Persepolis

Throughout the film, “Persepolis”  Marjane experiences many internal and external struggles. Visual cartooning illustrates and amplifies these struggles through simplification. As the scene is simplified to the viewer visually, they can see the concepts and emotions; instead of characters and events.

To begin with,  the first example of a struggle Majane experiences is an external one. The immediate conflict that Marjane experiences are when she is kicked out of the catholic convent. Immediately when she is kicked out there is a dramatic shift in the style of animation and character design. In an almost theater-like puppet style, the background goes through a series of moves just as Marjane does with her living situations. The scene is simplified to basic components such as a building floating in space and a circle for the street. As the specific details are eliminated the meaning of the scene is exemplified. Marjane has a sense of hopelessness and confusion that the audience feels as she jumps across houses and into new situations. It isn’t until she finally ends up at the home of Frau Doktor Schloss does the animation style return to normal. 

Continuing, from her move into the home of Frau Doktor Schloss, Marjane then experiences an internal struggle that comes in the form of her trying to fit in. Visual cartooning is used in the scene of Marjane with her friends talking about the newest elected official to illustrate the characters as concepts instead of actual people. One of her friends represents the rebellion against western ideas. He is drawn with stereotypical features of punk like a mohawk and many piercings. This cartooning simplifies his character and shows the nature of the people that she hangs out around. When he speaks he also reveals the rebellion when he rejects western philosophy and holidays. His remarks cause Marjane internal conflict because she doesn't agree and so desperately wanted to get away from that behavior in her own country. Marjane explodes at his remarks on absurdity and remembers her family. The audience feels the disillusionment that Marjane experiences struggling to find her place not only in the “western society” but also in her friend group.