Alas, I have the finally finished the behemoth Pulitzer-prize winning novel that is The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay. I did enjoy the book, although some parts of it were insanely boring and droll, most of it kept me interested and further allowed me to develop my thesis on character identity. As the book came to a close, more and more evidence siding with my thesis presented itself. This was nice, because it gave me the feeling that I will be able to write a well supported argument in my AA paper.
As I stated in my previous blog, Chabon gives characters in the book alter-egos in the form of comic book superheroes. As the story progresses, whatever a character experiences, his or her superhero-ego experiences the same things, just in a different way. Near the end of the book, one of the main character's super-egos is destroyed, so he is forced to come to terms with himself.
The ending of the book was what I expected. Joe came back home from Alaska and reconnected with his family and friends, and also with Rosa. He also discovered that Rosa had given birth to his son, while Sammy had been acting as the boy's father figure for all these years. His son was named 'Tommy' after Joe's late brother, Thomas.
I have now started my second book, Wonder Boys, which looks like it will also tie into the theme of character identity.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Post 5
Since my last thesis blog, a lot has developed in the book of Kavalier & Clay. As the years pass and the story progresses, we are learning a lot about the characters personalities.
The overlying theme in the book is comic books, this provides for a very interesting make-up of character identities. Most characters slip in and out of alternate identities, but not in the sense you might be thinking of. Superheroes. Protectors of the people against villainy, treachery, and tyranny. Characters in the book pour their dreams, hopes, and fears into these alter-egos. I will further develop this thesis until I finish the book, but I think that my thesis for my final AA paper will involve character identity.
A lot has changed in the plot since the last post. A main character, Sam, reveled to himself and his friends that he is homosexual, while his cousin, Joe, on the other hand, has fallen in love with the lovely Rosa Saks. And, after finding about the sudden and mysterious death of his brother Thomas, Joe joins the navy and is stationed in Alaska, where he spends twelve years of the books plot. Meanwhile, Sammy and Rosa marry and move to a suburb of Brooklyn.
The overlying theme in the book is comic books, this provides for a very interesting make-up of character identities. Most characters slip in and out of alternate identities, but not in the sense you might be thinking of. Superheroes. Protectors of the people against villainy, treachery, and tyranny. Characters in the book pour their dreams, hopes, and fears into these alter-egos. I will further develop this thesis until I finish the book, but I think that my thesis for my final AA paper will involve character identity.
A lot has changed in the plot since the last post. A main character, Sam, reveled to himself and his friends that he is homosexual, while his cousin, Joe, on the other hand, has fallen in love with the lovely Rosa Saks. And, after finding about the sudden and mysterious death of his brother Thomas, Joe joins the navy and is stationed in Alaska, where he spends twelve years of the books plot. Meanwhile, Sammy and Rosa marry and move to a suburb of Brooklyn.
Monday, March 3, 2008
Post 4
Michael Chabon's work in Kavalier & Clay is in my opinion, very good and well thought out. As I briefly stated in my last post, one very stylish writing technique Chabon uses is that he writes about new comic book heroes as if they were actual characters in the book, but when really they are just the thought process that a character has. Since my last post, several events have taken place. Joe Kavalier and Sam Clay, partners, are making it into the big time in New York City. 'The Escapist' is becoming a radio show, and a new hero, the half-bug half-woman "Luna Moth" was introduced (p. 267 - 274). I am still pondering the possible idea of the theme of identity within the two main characters. There are subtle hints here and there, but none are for sure just yet.
Post 3
I am getting deeper into Kavalier & Clay. The book is getting more interesting; more characters are being introduced and the story of both Kavalier and Clay keeps developing as they turn from boys into men. In this reading, 'The Escapist,' the latest comic book hero was introduced. But one thing that the author, Michael Chabon, did that I enjoyed was that he devoted an entire chapter to the background story of The Escapist, rather than just a little paragraph (p. 123-134). Then, after the chapter was done, it was revealed that the entire chapter was actually a thought process by Sammy Clay, the story writer of the duo. I am beginning to see some themes within the book. Joe Kavalier, the artist of the duo, is the only one of his family who escaped from Nazi-invaded Prague to New York. His family still resides there. He is having a difficult time trying to bring them over, and it shows through his work, through The Escapist primarily. This could be a theme involving Jewish identity. I will keep developing this possible thesis as the book continues.
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