Changing Values And Interests

At just six years old, Marjane knew what she wanted to be in the future, and that was a prophet. At that age, religion was a value of hers, evident in her conversations with "God." That quickly faded once her uncle, Anoosh, was executed, and she banished "God," her faith left unsteady to say the least.
Fortunately, she had gotten close to her uncle before his death, and looked at him as a hero, with a factor being one of her parents' friend's daughter having a father who was imprisoned just like Anoosh. That hero interest of her's was quick to crumble some time after the war began. During those times though, Marjane found something much more important to cherish: her family.
It was a subtle value of her's, one that seemed unconscious to even her as she interacted more with the people she lived with. That soon became obvious when "a missile has just exploded in the Tavanir neighborhood. Tavanir was where I lived," (Satrapi 138). She immediately rushed home, and when she got to her neighborhood, she "didn't want to look up. I looked at my trembling legs. I couldn't go forward, like in a nightmare," (140). She simply burst end into tears when she saw her mother running at her.
After leaving her country at age 14 to live on her own, thanks to her parents, she discovers another thing that she desires during the nineteen months out of her homeland, which is a boyfriend. Hanging out with people older than she was and the age of puberty soon got to Marjane, and she became interested in getting a guy for herself. First was a man named Enrique, but the two didn't work out I the end once he revealed himself as a homosexual. "After my romantic disappointment with Enrique...I felt even more unlovable and has even less self-confidence," (216). She took interest in two other boys, the first, Jean-Paul, showing none for her, and the second, Markus, stayed as a permanent boyfriend, for now anyways.

From God to Heroes

Marjane Satrapi is the main character in The Complete Persepolis. When Marjane was first shown, she was nine years old. As a child, she was different from the kids her age. Being "born with religion," (Satrapi, 6) she initially wanted to be a prophet, a career choice that was laughed at by her peers and made her teacher set up a parent-teacher conference. During her time at that age, she often had interactions with "God," who comes to her every now and then to have conversations or to provide comfort. Her admiration for religion changed, however, to one for heroes after learning a prison story and finding out about her uncle, Anoosh.


During a get together with Siamak Jari and Mohsen Shakiba who had left prison, Marjane learned of the torture methods employed on them. After a short conversation with Siamak's daughter, who declared her father a hero. With the thought that being imprisoned meant being a hero, Marjane got slightly depressed and angered, saying "my father was not a hero" (54). Fortunately, her father informed her of her uncle, Anoosh, who learned that he was in prison. She thought of him as a hero, and, when he came over to her family's home, she got closer to him and the two developed a close relationship. It came to a close though, unfortunately, when Anoosh was arrested and, soon afterwards, executed. After that action, she banished "God" from her life, shouting at him, "SHUT UP YOU! GET OUT OF MY LIFE!!! I NEVER WANT TO SEE YOU AGAIN," (70)!