Pictures in Persepolis

One picture which stuck out to me, is on page 44 of the book. Marjane and her parents are talking to some of their neighbors. The husband says, "Look! a bullet almost hit my wife's cheek. Liberty is priceless." Marjane's mother says, "Oh!" Marjane is in the middle of the two couples, staring up at them. The reason why this picture struck me is probably psychological. To read the description of a smile is different from actually seeing a smile. And it really bothered me that both neighbors were smiling. Marjane and her parents were frowning, but the neighbors were smiling; meanwhile, the husband is happily pointing at a scar on his wife's cheek.



This is book is filled with a lot of sensitive issues, because it is about a country with politics so deeply intertwined with religion. It definitely makes me more curious to know what the Qu'ran actually says and just differences in how it is interpreted. The phrase "liberty is priceless" is usually so positive, but if it is found alongside a picture of a husband pointing to a scar on his wife...I dunno. And considering the context, found within a country that seems to be very sexist, it is certainly not something to smile about. In an American context the phrase, "liberty is priceless" might come up, but it is usually after a patriot has died for their country in order to honor them. Americans tend to value life, and it would be considered taboo for someone to go around lying about a loved one being grazed by a bullet in the name of freedom.



Another picture which really struck me was on page 142. It reads, "I saw a turquoise bracelet. It was Neda's. Her aunt had given it to her for her fourteenth birthday..." The picture depicts Marjane's mom pulling her away from a pile of rubble. Her mom is looking worriedly at her while she stares down at a bracelet amidst the rubble. Her eyes are a little big. To me, this is a heart-wrenching picture. The way that the author leaves a lot implied by the words forces the reader to depend on the pictures. The author never actually shows Neda. I was definitely left with a hollow feeling; I completely understand the picture of complete blackness four pictures later.

The very last picture in the novel also left me with a deeply sad feeling. Marjane has her hands and face pressed against a floor-to-ceiling window at the airport. She watches her father walking away carrying her mother. People outside are staring at them, while inside the airport life moves along; one can see the silhouette of a large line of people behind Marjane. Her father looks half-silhouette himself. Her mother is obviously dressed in black, but her face is white with large eye slits. She almosts looks dead, as though she has died of heartache. I assume she just is just passed out or collapsed out of sorrow. I think the feeling of movement in this picture is very significant. Interestingly enough, the author does not even need to show a plane flying off in the distance, just passers-by. One would actually think that after all the Iranians have been through at this point, to see a lone woman collapse is not such a spectacle. But maybe the author is trying to depict a sense of humanity that remains within the people despite all they have been through. Or maybe just curiosity and confusion from being constantly aware they could be attacked any moment.