The restrictions set on the illustrations by them being black and white also opens the door for a whole new world of creativity that Satrapi takes advantage of frame after frame. The lack of color availability requires the illustrator to come up with new and creative ways of visually showing ideas that would otherwise be easy to convey with the use of color. This is demonstrated frequently by the almost cartoonish exaggeration of facial expressions and occasional warping of reality in terms of the size or scale of some things. These cartoonish moments also reflect the childlike sense of imagination that Satrapi clearly has about some events of her younger life. She draws the events in the graphic novel as she sees them in her mind's eye, even if that means exaggerating certain aspects to adjust for how she remembers occurrences from her childhood.
The black and white illustrations also serve to set the perspective for the reader. Characters clearly seen as benevolent (God, Anoosh, Grandmother) are typically drawn with more white than black as a way to lend them a certain warmness. Compare to that to say the guards of the theocratic regime with their black uniforms, black beards and black guns, and it's clear how the contrast is meant to separate good from evil. That along with the aforementioned exaggerations in character make the good character seem more good and the evil characters seem even more dark.
Portraying her life in black and white may also be Satrapi's way of commenting on how the western world views her home. Iran is in a lot of ways seen as very black and white: they're extremists, they hate a lot of different peoples, and they may even by downright evil. These stereotypes drive how the US and others look at Iran and Satrapi seems to recognize. I think that by recreating her life in black and white and giving all of these black and white characters such depth and feeling and humanity, Satrapi is combating the stereotypes by attacking them head on.
I really like the observations you made in your blog post. I hadn't really considered the underlying reasons on why Satrapi deliberately had her images in black and white. I particularly like the correlation you made involving the good characters being drawn in white colored clothing, while the people she disliked were often drawn in black clothes. The image you chose definitely drives your point across, since those women who are examining Satrapi look like evil, black snakes. The other point you made about outsiders perceiving Iranians, and the Islamic Revolution only in black and white without a true understanding of their unique history was also very informative as well.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your observations and I remember marking certain pages while reading because a certain image captured my attention. The way she illustrated the death of large groups, such as the people who were burned in the theater or fleeing the bombing are some of my favorite in the book as they are such easy and simple drawings that portray terrible events and the suffering of many.
ReplyDeleteI absolutely agree with your observations. The coloring scheme in this graphic novel adds a lot to the overall plot. I think if the book's graphics were in color it would actually be too much and add a feeling of warmth to a story line that is not very welcoming. In a story of tragedy, black and white serves it very well.
ReplyDeleteI find your post extrememly interesting! I had not fully explored the voice of the graphic's black and white nature. I also found it interesting how in Marjane's interview she says the fact that the novel is graphic is so important and crucial to its relatability and transcendence through different cultures.
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