Locating reality through visual narratives: Marjane Sartapi’s surfacing in “Persepolis”

The innovative way of telling stories by using visuals with a motive of imparting a message to an audience has influenced several writings. The use of visual narratives turns out to be a profound technique of illustrating stories that has existed and continues to exist event today. From oral narratives to visual ones the art of storytelling has always been efficacious and more absorbing. Impressing upon what, how, where, and in what manner the event took place through graphics is fascinating. There is substantial writing that primarily deals with research on visual stories. One such is Marjane Sartapi’s “Persepolis” told through the eyes of a young girl, and this unique perspective of graphic narration offers distinctive insight into the perseverance to retain one's identity in tumultuous times. Nations and homelands play an important part in one’s identity formation. Associating oneself to national sentiments and signs, individuals feel themselves part of the nation. However, identity becomes problematic for those in diaspora. This research paper intends to look at Majane Sartapi’s “Persepolis” as an attempt of the author to surface through many of her inner-outer conflicts. The paper shall trace her journey of self-approval from Iran to Vienna and finally to France. The trauma and the identity crisis she faces during her childhood in Iran and later in Vienna is an experience which she decides to narrate using animated comic images. The use of visual narrative form has helped her convey the trauma and pain she long carried. Finding a homeland and an identity became challenging.