Stitches is set in home in Detroit during the 1950's. This was a different time for families and for the way problems were dealt with emotionally. David's mother especially would likely be living a much different life if she were born in a different time period. What other facets of David's life would have been different if he were born in modern times? How so?
The art in this book is very strange at times, almost reminiscent of a horror film. What do you believe the author is trying to portray with his chosen artistic style? Is he making a statement by using black and white or is there a more simple explanation?
David has a slight obsession with Alice in Wonderland. This manifests in several areas of the book, including his therapist being depicted a the white rabbit. What are the connections between Alice in Wonderland and David's life? Why was the white rabbit chosen, is it simply a character we recognize or does the author suggest a deeper connection between the two?
If David was born in, lets say the 21st century, he would definitely see life differently. Children these days are so inclined with society, that when he woke up originally he probably would of known exactly what had happened. With that being said, if David was from a more modern period this book would not play out as well at it did and would not make much sense.
ReplyDeleteI truly enjoy the artistic inclination in Stiches. From the dark almost horrific style, is probably because it is from a very scared child's position. David was scared from the beginning of the book, so the artistic nature follows suit. The black and white makes it muted and goes along with the child perspective.
David’s medical problems and his problems at home can be seen as tied to the 1950s. Had it been years later, doctors likely would have known that it’s not the best idea to pump a baby full of radiation. His mother’s insecurity about money seems characteristic of the white middle class in this period, but insecurities about wealth or even white middle class wealth aren’t unique to this period. Had the times been different, David’s mother’s relationship to her children, her sexuality, and mental illness might have been different. Those aspects of his mother’s identity are buried and manifest themselves, it appears, in a thoroughly unhappy home life. This narrative wonderfully counteracts the “Leave It to Beaver” idea which frequently characterizes families from this period (black and white art makes sense if he means to invoke that idea).
ReplyDeleteThat David’s doctor appears as a white rabbit speaks to the way buried aspects of identity finds themselves popping up in useful ways. David’s other foray into Alice in Wonderland involved him being chased by older kids and called names. That the same sort of play can be helpful, and can take place in the company of an adult (gasp! Adults are largely terrible in this memoir) recasts the metaphor as a useful one.
David’s growth is the image that must under go some sort of transformation for David to come to any sort of satisfying conclusion. The growth begins as that thing seen in his father’s books, alongside genitals. The bullies that chase David are hideous and their faces might be read as growth like. When David forms a growth and is implicated in its abnormality, our protagonist has become attached to a largely negative image. That growth becomes more complicated and more negative as an image because of the botched surgery. But in dealing with his problems with the growth David will have to deal with his family and the ways that his home life is implicated in his growth and development.
I got a different feeling from the admission of the fathers guilt for causing cancer. Part of me feels like they would have realized that radiation would have caused damage, however they felt they needed to justify their worth as x-ray technicians? Almost like they were experimenting on people and trying to find cures for things. I dont believe that Davids dad was actually a doctor judging by the fact that his family never seemed to have any money.
ReplyDeleteI also got the feeling his family was inadequate compared to the glamour of the surgeons wife and the doctor on his boat.