What happens in Chapter 9 of Persepolis?
Chapter 9, "The Sheep," begins with Marji's father telling the story of the Shah's father, Reza Shah, and how he came to power as a poor, illiterate soldier who was used by the British to become Iran's ruler. Marji listens intently as her father describes how the Iranian people followed their leaders like sheep, lacking awareness of their manipulation. The narrative then shifts to the current situation: the Islamic Revolution is firmly established, and Marji's school is now segregated by gender. Girls are required to wear the veil, a rule that Marji and her classmates mock, treating their headscarves as if they were toys. At the same time, Marji's mother is photographed at a protest against the veil, and the image makes its way into European newspapers, heightening the family's anxiety about possible consequences. The chapter concludes with Marji realizing her parents' political vulnerability, her innocent childhood increasingly overshadowed by the harsh realities of life under the new regime.
Analysis
Satrapi uses the "sheep" metaphor with her usual precision—it serves multiple purposes. On the surface, Marji's father employs it to depict Iranians who are influenced by foreign powers and submissive rulers; beneath this, it subtly criticizes the revolutionary crowds that demand conformity under the veil. Satrapi doesn’t spell out this irony, instead allowing the reader to sense the underlying tension. This chapter exemplifies her skill in tonal layering: the girls' playful misuse of their headscarves—twirling them and using them as jump ropes—is illustrated in Satrapi's bold, cartoonish style, adding humor to a scene of enforced obedience. This visual lightness contrasts sharply with the mother’s photograph in the European press, a detail that reintroduces a sense of danger without resorting to melodrama. The history lesson woven into the chapter is a recurring technique in Persepolis: Satrapi uses Marji's parents to convey political education, helping both the child and the reader connect the present to colonial and dynastic history. The father’s calm, straightforward narration reflects Satrapi's graphic style—flat emotion carrying significant weight. Importantly, this chapter furthers Marji's coming-of-age journey: she begins to understand that history is not just theoretical but something lived, and that her family’s experiences—her mother’s face in a newspaper—are already part of it.
Key quotes from Chapter 9
“'The people are like sheep. They follow whoever is in power.'”
Marji's father explains the political passivity of the Iranian populace as he recounts how Reza Shah rose to power, a metaphor that resonates far beyond its immediate historical target.
“We didn't really like to wear the veil, especially since we didn't understand why we had to.”
Marji narrates the schoolgirls' collective confusion and resistance, capturing the gap between imposed ideology and lived, embodied experience.
“My mother was so scared that she dyed her hair and wore dark glasses for a long time.”
After her mother's image appears in European protest photographs, Marji observes the family's quiet, practical fear—disguise as survival strategy under the new regime.