Postmodernists’ thinkers in Persepolis 2 - Part 2 (Discussion) - Truth is Relative

DISCUSSION

            This section will try to examine those three characteristics (Truths is relative, Each religion is legitimate, and Equality) using the writer’s postmodernist perspective with specific examples, so the readers could understand and questions more about the Persepolis’ story or the discussion in this section.

            Truth is Relative. When you hear the word truth, you might think it is closely related to a fact or something undeniable. However, in the postmodernism perspective, truth is relative that means truth is subjective. According to Sklar (2011), it is also said that, “There are no impartial truths” means that the truth is not always balance, they always imbalance. Sklar (2011) also claimed that in the reality, every person has their own perceptions that might different from one another, and that is why truth is subjective and imbalance. The truth becomes subjective or imbalance since it is also can be used to obtain power by some groups of people (Sklar: 2011).

         Furthermore, in the Persepolis 2, we can find some examples that indicate the truth is relative. First example is when Marjie knows the fact that his boyfriend (Enrique) is a gay. She also said that, “It was inconceivable. First my eight housemates and now my boyfriend. To think that all the men I knew found love among themselves” (Satrapi, 60). From what Marjie said, she is indirectly claimed that all the men she met are gay. It could be true that some men in our world are gay but not all, and some of them are still normal. From what Marjie said to herself, we are able to see that how truth is relative and how Marjie sees something from her own perspective with her own statement. Marjie sees something subjectively; she does not think whether it is really the truth or only an opinion. 

Marjie feels jealous with Enrique and Ingrid relationship

Marjie knows the truth that Enrique is a gay

In addition, what Marjie thinks might be different from other girl, like Ingrid (Marjie’s friend). Imagine if the case is like this, after Marjie broke up with her boyfriend and she already knew that Enrique is a gay. Then, Enrique has a new relationship with Ingrid; at the end Ingrid also know that Enrique is a gay. However, Ingrid may have different opinion about Enrique and the fact that he is a gay. Ingrid might think that not all men she met are gay and she might accept the fact that Enrique is a gay, and not being sad because of that.

Therefore, from that example we know how someone has their own perspective with their own argument, and how they claim their perspective is a truth. Additionally, we already know the truth that is accepted by all people is the real truth (e.g. Earth is round). However, the truth that is came from someone's perspective like what happens to Marjie that still questionable and debatable is the relative's truth.

Second example is about the television that Marjie watched when she went back to Iran. The TV’s show played about geisha’s story, but here the geisha did not show as a seducer but as a hairdresser (Satrapi, 114). It is an awkward thing to see how the show could change the story’s plot from the original one. We can conclude, what is actually happening behind this changing. Moreover, it can be assumed that the changing is happened because of the Islamic government. How and why? Iran is an Islamic country where everything should be done in Islamic ways and the government is controlling all the system including the art system. The government makes their own truth about what is right or wrong based on Islamic way, and because of this, the government can control their truth then adapt it to the society. This action makes imbalance about the real truth, like in the TV’s show where the government changes the art into the Islamic way through changing the reality or originality of Geisha as a hairdresser not a seducer like we already have known. Moreover, it can be assumed, this is the government’s tactic to obtain more power to control the people through the art system.

Marjie is questioning the government, why the TV show shows Geisha as a hairdresser, not as a seducer