Written Parallel
Harvey says, "I took the train back and I was feeling really helpless and discouraged on the ride. What could I do with myself?" with mountains in the background (48).
Dean says, "Why are you quitting? You're making a mountain out of a molehill" (70).
Although the word "mountain" doesn't come up twice, it is clear Pekar wants us to think about it because he put it in the image when Harvey is feeling helpless, and then he brings it up in text when once again Harvey is quitting because he doesn't think he can succeed.
Visual Parallel
Throughout the book, I have been noticing a connection between the real life Harvey Pekar, and his dad in the story. At first, I often got them confused because they look very alike. They each alway have a long sleeve button down shirt, the same hairstyle, and the same facial expressions. I wonder if Pekar meant this on purpose to say that in a way he has become his father, who he was once so embarrassed of and has never looked up to,
Analysis
As mentioned above, Harvey often interrupts the story to put his modern-day self in the frame. Not only do these remind us that this is an autobiographical story of a man looking back on his life, but they also show us what Harvey turns out to be, so they kind of foreshadow the story. Although he is able to point out where he went wrong, I don't really think the older Harvey is necessarily wiser because he often shows uncertainty and at one demonstrates the notion that he still worries about how he is going to get through the next few years. This shows us that Harvey has not really changed all that much. He has always been able to realize when he's wrong or things aren't going well, but he never knows what to do or how to react. At this point, I feel like the older Harvey is a depressed man, who is looking back on his past and all that he regrets with amazing honesty.
No comments:
Post a Comment