Persepolis
Effects of Violence on Marji Although violence is intended to harm someone, there can be positive effects in certain situations. In Marjane Satrapi’s personal memoir, Persepolis, it is shown that Marji is exposed to a large amount of violence in her life, and in turn, it has affected her in many ways. The negative effect on her life include the emotional scarring that entails deaths from violence and also her increased violent tendencies. A positive effect of violence on Marji's adolescence is that she becomes more mature and is able to stand up for herself. Marji’s exposure to the difficult times around her define who she is as an individual, how she behaves, and how she matures. As a child is growing up, the people around them affect them greatly, and the violence around Marji and her life is emotionally scarring to her. Her Uncle Anoosh was executed for being a Russian spy, and she cared for him greatly. After she receives the news, she is visited by her image of God, and during this brief appearance she shouts at him, saying, "Shut up, you! Get out of my life!!! I never want to see you again!" (Satrapi 70). This quote is quite strong for Marji; it is shouted in a violent manner that is fairly unusual for her. She is very torn up about the situation that is at hand, which in itself is aggressive, and she is trying to cope. Usually this God is a comforting friend, a figment of her imagination that she created to try to understand the world around her. In this case, she feels that it is his fault that her uncle was executed. She tells him to leave because she doesn't trust him, especially since she is in a unstable, mourning condition. In the image Marji is standing on her bed, pointing to guide God to leave her. God looks sad or disappointed, but almost like he expected it, and is accepting of his banishment, which could translate to him feeling guilty about the situation. The blackened background gives the impression that the main idea is her and God and