Persepolis 2: The Story of a Return

Marjane “Mari” Satrapi is the author of graphic memoirs Persepolis 1 and Persepolis 2, and as such is the protagonist and hero of the story. She leaves the majority of characters static or ill-defined with the exception of what Marjane gleans from them. While this serves to enhance what readers see and know of Marjane, it makes her an unreliable narrator in an isolated world and emphasizes her stage of development as a young woman who is intensely self-centered and internally focused.

Marjane is a selfish protagonist who rarely suffers any consequences for her actions. She is fully rounded throughout the series, culminating in An Identity in Conflict Between Two Worlds. Because she focuses so intently on her identity, Satrapi portrays one fully developed character and a supporting cast of static characters who exist in the story only to propel Marjane through her narrative arc.

Marjane has moments of heroism inter-spliced with revealing, humiliating, and immoral moments. She is as brutally blunt and honest about the regime in Iran as she is with the retelling of her life. As a complicated person in search of identity, Satrapi portrays her younger self as multi-faceted and difficult to classify.