Persepolis

One might only image the misfortune of growing up in a country during a time of political and cultural dissonances a war creates. This conflict not only affects government issues, it also affects life at home for many. Marjane Satrapi’s movie, Persepolis, portrays firsthand the broken relationship a war causes between a family and their political and cultural conditions. Social statuses in Iran are erased as the movie progresses and the people in Teheran find their worlds flipped upside down. As the invisible lines once separating the social classes vanish, the people of Terhan find themselves coming together in an attempt to fix the nightmare in which they are living.   Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis exemplifies a unique relationship between her family and the politics and culture in which they live with.
Marjane’s parents are strong advocates for working class equality and liberation which conflicts with the position that they hold and seek in society. As a fortunate middle class family, the Satrapi’s own a car, live in a nice apartment, and even employ a maid. The family’s maid began working for them at the age of eight and is not allowed to sit at the table with the Satrapi’s during meals. This seems to be inconsistent with their view on equality and liberation.   As time progresses the Satrapi’s find themselves in an unfamiliar position, a position in which it does not matter what occupation one holds.
During the time period of this movie, the lines between social classes become nonexistent. The Satrapi’s once a well off middle class family began talking about the possibility of having to take inferior jobs compared to occupations they were working. In a conversation between Marjane’s father and mother the possibility of them having to become a maid and a taxi driver is brought up. On the other end of the spectrum, people who held inferior jobs found themselves climbing the ladder to higher status jobs. Taher’s old window-cleaner, a man that had been in an...