The Construct of Innocence and its Credibility in Society

Persepolis is appropriately subtitled: The Story of a Childhood because the central component of the work is the relationship Marjane's age has to the horrific events unfolding around her. While Marjane deals with heavy concepts as a child (playing as famous Communist revolutionaries (10), discovering the absence of God (17), learning about and respecting those subject to torture (51), etc.), a claim for the "loss of her innocence" could have happened at any moment in the work. Yet, it is not until she smokes her first cigarette and blatantly says, "With this first cigarette, I kissed my childhood goodbye." (117) Marjane accepts it. Though, the moment does not simply mark the end of the childhood; it instead denounces the credibility of childhood to begin with. Readers immediately recognise the lack of a "true childhood" Marjane had within the first ten pages of the novel and it takes Marjane to realise this at age twelve. In essence, this proves the arbitrary element of innocence in general. Innocence is a mere idea that is relational to a myriad of people and circumstances; therefore it technically does not have any real value in society. To assert the importance of innocence in children is to directly undermine their capabilities. We are all humans; we are all people of the earth that experience tragedy and pain. To differentiate pain based on how early or late it comes is to demean the human experience and disrespect the weight of pain itself.