A Thousand Words

          The path of "the hero's journey" and the path of a coming-of-age story are often heavily related and intertwined.  In some ways, it could be said that all coming-of-ages are, in and of themselves, hero's journeys, although the reverse is likely not true.  I would say that Persepolis absolutely falls under both categories.  The protagonist is literally coming of age in it, and she is meanwhile dealing with a world that is heavily fraught with peril where formerly it was not.
          However, there is one stark difference between Persepolis and every other book we have read and will read this semester.  It is, of course, a graphic novel.  So the questions must be asked: why did Satrapi choose this format, how does this format serve the story, and how does it differ from a standard, text-only format?
          I will begin with probably the easiest question to answer: how is it different?  The answer seems pretty obvious - rather than relying on words to convey an image to us, it conveys the image directly through simple black and white drawings.  But more than that, and tying into the other two questions, this format both eliminates the need for lengthy exposition and explanation and more quickly evokes emotions from readers.  Rather than having to explain what a veil looks like, and the difference between fundamentalist and modern men and women, Satrapi simply shows us.  Rather than explaining the emotions and perils in the book, Satrapi expertly uses the expression afforded by her simple art style to convey fear, sadness, and happiness, among many other emotions.
          From the above, the answer to the second question is likely rather clear already.  Graphic storytelling allows Satrapi to condense the novel, letting her better convey emotions, which I feel is the main driver of her book.  The art style and lack of heavy narration is far more fitting to a child's point of view on the world.
          As to why Satrapi chose to write her life story as a graphic novel, I think it is mostly because it is told from the point of view of a child, and that format fits that perspective a little better.  Where a text format would have to explain things that a child would not be able to understand, we can simply see the situation and understand what is really happening while simultaneously seeing that Marji does not understand.  Where a picture is worth a thousand words, pages of pictures are worth more than a novel of words.