Family and culture play major roles within Marji's upbringing. Her parents are not traditional Muslims: they drink alcohol in secret (since Islam forbids the consumption of alcohol) and generally hold more secular views. However, Marji does not reject Islam entirely. Rather, she synthesizes religious ideals with secular values, stressing her own unique identity. As a child, she dreams of being both a scientist and a religious prophet. These seemingly opposite dreams are representative of how both Islamic and secular Western culture have helped form who she is.

Marji's confidence to express her individuality comes from her liberal parents, who live their lives with integrity even in the face of a repressive theocracy. Her uncle, who is jailed and then executed for his subversive views, is a heroic model for the young Marji. Ultimately, Marji's identity is most strongly formed by Islam, Western secularism and culture (represented through her love of rock-and-roll music), and her liberal family members. This makes it all the harder for her when she must separate from her parents at the end of the first volume of Persepolis. Her family helped form her into an independent-minded young teenager, but such traits also put her in danger as long as she stays in Iran and does not conform to the demands of the fundamentalist revolutionaries.