Persepolis 2: The Story of a Return

by

Marjane Satrapi

Armelle Character Analysis

Armelle is Julie’s mother. She works for the United Nations and is divorced, so she often leaves Julie home by herself. After Marjane moves in with Julie, she quickly comes to adore Armelle. Armelle is fairly knowledgeable about Iran, and so she is the one person Marjane can talk to about her home country without explaining everything. Because of this, Marjane often sits and listens to Armelle talk about her favorite psychoanalyst, Lacan, out of politeness. In Julie’s estimation, though, her mother is controlling and sad. Julie insists that Armelle is annoying because she’s not sexually active.
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Armelle Character Timeline in Persepolis 2: The Story of a Return

The timeline below shows where the character Armelle appears in Persepolis 2: The Story of a Return. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
The Pill
Growing Up and Growing Old Theme Icon
Identity, Culture, and Self-Expression Theme Icon
...often out on dates with “mature” men. Julie is also extremely rude to her mother, Armelle. For instance, Julie often refuses to tell Armelle where she’s going when she leaves the... (full context)
Growing Up and Growing Old Theme Icon
Identity, Culture, and Self-Expression Theme Icon
Gender and Oppression Theme Icon
...that her mother is “unbearable.” She says it’s great to have Marjane around, though, since Armelle thinks Marjane is a good influence. This confuses Marjane, so Julie explains: Marjane does her... (full context)
Growing Up and Growing Old Theme Icon
Gender and Oppression Theme Icon
Since Armelle works for the United Nations, she often travels for days at a time. As she... (full context)
The Horse
Growing Up and Growing Old Theme Icon
Identity, Culture, and Self-Expression Theme Icon
When Julie and Armelle leave Vienna, Marjane moves into an apartment that she shares with eight young gay men.... (full context)
Hide and Seek
Growing Up and Growing Old Theme Icon
Identity, Culture, and Self-Expression Theme Icon
Gender and Oppression Theme Icon
Following the Enrique debacle, Marjane finally understands what Julie was talking about in terms of Armelle and Martin’s sexless relationship. Sex, Marjane realizes, is necessary, but she has no idea how... (full context)