Take Your Golden Idols and Corrupt Ideals (A.K.A Do You Believe in a False God or False Ideals?)

In Persopolis the question of the validity of religion is raised. Throughout the novel the main character, Marjane, comes to question religion in both questioning God and questioning the ideas themselves. As a child Marjane wants to become a prophet but as she grows and sees what is happening in the world her want for this diminishes continually until she no longer fully believes in the God she had once wanted to be a messenger for. One specific place in the text that shows her questioning of God is the chapter "The Bicycle" because in this her relationship with God becomes strained and eventually, on page 16, God leaves through her door and after this point he does not reappear. The image of God physically walking out of Marjane's room is symbolic of God leaving her life. Although she continues to adhere to certain religious believes she only does so when it is needed of her, when her societal status and her safety relies on it. Another example is where the images of a "tradition woman" and a "modern woman" are showed side by side (Satrapi 75). This shows the questioning of ideals because the "modern woman" that Marjane dresses like is opposing the Islamic ideal of being completely covered and being a modest woman. Although this is a small form of protest it is still protesting the ideals and this bring their validity into question. The very fact that some disagree and are willing to protest such a large and powerful group of people shows that there is disagreement on the topic and that although it is valid to some this ideal is not valid to all. A final thing in the graphic novel that questions the religious ideals is the very structure of the novel. The novel being a graphic novel in itself goes against Islamic ideology. The pictures are frowned upon by the Islamists and in using something they are opposed to it does protest their ideology.  The structure also conveys a truth that is against the Islamic culture so it does question the ideas through opposition. Throughout the novel the religion is constantly questioned and this presents the theme of validity of a single religion to a diverse group of people.