Marji and Marxism?: The Detrimental Effects of Consumerism and Religion in Persepolis Anonymous College

The Complete Persepolis, an autobiographical novel by Marjane Satrapi, tells the tale of Marjane’s childhood in Iran. In this story, Marjane (Marji) is brought up by communistic parents. Evidence of this Marxist upbringing is displayed several times throughout the book, most especially when Marji exclaims that “it was funny to see how much Marx and God looked like each other” (Satrapi 13). The audience can analyze Persepolis through a Marxist lens to see how particular ideas, specifically the ideology of consumerism, oppress Marjane, her family, and Iranian civilians overall. The main principle behind Marxism is that the acquisition of wealth and goods is what motivates all political and social activities. The audience can see how the Iranian regime utilizes this ideology to subjugate the proletariat in Iran, and how the lower class turns to religion for reprieve. By analyzing Marjane’s family specifically, the reader can realize that the Satrapi family is driven and oppressed by this system of obtaining and maintaining economic power. This analyzation of the Satrapis also sheds light on the rest of Iran and how this consumeristic lifestyle and reliance on religion hurts the country’s citizens.

The idea behind Marxism is that...