Persepolis 2: The Story of a Return

Marjane comes from wealth and status in Iran. Her family is able to support her for years abroad and many years back in Iran unemployed. How does the novel represent wealth and class?

Thematically, much of Satrapi’s work is a critical portrayal of religion. In what ways does she compare and contrast fundamentalist Islam in Iran with Catholicism in Austria?

In Persepolis 1, suffering is glorified during various stages of Iranian revolution, and Marjane is proud of her uncle for being incarcerated. In Austria in Persepolis 2, Marjane suffers her own isolation and confinement, and suffering is no longer idealized. How does the novel represent suffering?

Choose a secondary character in the novel. Do they undergo character development? In what way?

Cartoons are a motif in the text. How does Satrapi use this motif, and what does it represent?

How does Marjane’s reliability as a narrator change over the course of the novel?

Sexual expression and liberation are core parts of Marjane’s search for identity. What ideas does the novel express about sexuality?

In what way does the artwork support the narrative? In what ways does the artwork clash with the narrative?