound impact on her sense of self and her understanding of the world. It was during this time that she began to take pride in her Iranian heritage and learned to stand up for her home country.
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She felt alienated from her Iranian heritage and her new Austrian surroundings
Marjane Satrapi, born in 1969 in Rasht, Iran, moved to Vienna, Austria, in 1983 at the age of fourteen. Her parents made the painful decision to send her away due to the ongoing Iran-Iraq War and the repressive fundamentalist Islamic regime in Tehran.
Marjane's time in Austria was marked by a sense of alienation and a struggle to find a sense of belonging. She felt disconnected from both her Iranian heritage and her new Austrian surroundings. Despite her parents' efforts to maintain her cultural roots by sending care packages filled with traditional foods and clothing, Marjane experienced confusion and dislocation. She faced racism and discrimination from her classmates, who viewed her as an outsider. She was called a “dirty foreigner” by an old man in the metro, highlighting the challenges of being an Iranian immigrant in Austria.
In addition to the cultural and social challenges, Marjane also faced personal struggles. She was shocked by the sexual activity and drug use among her peers, and eventually became a heavy drug user herself. She had several boyfriends and a serious relationship with Markus, which ended when she discovered his infidelity. This, coupled with her drug use, led to a period of homelessness and a decline in her schooling.
Marjane's time in Austria caused her to confront her identity as an Iranian. She began to take pride in her heritage and developed a sense of rebellion and non-conformity. However, when she returned to Tehran, she felt even more out of place than before. The Iran she returned to had changed, with strict dress codes, suppressed women's rights, and a violent regime. Marjane's experiences of migration and displacement shaped her sense of self and understanding of the world, highlighting the complexities of identity construction in the context of migration.
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She faced racism and discrimination from classmates and others
Marjane Satrapi, the author of the autobiographical graphic novel "Persepolis", was born in Iran in 1969 and grew up in Tehran. In 1983, at the age of fourteen, she was sent to Vienna, Austria, to continue her studies at the Lycée Français de Vienne.
Marjane faced racism and discrimination from classmates and others during her time in Austria. She felt alienated from both her Iranian heritage and her new Austrian surroundings, struggling to reconcile the two parts of her identity. Her classmates viewed her as an outsider, and she was treated as such even by those she considered friends. An instance of this racism was when an old man on the metro yelled at her, calling her a "dirty foreigner" and telling her to "get out!". This incident was particularly distressing for Marjane, as it was not an isolated event. She had heard similar things being yelled at her on the street, and her boyfriend's mother accused her of taking advantage of her boyfriend Markus to obtain an Austrian passport, calling her a "witch".
Marjane's parents, on the other hand, tried to maintain her connection to her Iranian roots by sending her care packages filled with traditional foods and clothing. However, this only added to her sense of confusion and dislocation as she navigated her way through a changing world and the impact that migration had on her sense of self. The graphic novel portrays Marjane's crisis of searching for her own identity and roots in an unknown land in a light-hearted manner, but these panels weigh more than what meets the eye.
Marjane's experiences of migration and displacement shaped her sense of self and her understanding of the world. She was forced to confront the limitations and possibilities of her identity and to negotiate the tensions and contradictions that arose from her experiences. Ultimately, she returned to Iran after the fall of the Shah and the establishment of the Islamic Republic. However, she found that Iran had changed in ways she did not expect, and she became increasingly critical of the government and its policies.
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She became a heavy drug user and had several boyfriends
Marjane Satrapi, born in 1969 in Rasht, Iran, moved to Vienna, Austria, in 1983 at the age of fourteen. She was sent there by her parents, who believed that the ongoing Iran-Iraq war and the repressive fundamentalist Islamic regime had made Tehran too dangerous for her.
Marjane's time in Vienna was marked by a sense of alienation and homesickness. She felt like an outsider, even among her friends, and struggled to reconcile her Iranian identity with her new Austrian surroundings. She faced racism and discrimination, and her interactions with her classmates revealed a lack of interest in her culture. They were sexually active, and many of them did drugs. Although she initially pretended to smoke joints to fit in, she eventually became a heavy drug user.
Drug use helped Marjane ignore her unhappiness and the fact that she knew her parents wouldn't be proud of her. She had several boyfriends in Vienna, and her relationship with Markus, her last and most serious European boyfriend, ended when she realized he was cheating on her. This led to a period of homelessness and a bout of bronchitis, after which she decided to return to Tehran.
Marjane's time in Austria was challenging, and her drug use and relationships were a significant part of her struggles. She felt a sense of confusion and dislocation, and her schooling suffered due to her drug use and failed relationships. Despite these difficulties, Marjane's experiences in Austria shaped her sense of self and her understanding of the world. She began to take pride in her Iranian heritage and learned to stand up for her home country.
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She returned to Tehran, Iran, after the fall of the Shah and the establishment of the Islamic Republic
Marjane Satrapi was born in Rasht, Iran, in 1969 and grew up in Tehran. Her family was \"westernized\" and upper-middle class. Satrapi's parents were politically active and supported leftist causes against the monarchy of the last Shah. In 1983, at the age of fourteen, she was sent to Vienna, Austria, to study at the Lycée Français de Vienne.
Satrapi's parents made the painful decision to send her abroad due to the ongoing Iran-Iraq War and the repressive fundamentalist Islamic regime, which made Tehran too dangerous for her to remain. However, Satrapi faced challenges in Austria as well. She struggled with feelings of homesickness and alienation from both her Iranian heritage and her new Austrian surroundings. She experienced racism and discrimination from her classmates and even exploitation by those she thought were her friends. She also experimented with drugs and had several boyfriends, including Markus, her most serious European boyfriend.
After a period of homelessness and a bout of bronchitis, Satrapi decided to return to Tehran, Iran, after the fall of the Shah and the establishment of the Islamic Republic. She was excited to be back in her home country but soon realised that Iran had changed significantly during her absence. The strict dress codes, the suppression of women's rights, and the violence of the Iranian regime all contributed to her growing disillusionment. Satrapi felt even more out of place in Tehran than she had in Vienna. She also felt guilty about her experiences in Austria, especially when she learned about the hardships her parents had endured during the Iran-Iraq War.
Despite the challenges she faced in both countries, Satrapi's experiences of migration and displacement shaped her sense of self and her understanding of the world. She learned to stand up for her home country and take pride in her Iranian heritage. After returning to Tehran, she studied visual communication and obtained a master's degree from Islamic Azad University. She then married Reza, a veteran of the Iran-Iraq War, but the couple later divorced. Satrapi eventually moved to France to continue her studies in art.
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Frequently asked questions
Marjane returned home to Tehran from Austria because she was hospitalised after a bout of bronchitis and near-death experience living on the streets.
Marjane's drug use, failed relationship, and subsequent homelessness led to her hospitalisation.
Marjane felt out of place in Tehran and was disillusioned by the strict dress codes, suppression of women's rights, and the violence of the Iranian regime.
Marjane's time in Austria made her proud of her Iranian heritage and identity. She also felt a sense of guilt about her parents' experiences during the Iran-Iraq War.
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