Persepolis is a graphic novel created for the sole purpose of making people aware of the fact that the lives of Iranian people are not as miserable as they would think and there is happiness in every little things in their lives.
Q. In an Associated Press interview, Satrapi said, “The only thing I hope is that people will read my book and see that this abstract thing, this Axis of Evil, is made up of individuals with lives and hopes.” And in her introduction to Persepolis, she explains that she wrote this book to show that Iran is not only a country of “fundamentalism, fanaticism, and terrorism.” How does Satrapi go about challenging this myth? How does Persepolis dispel or confirm your views on Iran?
A. As Satrapi said in the interview, Persepolis is a graphic novel created for the sole purpose of making people aware of the fact that the lives of Iranian people are not as miserable as they would think and there is happiness in every little things in their lives. Normally, when talking about Iran and Iranians, one would think that their lives are very miserable, sad and full of terror, full of fundamentalism and fanaticism. While it is true that there is a lot of misery and sadness in their lives, this is not the entire story. There is a lot more than all these and they also have moments of their laughter and happiness. They are still human beings who laugh at the same jokes as others and find joy in little things in life. The book solely intends to show the other side of Iran that many people do not know about. The side of happiness. So Persepolis is a book that aims to eradicate this misinterpretation of the lives of the Iranian and to show that they are just the same as any other human being in any part of the world.