Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi really showcases the innocence and purity of a girl growing up in a strictly Islamic country. What I really loved about this story is how it’s told through a 10-year-old, trying to understand her country and her religion. Like in the comic Maus, a story told through the one who has lived through it all really helps one understand the true struggle and conflict that happened in the past. What really stuck out to me is how bittersweet Marji’s attempts at understanding are, though. Her parents talk about how they go out in the street every day, risking their lives to protest, and she tries to join in and say things that shows she knows about all this adult business going on with her family. While it’s cute that she yearns to help and be with her family, I feel it’s sad that she’s like this in the first place. I just personally think it’s a little depressing when an innocent child experiences tragedy and danger in the place where they live, in comparison to a child living in a free and safe country. Marji, in this comic, pretty much becomes a representation of many children living in Iran at the time.
I have mixed feelings about the use of stereotype in media. The biggest concern I have about it is really how far they take the stereotype. Heavily stereotypical characters can be offensive, but sometimes writers can't help it, especially if their stereotypes are necessary to the story. Sometimes stereotyping could help establish a character's background, culture, or ethnicity. Personally, being half Filipino, I don't ever see much representation of my race. I have heard a few subtle jokes on their stereotypes, but I honestly thought they were funny because, well, they were kind of true.
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