Counting Sheep

Persepolis is, as its subtitle states, the story of a childhood and told through a graphic novel which makes it have a much stronger impact than words alone could have had.  This story brought forth a range of emotions from joy to sorrow and at times I found myself laughing out loud, even though I was alone in my room.  Although the images are simple and in black and white, they hold surprising detail and it allows the story to come alive in your mind much more easily.  The section of the book that I found most impactful was the Sheep chapter, where Satrap learns that her friends are moving away and when people start being executed, culminating in the death of Anoosh.  Anoosh tells a story of how people id amongst a flock of sheep to survive and this line struck me as having another meaning as well.  The people that are killed in this revolution are lost among the sheep, another number, a statistic.  Satrap does not want to forget and although not stated, I imagine she sees them, the people she has lost, in her dreams acting as her sheep, allowing her to sleep and think about why the fight is so important, to remember that these people had hopes and dreams like she did. When her father tells her about Anoosh’s departure she already knows in her heart that something bad has happened.  That alone struck me as she is still a young girl, only 12, and she has lived in such a trying and difficult time and place that she understands the cruel truth of the world.  Someone cannot have been simply in a rush, or left without saying goodbye, she has seen too much and her childhood innocence has been lost.  From this point on in the book she takes a larger role in protests and she wants to have a revolution, wants to change the country that took Anoosh from her.  The final frame of the chapter on page 71 was my favorite of the book.  Satrap lies on her back, surrounded by blackness and stars, showing her state of mind, how lost and confused she is.  From this point where can she go? Her plans are in shambles and she is trying to cope with one disaster when another one strikes.  They are being bombed, another potential life changer to add to the chaos that has become her young life.  The strength of her character by the end is clear as she has had to deal with more in 2 years that many of us had have to deal with in our entire lives, loved ones torn away, having to live in fear of your own neighbors, and leaving your parents when they should be taking you to your first high school dance.  Persepolis is indeed the story of a childhood, but not one we can imagine, and that is where its beauty lies.