Universal Truths from Individual Experiences
Prompt: What is unique about the points of view in this novel and what is universal? How does the novel capture a unique time and place while also revealing universal truths?
In the novel Persepolis, the author captures the distinctive reality of war and social class while also communicating the universal truth: we all experience loss.
The author reveals Marji’s Maid, Mrs. Nasrine’s unique experience by showing her devastation directed at the extreme tactics targeting teenagers of a lower social class used for recruitment during the war against Iraq. This captures the unique time and place of the novel by showing the recruitment process for children such as Mrs. Nasrine’s son who are from a lower social class during the war against Iraq.
Mrs. Nasrine is first introduced when Marji’s mother notices that she is out of sorts. We learn that plastic keys are being distributed as a promotion to join the war. Mrs. Nasrine explains “ They gave this to my son at school. They told the boys that if they went to war and were lucky enough to die, this key would get them into heaven”(99). This heavily affects Mrs. Nasrine as follows by saying “I’ve suffered so much. I raised my five kids with the water of my tears, now they want to trade this key for my oldest son…”(99). Marji is curious about the keys so she calls her relative Peyman, Marji brings up the Keys but Peyman has no idea saying “keys to what”(100). Peyman is most likely in a higher social class than Mrs. Nasrine’s son. This can be seen as he is inviting Marji to his party.
This context reveals Mrs. Nasrine’s unique experience by her reaction to the keys and for the safety of her son. This unique point of view is influenced by the time period because the plastic keys were invented to recruit teenagers from a lower social class to join the war. Overall, this moment captures the extreme measures used by Irans’s government to fuel their military.
Additionally to Mrs. Nasrine, the Iranian soldier’s unique experience is revealed when the soldiers discuss the arrival of young teenagers to fight on the front line. They clearly express their disdain as throughout their conversation one of the soldiers says “They come from the poor areas, you can tell… First, they convince them that the afterlife is even better than Disneyland, then they put them in a trance with all their songs…” (101). Continuing with their conversation they reveal more details as to what happens to young teenagers. Stating “ The key to paradise was for poor people. Thousands of young kids, promised a better life, exploded on the minefields with their keys around their necks”(102).
This moment reveals the Iranian soldier’s unique point to view by their response to seeing buses full of kids dropped off to fight in the war. The moment captures the negative feedback from soldiers as they witness kids go into battle that will never return.
Overall, the author reveals Marji’s Maid, Mrs. Nasrine’s unique experience by showing her devastation directed at the extreme tactics that target teenagers of a lower social class used for recruitment during the war against Iraq. This captures the time and place of the novel by showing the recruitment process for children such as Mrs. Nasrine’s son who are from a lower social class during the war against Iraq.
The author provides insight into a unique time and place by sharing her story while also connecting her audience through a universal truth: we all experience loss. The author shares her experiences and loss through her novel which reflects her unique time and place while also unifying readers by the connection of loss to everyone.
Marji is confronted with a lot of loss in her childhood years mainly as a reflection on the Islamic/Iranian Revolution and War. An example is her uncle Anoosh a communist recently released from jail who will not experience much freedom as the new government hunts him down and executes him as a “Russian Spy”. After hearing of Anoosh’s death Marji is devastated saying “and so I was lost, without any bearings… what could be worse than that?”(71).
Marji says those things after rejecting the beliefs she once knew after experiencing betrayal where she once felt comfort. This ties into the universal truth of loss as Anoosh was close to Marji before he passed.
In addition to Anoosh evidence of loss is when a missile explodes in her neighborhood so when Marji goes to investigate she is horrified to learn her neighbors the Baba-Levy’s were home during the attack. To make matters worse Marji spots her classmate Neda’s bracelet still attached to her body. Marji’s words were “no scream in the world could have relieved my suffering and my anger”(142).
Marji knew Neda and her neighbors so going home and finding that their house was destroyed with them in it was a sick sight that created bleak emotions because that was her classmate who she knew and lived beside was gone.
Loss is unique to time and place as seen with Marji and her story however it is universal throughout people as everyone experiences the effects of loss.