Family Ties

The Identity Construction of Marjane’s Grandmother in the Graphic Novel Embroideries

Abstract

The language of comics as a narrative and graphic expression has become an important part of culture today. In female production, with its diversity, beauty, depth, and social criticism, we highlight the graphic novel Embroideries, by Iranian author Marjane Satrapi. In her work, the author recalls the gatherings that brought together the women of her family and friends in a private and cozy space to discuss women’s issues such as sexuality, marriage and divorce. The analysis will focus on the unveiling of the identity construction of Marjane’s grandmother. In the presence of her grandmother, Marji’s admiration and the discourse of equality and transgression are materialized. The qualitative-interpretative study will primarily use the theoretical contributions of Acevedo (1990), Cagnin (2014), Ramos (2010) and Vergueiro (2011) for the analysis of comic language. For the construction of identities, we will draw on the cultural studies of Hall (1987, 2006). Meanwhile, the dialogic episodes will be analyzed from a Bakhtinian perspective. In Embroideries, we find that these gatherings generate self-affirmation of identity, a sense of social belonging, increased self-esteem, and well-being among women. In the representation of the matriarchal family, we note that the grandmother carries within her the remnants of freer and more autonomous voices that manifest in her words and actions.