"A Black Cloud Covering the Country"; Darkness in Persepolis

I feel that a theme of Darkness plays a huge role in the story of Persepolis.

The quote that I have used in my title can be found on page 78 when Satrapi's family tries to interpret the news of Iran that they have seen in Spain. Because the news is presented in a different language than their own, they can not understand what happened in their country. As they return, however, they find that their country has been invaded for the second time in 1,400 years.

Though the darkness in this scene literally represented the invasion in Iran, I feel that it can be a symbol that shows a much greater meaning and is often repeated throughout the story. In this case, the "dark cloud" can foreshadow a lot more oppression and war in the future. Because this was the first invasion, there was a huge loss of hope for Marji, as well as for the citizens of Iran. Darkness also plays a huge roll in the illustrations in Persepolis. On page 71, Marji is portrayed as a single person floating in space; a small child plopped in a page of black. In this image, the reader can understand that Marji is feeling alone, hopeless, and confused with her faith in G-d and humanity. The darkness of the image can be seen as a representation for a loss of hope, as to say she is "in the dark" with how she feels.

Another example of a dark visual image can be found on page 103 to 104 when the Satrapi famiy and friends take shelter in the basement from the bombs. Because the basement is shown as pitch black, we can understand the fear and confusion that the characters felt while hiding. Then again, when all of the guests are allowed to leave the basement, they are still portrayed as in the dark because they are unsure of who was hurt by the bombings and what the implications of it were. The darkness can also be a huge symbol in the story, as all of the women's veils are black. Though the vail already takes the form of oppression and conformity, the intensity of it's darkness also plays a role it's ability to shield hope. In the perspective of Marji, it seems that as soon as the women of Iran are forced to wear the veils, the revolution begins. Therefore the darkness in the veil can also foreshadow the loss of liberty and innocent lives that came along with the revolution.

Darkness and a "Black Cloud" are therefore two major symbols that are portrayed visually and metaphorically throughout the story of Persepolis.