As I read Prisoner on the Hell Planet I couldn't help but to compare the story of the comic to Artie's life and the impact it had on his father Vladek as well. Artie used the same names of his family in his comic, which made his father cry when he finally read it. It also shows how Artie's mom was on pills and wanted to kill herself in real life as well as in his comic strip. Although, in the comic Artie says his mother was the reason he was in the state mental hospital, he never really explains why or the reasons he was put in there in the first place. In the comic Artie wrote I seemed everyone blamed Artie for her death just the because he was upset with her saying she was the reason he was in the state mental hospital. You can only wonder if that was the real reason she killed herself.
In the story Prisoner on the Hell Planet I think visually the story depicts a more sinister world of depression, misery, shame, guilt, and sadness that is brought out more in the images and not the words. For example when the doctor tells Artie that his mother was dead and that she committed suicide, the images were horrible depicting this event. The images show the doctor with a big evil and sinister smile, kind of like he's happy to deliver this news. I think when we put both the words and the pictures together we learn more of how serious the events were, how Artie's dad loved and couldn't make it without his wife. It really captures and gives us a sense of how sad and depressing the story is. I also think it kind of makes you feel the emotions that are going on in the story as well.
I thought that this section of the novel was kind of confusing. It was nice to hear what you thought about it to help me understand it better. I agree with you about how the words and pictures together help contribute to the emotions that are being felt. I felt the same way as I read. I also think that this comic within a comic section was filled with much more depressing thoughts and pictures and it made the whole novel overall seem alot more sad and helps you get the full picture.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you that the pictures tell and mean so much more than the words do. I like how you picked out the doctor and his reaction to the mother's suicide. In addition to the picture you picked out, I saw on page 103, the mother is cutting her inner arm with a razor blade and the words aound it are possible reasons to why she committed suicide. The possible reasons shown are menopausal depression and the picture depicting it was the mother in the tub, another was the stacked dead bodies from the Holocuast with words that say "HITLER DID IT!" Then the last was of course Artie and the words, "MOMMY!" and "B****!" These words are harsh!
ReplyDeleteI really like your interpretation of the comic within a comic. I agree with you that it was a sinister side of the story. The whole novel was based around awful ideas, but I think suicide is easier for us to relate to than the Holocaust itself. I also wonder about the reason for the mental hospital line. It leaves a lot open for interpretation and I am having trouble forming an opinion on it.
ReplyDeleteI think it was interesting how you drew the paralelles between Arti and Valik's lives using the commic, like most everyone else in our group i was slighly confused by this part, however i think that after reading everyones blogs and their interpretation of this commic its starting to make a lot more sense.
ReplyDeleteAs far as the picturess accenting and really conveying what the author is trying to truly show us i have to agree with you there, i did not feel that the illistrations of the doctor when he was telling Arti his mother was dead were very consoling either, and that the doctor did seem rather sinister and evil at that point.
I myself was also confused with why he was put into the mental hospital. I also agree with the fact that this comic helps us understand what really went on during these camops.
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