Complete Persepolis/Season of Madness
The Complete Persepolis/ A Season of Madness These two selections are based on completely different scenarios. One takes place in Iran during its country’s revolution with Marjane, a girl trying to figure out who she is and wants while having to face her countries conflicts that affect her. The other story takes places inside a home were a woman named Fatin feigns madness and is having to do desperate things instead of admitting to an adulterous affair she had.
Although these two stories may seem like they have nothing in common, these two selections have certain particular points that can be compared among each other. The three points that can be compared are about the mother, husband, and protagonist positions. Marji’s mother better known as Mrs. Satrapi or Taji s in The Complete Persepolis is a passionate woman, who is upset with the way things are going in Iran, including the elimination of personal freedoms, and violent attacks on innocent people.
She actively takes part in her local government by attending many protests. Marjane’s mother is very family oriented. She cares very dearly about her daughter Marjane, so much that she is willing to do anything for her happiness. She and Marjane’s father were the ones who decided to send Marjane to Austria. The reason they did this was because they wanted Marjane to be safe and have a better life. The only way she could be safe is to get away from the war that was going on at the time. Majane’s mother only wants her daughter to be happy.
She goes far distances to do so, like going and visiting Marjane in Austria and helping Marjane with her and her husband Reza’s wedding even though she did not agree with it and that shows again that she is willing to do anything for her daughter as long as she’s happy. In A Season of Madness, the mother –in – law shows no compassion. The mother-in-law is a commonly disliked figure in Arab culture, especially when she is the matriarch of the larger family. It seems as if Fatin is being controlled be this older woman that shows to have no interest towards her.
At the end of the story when Fatin confesses to her unfaithfulness the mother-in law reacts with a very unlikeable personality with an attitude of her just wanting Fatin out their lives. Then his mother was clasping my hand, twisting her mouth into a grimace of pity and murmuring, “She’s crazy, poor thing. Nothing can be done for her. ” (745) Marjane’s husband Reza served in the Iran army. Reza used to be a womanizer but when he met Marjane that all changed. He was into art just like Marjane, and took it very seriously.
He shared love for life like Marjane and he also didn’t take the Iran government too seriously. Him and Marjane dated for a while and ended up getting married but they both changed which lead to fighting which ultimately lead to a divorce. Reza is important because he helped Marjane chase her dream of getting into the career path of art by applying to University of Tehran with her. So overall, Reza was a good husband to her that helped her along the way of finding herself. Fatin’s husband is very compassionate and loving and vows to stay with her no matter what. Poor thing, she’s so young. I swear to god, I’ll take her anywhere in the world to find a cure for her” (745) Fatin’s husband although at a point makes her seem as though she was invisible and almost as childlike only showing that his feelings are sufficient. It seems as if he was being selfish by ignoring all the things she did to get a divorce and still wanting her there with him no matter what. Influenced by her liberal parents, Marji is outspoken, aware of her environment and spends more time reading books than playing with toys. A believer in God and Marxism, and rebellious at times.
Marji is a strong girl, who follows in her parents footsteps. Even though Marji ‘s view of the world changes as she grows, from a small little girl to a full grown woman, her feelings on life remain the same and has always been a fighter. She had many experiences throughout her life; she was the new kid at school, had to make new friends, got into the wrong crowd, smoked cigarettes, smoked weed, had boyfriends, and many other things. Marjane strongly believed in fighting for what you believe in. Sometimes her actions seemed rebellious, and they got her into trouble, but this didn’t change her feelings or ambitions.
Fatin’s greatest desire is to discover her “real self” through creativity and independence, and to find her individual place in society. Fatin is suffering by being in a relationship with a man that she does not love. Fatin’s discovery of painting as an outlet is shown when she says “I stumbled along in my madness, never meeting my real self except when my eyes fell on the watercolors, which the strange light in this African country had inspired me to paint: it was a light that broke the hold of the sun’s burning rays for a short time at daybreak and dusk.
I often wondered if I should tear these paintings down from the walls, in case they were what made my husband keep hoping that the old Fatin would return. ” (Al-Shaykh 742) Fatin hides her pain and confusion through her paintings because she feels her marriage, children, house and sex is not fulfilling. She turns herself into a really disgusting human by doing things such as not brushing her mouth or not wearing protection during her period. She remains invisible, unrecognized, and a woman without a voice.
The protagonists in these two stories seek freedom of expression and look for a voice in their own particular way. They refused to be helpless, unhappy, and an act of their own initiative to reject the role patriarchy has reserved for them. Work Cited The Longman anthology of world literature/David Damrosch, David L. Pike, general editors. – 2nd ed. Satrapi, Marjane. The Complete Persepolis. New York: Pantheon, 2004. Print. www. kirjasto. sci. fi/shaykh. htm www. laits. utexas. edu/doherty/africanwomen. html
