Colin Conner
Dr. Adam Johns
Seminar in Composition
22 October 2008
Alienation Investigation
Everything we value as humans revolves around building relationships between ourselves and other humans. When we feel isolated, it can be in the physical sense, by being on our own in a remote cabin in the woods. Or, we can be isolated in the metaphysical sense, on our own in the wilderness of our thoughts and ideas. In both situations, it is easy to completely lose that connection to our fellow human beings and become alienated from society. Alienation is a theme that runs through all of the texts we have read in this course, from Hawthorne's “House of the Seven Gables” to McKibben's “Enough” to Ware's “Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid on Earth.” The protagonist Jimmy Corrigan is alienated from society as a result of his estrangement from his parents during childhood.
Throughout Jimmy’s life, his mother has been neglectful and often absent. We see her call him all the time, but it seems to just be to nag Jimmy because she is lonely and needs someone to talk to. His mother’s careless nature is summarized in one particular sequence of drawings; her failure to have ever cooked a Thanksgiving dinner, the most American symbol of family togetherness. Pages 113-114 show Jimmy’s father mentioning turkey dinners, and Jimmy imagines a real turkey until his mind changes it to his reality, a bland plate of restaurant food. We then see a flashback of Jimmy in a car late at night, when he is awakened by his mother who tells him that they will be eating Thanksgiving dinner at the Chuck Wag’n restaurant. When I see this sequence of frames, I can’t even imagine having Thanksgiving dinner at a restaurant without my extended family. Thanksgiving is special as it allows for bonding with family, and engaging in those intimate conversations and situations that make us feel our humanity. Jimmy’s lack of experience in basic human interactions makes it hard for him to understand when people care about him, or to allow him to share his true feelings.
Jimmy was bound to be alienated from birth because his father walked out on him and his mother. This drastically changed how Jimmy would turn out as an individual. Having a fatherless childhood hindered Jimmy not only mentally, but socially as well. Usually a father is the one who introduces a child to sports and gets them involved with teams. This is always a good way to meet and interact with your peers at a young age. I know most of the kids who I am best friends with I played sports with as a child. Having friends is not only important as a child, but also as you grow up. If Jimmy had friends that he could talk to and go out with, maybe he could find himself a girl so his life could amount to something.
Another thing that a father can teach to a son is how to approach and talk to a girl. In Jimmy’s case he is barely able to muster the courage to approach a girl unless he has to. Also having a real conversation with a girl is like climbing the tallest mountain for him. Around page 109-110 we see Jimmy’s father bring up the idea of a girl friend and Jimmy get really embarrassed. We also see Jimmy get insulted by the mailroom girl, Peggy, and he apologizes to her. If he knew how to talk with girls, he may have been able to have normal relationship and even a normal life. And not only are his father’s mistakes impeding Jimmy’s progress, but also the progress of the Corrigan name. On about page 87 we see the Corrigan family tree, which has been hacked to pieces because of all the mistakes and alienation of the past Corrigan family. Jimmy’s head is seen as a leaf just barely hanging on. Since Jimmy cannot have a relationship with a girl, he will be the end of the Corrigan line and will end their pitiful ancestry.
A person’s childhood is like the roots and trunk of their entire life. For many people it is seen as a very important and also one of the most memorable times of their life. In psychology, many people believe that depending on what happens in a person’s childhood will determine who you will become as an adult. In the early years the physical, cognitive, and socioemotional processes develop and are a basis for the adult processes. Because of his family’s alienation of him, some of Jimmy’s processes, such as the socioemotional ones, were under developed. He was at a disadvantage for having a fulfilling life because of his parent’s neglect. The importance of family is summarized with this quote from Winston Churchill, “There is no doubt that it is around the family and the home that all the greatest virtues, the most dominating virtues of human society, are created, strengthened and maintained.”
3 comments:
Colin Conner
Dr. Adam Johns
Seminar in Composition
26 October 2008
Alien Nation
Everything we value as humans revolves around building relationships between ourselves and other humans. When we feel isolated, it can be in the physical sense, by being on our own in a remote cabin in the woods. Or, we can be isolated in the metaphysical sense, on our own in the wilderness of our thoughts and ideas. In both situations, it is easy to completely lose that connection to our fellow human beings and become alienated from society. Alienation is a theme that runs through all of the texts we have read in this course, from Hawthorne's “The House of the Seven Gables,” through Silver’s “Challenging Nature: The Clash of Science and Spirituality at the New Frontiers of Life, and McKibben's “Enough: Staying Human in an Engineered Age” to Chris Ware's “Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid on Earth.” The protagonist Jimmy Corrigan is alienated from society as a result of his estrangement from his parents during childhood.
Throughout Jimmy’s life, all of his relationships are lackluster and ineffective. Jimmy’s alienation began when his father abandoned his mother and him, possibly before Jimmy was born. This drastically changed how Jimmy would turn out as an individual. Having a fatherless childhood hindered Jimmy not only mentally, but socially and emotionally as well. His mother has been neglectful and often absent. She calls him all the time, but it seems to just be to nag Jimmy because she is lonely and needs to talk. His parents’ careless nature is summarized in one particular sequence of drawings; the failure to have ever sat down to a Thanksgiving dinner, the most American symbol of family togetherness. Pages 113-114 show Jimmy’s father making small talk during an awkward reunion they have. The father says “photo albums, turkey dinners, ‘family vacations’…all that’s crap as far as I’m concerned,” and Jimmy imagines a home-cooked turkey until his mind changes it to his reality, a bland plate of restaurant food. Five small frames provide a flashback of Jimmy in a car late at night, when he is awakened by his mother who tells him that they will be eating Thanksgiving dinner at the Chuck Wag’n restaurant. This utter lack of feeling towards special occasions is reflected in the Epilogue when Jimmy has Thanksgiving dinner again with his mother, this time in an assisted living facility. At the nursing home, his lack of appetite, for food and relationships, is summed up in two small frames: one a piece of pumpkin pie on a plate with two bites taken out of it, and the other is of an elderly man eating his meal alone at a table for four, with a bleak winter landscape outside the window behind him. The significance of Thanksgiving is notable, allowing time for bonding with family, and engaging in those intimate conversations and situations that make us feel our humanity.
Jimmy’s lack of experience in these basic human interactions makes it difficult for him to understand when people care about him and a challenge for him to share his true feelings. The simple rites of passage between a parent and a son such as learning to ride a bike, play sports, and even how to approach and talk with a girl were absent from Jimmy’s life. In Jimmy’s case, mustering the courage to approach a girl is akin to climbing the tallest mountain. He works in a nondescript building, performing some sort of menial work. The only “relationship” he has with a female co-worker, Peggy, is captured in the message pad page he carries with him: “I sat across from you for six months and you never once noticed me! Good bye,” is all it says. At pages 109-110 Jimmy’s father brings up the idea of a girlfriend and Jimmy gets really embarrassed. In a single frame colored red and white like a warning sign for high voltage, Jimmy’s sad face is surrounded by GIRL FRIEND in large type.
A person’s childhood is like the roots and trunk of their entire life. Psychologists believe that depending on what happens in a person’s childhood will determine who or what you will become as an adult. Those early years form the basis for the development of the physical, cognitive, and socioemotional processes. Jimmy’s socioemotional processes are underdeveloped and put him at a disadvantage for having a fulfilling life because of his parent’s neglect. The importance of family is summarized with this quote from Winston Churchill, “There is no doubt that it is around the family and the home that all the greatest virtues, the most dominating virtues of human society, are created, strengthened and maintained.”
Not only are his parents’ mistakes impeding Jimmy’s progress, but also the progress of the Corrigan name. On page 87 Jimmy’s family tree is depicted in fragmented pieces because of all the mistakes and alienation of the past Corrigan family. Jimmy’s head is seen as a leaf just barely hanging on to a branch. Since Jimmy cannot have a relationship with a girl, he will be the end of the Corrigan line and their pitiful ancestry. Through a series of flashbacks scattered throughout the novel, we see each man named Jimmy Corrigan, three different generations worth, being deserted by their fathers. In one of the most extensive segments, Jimmy’s grandfather is abandoned at the Chicago World’s Fair of 1893, at the top of what was then the world’s tallest building. The cycle of alienation begins here, pictured as a solitary boy in complete contrast to the grand spectacle around him.
The 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition ushered in the change in American society away from simple farm life to the modern world. As the world gets smaller and more interconnected with technology, we see the Corrigan men withdraw further from society. In Jimmy’s case, he uses his answering machine as a shield to block contact, rather than as a way to stay in touch with people. The same concerns about technology changing our world are discussed in Lee Silver’s “Challenging Nature” and Bill McKibben’s “Enough.” In particular, they are concerned with biotechnology’s effect on the definition of being human. Silver and McKibben both talk about genetic engineering, and how it could have an influence on human integrity; what it means to be a human. Silver argues that the benefits outweigh the risks; McKibben argues that the result of genetic engineering is a whole new type of human. What if Jimmy Corrigan had received gene therapy, would he be a different person? Maybe the superhero that appears in his fantasies? Or would he still be withdrawn; still the person he is because of his upbringing? Hawthorne, in “House of the Seven Gables”, depicted Hepzibah and Clifford Pyncheon as victims of their upbringing, extending all the way back to their relative, Colonel Pyncheon. Jimmy and the Pyncheons live their isolated lives because of their relationships with family and the world at large. As progress continues, I believe the Jimmy Corrigans of the world will remain, their alienation increasing because of our fractured family structure and society.
Hey man, I'm really sorry I didnt get a chance to look at your paper. This weekend was a busy one but as usual, it looks like you didnt really need my help. The paper looks real good with a lot of interesting ties to the book. I apologize again.
Chris - Try to let me or Colin know if that happens again - I would have found someone else to do it, or done it myself.
Colin - You're right that alienation is a theme throughout these texts. The question is - what do you want to *do* with this theme? Your introduction is both smart and vague at the same time.
You *do* return to the material in the introduction in the conclusion. I loved the image of the gene therapy-enhanced Jimmy you conjure, but you drop it so quickly that I ultimately wish you had either expanded it or cut it, rather than leaving it as it was.
You have some great material in the middle, with a wonderful eye for detail. I think the paragraph about Jimmy and Thanksgiving may be the best thing you've written all semester, and I tend to think that you could have figured out a way to write a whole paper working out from that idea.
Regardless, I think there is good material in every part of this paper. I have mixed feelings about it as a whole, though - you discuss alienation more than you make a clear argument about it, I think. At the end you were working toward an argument that "alienation will survive or even intensify as genetic engineering progresses", but you struggled to reach that point.
Short version: this contains fragments of several excellent papers, but they aren't as well connected as they could be.
If you want to revise, let me know.
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