Do you believe in God? There are a lot of people in the world have faith in God. They believe God is the master of our whole world and they honor him. However, in Persepolis, written by Marjane Satrapi, the main character Marjane shows us the perspective of God in a little girl's mind. The book told stories from the author's childhood in Iran by using many pictures and drawings to express her thoughts. By acting like her conscience in Persepolis, God supports Marjane, comforts her, and makes her learn to judge the wrong and right things in her life.
God is a very kind and peaceful figure in the book. God is very tolerant. When Marjane shouted at him about her uncle Anoosh's death, God wasn't mad at Marjane. Marjane is actually struggling with herself. She is mad at that she cannot do anything to help Uncle Anoosh to get out of the prison. She is indeed upset but could do nothing. He always gives Marjane supports whenever she needs. For example, he supports Marjane's dream. The picture shows that God holds Marjane like holding a baby and says: "Yes you are celestial light, you are my choice, my last and my best choice." (Satrapi 8) In fact, Marjane definitely cannot talk to God like that. God is created by her own imagination. It is the voice from her inside world. The talking with God every night is actually the communication between the girl people see and the real person she is. She needs to be the person she doesn't truly want in the day, but she can be herself when she talks with God at night. God in her mind gives her strength to continue doing what she truly want. She will not be controlled or changed by anyone. God gives her a strong support to her dream and every decision she makes.
God comforts Marjane to make her feel better when Marjane is confused by things happened in her society. He gives her a shoulder which Marjane can rely on. He gives her a harbour where Marjane can feel safe and does not need to be nervous about anything that happens in her society or life. For instance, when she hears about people who are put into the jail are tortured and die from it, she starts imagining the scenes in her head and tries to play games about it. However, she is overwhelmed. She is scared and doesn't know what justice is when she cries to her mother. She said: "The only place I felt safe was in the arms of my friend." (Satrapi 53) God can give her relief. She doesn't need to pretend or worry about anything. When she is sacred, confused or even gets lost, she goes to find God. God will clear up all these unpleasant things. In God's arms, she totally relaxes herself from the environment around her and feels safe.
God is the person who Marjane turns to when she meets problems in her life. She is only a child. She gets confused easily by all kinds of phenomenon that appear in her life. Instead of asking anyone else, she asks God to find the answer that she can accept to eliminate her confusion. That is her voice from her inside world. The God inside her always can teach her to Judge whether the thing is right or wrong. When her teacher asks her what she wants to be when she grows up, she says she wants to be a prophet. Her teacher finds her parents to tell Marjane's abnormal dream, her parents say they do not worry about it. Although they seem support Marjane's dream, they still worry about Marjane's specialness. They ask Marjane what she wants to be in the future. Instead of saying that she wants to be a prophet, she says she wants to be a doctor. Her parents get relief. However, Marjane feels guilty toward God, because this is not what she truly wants. She wants her parents to not worry about her so she pretends she wants to be a prophet. She cheats herself. At night, God questions her about her dream, she finally confirms her dream and promises that she will let no one know about her dream. God makes her know clearly what she truly desires.
For Marjane, God is her friend, her family, her teacher, and a real her. Because he questions her and supports her, Marjane is inspired to be always true and honest to herself. God is a very important figure in Persepolis who supports Marjane, makes her feel comfortable and helps her make the right decision by acting as her conscience. God will accompany Marjane throughout her whole life and reminds her real desires.
Work Cited
Satrapi, Marjane. Persepolis: The Story of A Childhood. New York, NY: Pantheon Books, 2003.
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