Myself in Persepolis

When I first started to read Persepolis, I directly knew that this is the book that I will enjoy reading, because this book was related to the culture and myself. To the European or American, foreign culture must be unfamiliar. When I first came to America to study, I was in the international school before I came to the Albertus Magnus High School. In there, I realized that they totally had no idea about the Korean culture. They were even confused me as Japanese or Chinese. Even though people could see the cultural differences, because a lot of international students started to come to America or Europe to study recently, however, at the time Marjane went to Austria, there were not a lot of international students.

It must be hard to Marjane to fit in European culture at the young age. When she first left to the Austria, I totally could understand what Marjane felt. Marjane said, “Now I had a real independent adult life. I was going to feed myself, do my own laundry” (Satrapi 159). This is the exact feeling that I felt when I first came to America. Without mom, I believed my life will be free and I am an independent adult. However, it was not what I imagined. Even though I was with my brother, I felt lonely without my parents. My guardian was not my mother, and she never took care of me as my mother does. Probably if I was not with my brothers, it must be hard to live in foreign country without mom.

Because I knew how hard it is, I could understand Marjane when she spent few months on the street. It is important to have someone to trust and lean on as sibling or parents. Probably, Marcus was only one to trust as a sibling or parents in her life in Austria. As soon as Marjane lost him, it should be end of the world to her. With no one, in the foreign country, it is cruel to fight all difficulties alone. Marjane needed someone to be with her. This could be the reason why Marjane kept looking for love before she met the Marcus.

To be independent and to be free, it is important to experience the life without parents. However, I and Marjane experienced it too quickly. I could see myself in this book. No one can blame Marjane being immature in Austria. People should experience how it feels. It is sorrow, cruel and lonely to be alone in foreign country.