Is it me or has the summer movie going experience become lackluster? After coming of the hurricane of great films in 2008, which saw the likes of Gran Torino, The Wrestler, The Dark Knight, and Iron Man; the 2009 has felt more like a gentle breeze. That is not to say that there are no high points, but read on and you will see there were only little peaks of greatness.
The year was kicked off with Paul Blart: Mall Cop. Like many of you I was 1) not interested and 2) still amazed at the level of decline that our economy was taking in such a short amount of time to care about this movie. Apparently, the economy and the changing social dynamic of the nation did little to slow down this rent a cop on a Segway, as it blazed its way to number one at the box office and stood there unchallenged for two weeks. That’s more than can be said for the rest of the 2009 clunkers.
Crank was the next big release, don’t ask me how a man who fell out a helicopter and landed on asphalt could live; Chev Chelios managed to do it. Once again, this one was relegated to my guilty pleasure DVD pile along its predecessor and the Transporter films and . . . ahem . . . Buffy.
This guilty pleasure was followed by another, better, and more thought out guilty pleasure that the rest of the world got to see in 2008 Taken. Taken offered a fresh and refined look at the suspense action genre, giving you a well thought out although shallow plot. In addition anytime I get to see Qui Gon Jin put up a fight and not go out like a punk, is a great time. George Lucas im looking at you.
As if to add more to the changing taste of Americana, The Fast and the Furious was given the sequel that it deserved and not two feature length music videos. Again, my interest in this movie was minimal, but it performed well and declared itself the highest grossing film of the franchise.
If you are starting to see a trend here, it’s that I had little to no interest in seeing these films. I found them to be paper thin, and with little to no substance other than gratuitous action and violence, or in the case of Taken, I had already seen.
Watchmen hit my radar with a huge case of anticipation and wonder. I spent the entire night before rereading the graphic novel. When I hit the theater, I sat and watched in semi aguish and semi revelry. I celebrated the transition from page to screen, but I also felt that what I saw offered very little originality to the mythos that the book has garnered throughout its long and storied history. I must admit the first five minutes of film set to Bob Dylan’s The Times They’re a Changin, was some of the best film making I have seen in recent history. Though the movie was technically well shot, it did little more than reproduce moments from the novel and gave the movie barley anything to call its own. Fan-boy favorite, but after a week the movie disappeared from the radar of the film going community.
Another one of my fan-boy moments came during the release of X-Men Origins: Wolverine. All I can say is that I was not just disappointed, but severely disappointed. It is as if the screen writers of the film did little to pay attention to the characters history and canon, or even the film history and canon. Reversing characters ages, making some characters into nothing more than a monstrosity of what it once was (Deadpool), and provide little humor and frankly little initiative to go see it. The movie was not helped by the fact that a leaked version of the film was available for three weeks prior to the movie’s release. Notably absent were visual effects. However, this gave the movie some charm and allowed it to be viewed more than once in order to play spot the special effects.
One movie that was of great interest to me was Star Trek. I have to admit that staying up to eleven on a Sunday night was pushing it for me and my mother’s patience, but I still remember moving the dial on my Samsung, hearing the click of the nob, and fixing the antenna in order to see Kirk, Spock, McCoy and the other members of the USS Enterprise engage strange life forms, and green skinned women, not to mention tribbles. As I sat in the IMAX theater, I could hope that my love for Star Trek and the awesomeness that is William Shatner would not overshadow the new film.
All I can say is that I was not disappointed, as the movie performed exceptionally well. It served both its core audience and the gave enough information to new comers to allow for the growth of a new fan base. Gone is the boxy deck of the NSC- 1701E and in its place it has been revamped to be more futuristic than your local Apple store. The cast fit their roles admirably and even added a new level of depth to the characters that I cherished as a child.
So riding the high of Star Trek, I was hit with a wave of anticipation. I stepped into the theater once again, but this time to finally see what the fight against the machines would be like. Terminator: Salvation hit theaters on a late Thursday night in order to capitalize on the Memorial day weekend. Frankly, I wished they had rethought this choice, as the three-day weekend could have served the film better by packing audiences in, instead of giving the public a chance to cherry pick what was most convenient.
Regardless, the films were based deeply in the mythology of the prior films, even the atrocity that was T3: Rise of the machines. The film starring Christian Bale and Sam Worthington was solid, but not a feel good movie. It showed some of the horrors of a post apocalyptic Los Angeles and the terror that steel and gunpowder could bring. Set in a future not to far from now. We find our Hero John Connor doing what he does best, fighting the machines that seek to enslave humanity. The movie which was Bale’s to dominate was instead dominated by Sam Worthington who absolutely chewed up the scenery and out acted some of his fellow actors. Anton Yelchin who has the dubious distinction of being in both Star Trek and Terminator: Salvation. Also performed above and beyond the call of duty. John Connor being relegated to the legendary status of the messiah, had little more to do than inspire and delay the production of the T-800, 19 years ahead of time.
The movie though enjoyable, did suffer from what I deem “Goldsmith Syndrome” The film seemed like two movies rolled into one. The difference is that we only got to see half of the movie. I wanted more John Connor, maybe in the next film.
In all I have been slightly disappointed. The only real success of 2009 so far, in my opinion, is Star Trek. It dared to do its own thing while still remaining grounded in the mythology of the original, while creating a new paradigm for us as an audience to enjoy.
Maybe the second half of 2009 will be more enjoyable? The summer of 2009 sees the release of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, and the much loathed, by men at least, New Moon.
Here’s to hoping that at Transformers rocks enough to bide us until the release of Harry Potter and Ice Age. Well till next time.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Friday, May 29, 2009
Sobering knowledge
It has been quite some time since I began this blog. For over half a year, I have been caught up in the struggles of daily life, allowing activities and functions to get in the way of my writing, but I say no more. Yesterday I had the privilege to listen to the words of the speakers at the commencement ceremoy for John Jay College. As I sat in the audience I thought of only the possibilities that lay before these young people. The sea of young faces smiling as their families sat and cheered them on, was inspiring. It was so inspiring that it made me yearn to start my studies once more.
To live the life of the underclassmen, a life of pure optimism, where the world lays at your feet, where friends are made in the classroom as well as the cafeteria, where you learn to study together, to laugh together, to cry together.
Some students let failure wash over them, others take it as an attempt to stop their academic journey, but some can be helped by the strength of their friends.
I know that those friendships and that journey can never be replicated, it can never be like it once was. It can however be something that you can cherish just the same if not more. The people you surround yourself with are important to your success. But more importantly they are more important to your growth as a person.
College is not only a place were you gain intellectual knowledge, but a place were you also hone the social skills that highschool sought so feverishly to stamp out. Unless you go to a school where the football or basketball programs are a huge part of student life, such as Texas A&M, Florida State, North Carolina, and St. Johns, student life revolves around the central tenant of study and downtime.
For me this downtime was doubled as my freshmen year I had a three-hour break on Tuesday and Thursday. These hours were spent playing cards, Scrabble, trying to talk to the young lady’s(the key word is try) and cramming at the last moment for Dr. Wallace’s or Dr. Bonifacio’s exams. It was those times that taught me that people can carry you through. People can help you let out your frustrations and entertain you when you are stuck in a lab at eight thirty at night.
One of those friends is now gone. A victim of the crimes that we studied so hard to prevent or solve. The other is working in a bubble wrap factory because the state of New Jersey decided to enact a hiring freeze on officers. This freeze caused his academy class to be cancelled. I on the other hand have continued my studies.
What I realized is that I was doing this alone. I was fighting this battle alone, and I was afraid of ending my studies. So I procrastinated, I took more classes in order to find that same support. I am sad to say that I haven’t. My studies in the field of psychology have come to an end. My journey however is just beginning.
In August I began my journey anew, with a renewed sense of optimism and excitement much like my freshmen year. I look forward to these new friends, to these new minds that will add to my growth both personally and my growth as a student. I know that I will succeed, I will become exactly what I want to be. I will be a free thinker that understands the system, and that can inform people so that they can enact change. It will be the job of my new friends and I to give people an avenue where they can find information, discuss, and then pass on the information to those that can enact, enforce, and maintain change.
I begin my studies in the field of journalism with general excitement, but also with the sobering thought that knowledge is most important when it is given to people that can make a difference. I sought this knowledge years ago as a freshman, I maintained it as an upperclassmen, and as a graduate I will continue to always seek this knowledge and push myself and my friends further than we ever could by just trotting along by yourself.
To live the life of the underclassmen, a life of pure optimism, where the world lays at your feet, where friends are made in the classroom as well as the cafeteria, where you learn to study together, to laugh together, to cry together.
Some students let failure wash over them, others take it as an attempt to stop their academic journey, but some can be helped by the strength of their friends.
I know that those friendships and that journey can never be replicated, it can never be like it once was. It can however be something that you can cherish just the same if not more. The people you surround yourself with are important to your success. But more importantly they are more important to your growth as a person.
College is not only a place were you gain intellectual knowledge, but a place were you also hone the social skills that highschool sought so feverishly to stamp out. Unless you go to a school where the football or basketball programs are a huge part of student life, such as Texas A&M, Florida State, North Carolina, and St. Johns, student life revolves around the central tenant of study and downtime.
For me this downtime was doubled as my freshmen year I had a three-hour break on Tuesday and Thursday. These hours were spent playing cards, Scrabble, trying to talk to the young lady’s(the key word is try) and cramming at the last moment for Dr. Wallace’s or Dr. Bonifacio’s exams. It was those times that taught me that people can carry you through. People can help you let out your frustrations and entertain you when you are stuck in a lab at eight thirty at night.
One of those friends is now gone. A victim of the crimes that we studied so hard to prevent or solve. The other is working in a bubble wrap factory because the state of New Jersey decided to enact a hiring freeze on officers. This freeze caused his academy class to be cancelled. I on the other hand have continued my studies.
What I realized is that I was doing this alone. I was fighting this battle alone, and I was afraid of ending my studies. So I procrastinated, I took more classes in order to find that same support. I am sad to say that I haven’t. My studies in the field of psychology have come to an end. My journey however is just beginning.
In August I began my journey anew, with a renewed sense of optimism and excitement much like my freshmen year. I look forward to these new friends, to these new minds that will add to my growth both personally and my growth as a student. I know that I will succeed, I will become exactly what I want to be. I will be a free thinker that understands the system, and that can inform people so that they can enact change. It will be the job of my new friends and I to give people an avenue where they can find information, discuss, and then pass on the information to those that can enact, enforce, and maintain change.
I begin my studies in the field of journalism with general excitement, but also with the sobering thought that knowledge is most important when it is given to people that can make a difference. I sought this knowledge years ago as a freshman, I maintained it as an upperclassmen, and as a graduate I will continue to always seek this knowledge and push myself and my friends further than we ever could by just trotting along by yourself.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Too much for one man?
It has been a week since the inauguration of our forty fourth President, and I have seen just a bit of what this man can accomplish. In his first day alone, he drafted legislation to close Guantanamo Bay, to create a new ethics code for White House and Congressional staff, and to have time for his family. Barrack Obama, however, faces a nation in terrible debt, security issues, and the largest unemployment figures since the great depression. He has inherited an America on the decline.
What then will he do? Will he lift the nation? Or more importantly, will he serve as a sobering leader with the strength to do what is necessary for our nation? These are the questions that we must look at if we are to appreciate the presidency of the forty fourth President.
ike many before him, the free world looks to him as an example. With George W. Bush, the world saw a reactionary, headstrong, and truly incomprehensible man. When the world looks at Barack, they will see a pragmatic realist, who understands that country and the world is now interdependent. His stoic presence is calming and reassuring to many, while others believe that Obama is already having second thoughts about the job that he has taken on.
One can only wonder what will come of the presidency , due to the harsh economic situation and large budget deficit. The only answer that I and many other more qualified people see is that things will get worse before they get better. Obama tends to use a well informed and stoic approach maybe exactly what this nation needs. He has surrounded himself with well educated experts. This will allow him to push through programs and policies that will most likely help the nation in the long run. We have to realize that the nation will most likely not benefit from many of the programs that will or have been past for at least four or five years. It is this fact that has many Americans scared at the prospect of an even darker economic future.
What should Obama do then? I honestly can not answer that question. What I can do is offer myself in service to the nation. I can volunteer and help those that are in need. I can prepare myself for a life of service to my country by entering into a teaching career or as a congressional staffer. There are many options for us as Americans. What we have to do is find them. I wish to work as a journalist. I want to be a source of information for the people. People like me will provide you with the information that will let you question your leaders and request action from your elected officials. So, the real question , as cliched as it sounds is not “What Barack can do for the United States, but what we can do together?”
What then will he do? Will he lift the nation? Or more importantly, will he serve as a sobering leader with the strength to do what is necessary for our nation? These are the questions that we must look at if we are to appreciate the presidency of the forty fourth President.
ike many before him, the free world looks to him as an example. With George W. Bush, the world saw a reactionary, headstrong, and truly incomprehensible man. When the world looks at Barack, they will see a pragmatic realist, who understands that country and the world is now interdependent. His stoic presence is calming and reassuring to many, while others believe that Obama is already having second thoughts about the job that he has taken on.
One can only wonder what will come of the presidency , due to the harsh economic situation and large budget deficit. The only answer that I and many other more qualified people see is that things will get worse before they get better. Obama tends to use a well informed and stoic approach maybe exactly what this nation needs. He has surrounded himself with well educated experts. This will allow him to push through programs and policies that will most likely help the nation in the long run. We have to realize that the nation will most likely not benefit from many of the programs that will or have been past for at least four or five years. It is this fact that has many Americans scared at the prospect of an even darker economic future.
What should Obama do then? I honestly can not answer that question. What I can do is offer myself in service to the nation. I can volunteer and help those that are in need. I can prepare myself for a life of service to my country by entering into a teaching career or as a congressional staffer. There are many options for us as Americans. What we have to do is find them. I wish to work as a journalist. I want to be a source of information for the people. People like me will provide you with the information that will let you question your leaders and request action from your elected officials. So, the real question , as cliched as it sounds is not “What Barack can do for the United States, but what we can do together?”
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Just ride the Gran Torino
Every morning as I walk towards my car, I see the same old man drinking his cup of 75 cent coffee. Just like the day before he tips his cap and in a hard gravely voice says “
Gran Torino provides me with a great vehicle to understand my neighbor. The movie provides a glimpse into why these figures act in such a volatile manner. For example, Walter Kowalski, played by Clint Eastwood, is a retired automotive worker and a Korean War veteran. The movie opens with the fact that he has just lost the one person that meant the most to him. He lives in a Detroit neighborhood that has seen a huge increase in immigration.
Walter has little patience with those around him and even less with his two sons and their families. One would expect the time to be somber, however the families show little respect for Walt or their late mother. The screen writers offer you a glimpse into the actions that his family takes to 1) retire him and 2) discredit his autonomy. This causes a rift that has been longstanding with his sons to grow even deeper. It also paints the younger generations as money loving and deeply attached to material interests.
In stark contrast is the community of Hmong neighbors. This is especially true of Thao and Sue Vang Lor. Thao attempts to fight against the pressures of joining a gang, but decides to join eitherway. Thao's initiation is to steal Walt's prized 1972 Ford Gran Torino. Walt interrupts the robbery, pointing a rifle in Thao's face and forcing him to flee. This sets off a chain of events that force together Thao, Walt, and the community. It is this singular event that opens the roads for Thao and for Walt to grow together in understanding and breadth of tolerance.
Walt comes across as a vile and prideful man, but he merely clings to the memories of a life long past. He has sins to pay for that have haunted him since the Korean war. This leads him to alienate himself from his family and friends. It is only through exposure with Sue and Thao that he begins to come out of his shell.
Gran Torino proceeds to paint a beautiful portrait of a community banding together, especially after experiencing a great lost. The direction as provided by Eastwood is superb. Rarely is a moment wasted or boring. The cinematography is gorgeous and the music and lighting ques provide an interesting portrait that lends itself to involving the audience greatly.
In all Torino is a movie that should be experienced by all, not just spoken about. It also proves that the pissy old man may be pissy for a reason.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Wrestling with the heart
Everyone dreams of having a moment in the sun. A moment in which the world stops and looks to you. It is with that feeling that many define their lives. However, we should ask ourselves; what happens when that moment has come and gone? What does a person do with their life after the sunshine has faded? The folks at Fox Searchlight have provided us with an almost perfect answer to such a daunting question.
The Wrestler, starring Micky Rourke and Marissa Tomei, envelopes you the story of the man known to wrestling fans as Randy "The Ram" Robinson. Randy, whose real name is later revealed to be Robin Ramzinski, is a professional wrestler who emerged as a star in the 1980s. The movie picks up twenty years removed from his greatest match.
Randy now lives as a loading dock work in Elizabeth, New Jersey, where he also wrestling on the weekends for various independent wrestling promotions. Like many strung out former professional athletes, his life is nothing but a distant memory. He lives in a small trailer in which he is frequently locked out for not paying rent on time. He still maintains the wrestling life style which includes illicit steroid use and training rituals that put a great strain on his body. All for another shot at glory.
Shortly after is match at the gymnasium, his promoter offers him a shot to relive his glory with a 20th anniversary rematch with his most notable opponent, the Ayatollah. So Randy begins down his journey that could recapture his glory. In preparation Randy begins to add shows to his schedule. His next match includes a hardcore match in which Randy use various weapons on his opponent. After the brutal match, Randy collapses.
The heart is treated by a necessary bypass operation and Randy is told by the doctor that his weak heart cannot support steroids or even wrestling anymore. This is were the movie truly shines. It shows a man who is now faced with the fact that the one thing that meant most to him has been stripped away. It also forces him to look at his life and come face to face with his mortality.
The screen writers truly worked in subtle hints at the real world of past their prime wrestlers, with enough emotionality to jerk at your tear ducts, but also carried the emotions through without being ham fisted. They also show you how addiction and bad choices can break down your life. Randy suffers most after wrestling is taken away. Now all he has is his supermarket job and memories of a fractured life.
He sets about trying to repair past relationships, especially with his daughter. His attempts are warm hearted and thoughtful. However, the encounters also don’t reek of sentimentality or hokey-ness. The encounters are real and force one to look at the relationships that they have with their own parents.
The film as a whole serves two purposes. One is to tell the story of a broken and defeated man who refuses to give up. The other is to offer you a chance to be reflective with your own life. This offers you a chance to resonate on a emotional base level with Randy.
By the end of the film you will be laughing, crying, and rooting for his big chance to make back to the top. So give this movie a shot. It has my highest recommendation possible. This movie is truly one of the greatest movies of 2008.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Update !!!
After a almost a month of hiatus, I am back at the blogging desk. I truly have missed speaking about the world and all of its events. I will begin with the daily analysis of news and more importantly the political movement that seems to have sprung up in the country, as well as a special series on my family and the island of Puerto Rico. So big things are coming to Veritas Logos Pathos Ethos - just wait and see. Regular posts will begin on Monday and continue almost daily for the rest of the year.
Here’s to a new year full of pride, analysis, and more importantly change.
Here’s to a new year full of pride, analysis, and more importantly change.
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Cities as a tool for growth
From a young age we are all taught that understanding a story will offer us a greater insight into the motivations of the characters that live in it. The lives that we follow are mere by-products f the environment that they live in. It also dictates the need for a character to behave and act in certain ways. Alison and Carla are no different. The authors of La Perdida and Fun Home use the time that the characters spend in order to show a progression of ideas and deep personal growth.
Abel uses Mexico as the perfect backdrop for a woman that is seeking not only her identity but also a place to belong to. Bechdel also uses New York City as a tool of identification for herself as well as a place in which she feels she belongs. Both authors use the city as characters that directly influence the narrative. For both the sights, sounds, and smells are all integral to the story that both authors tell. For Bechdel in specific, it was the subculture that developed in New York City. The city itself is full of cultures that range from neighborhood to neighborhood, but no other neighborhood is quite like the Village.
As a young child Bechdel lived in a rather humdrum town that provided little to no other
viewpoint or sense of identity. Citizens of Beaver Creek, for the most part, lived and died there. Alison goes to great lengths to let the reader know that most families lived in close proximity to each other, thus creating an almost homogenous idea structure and values. It was through her visits to the New York City, when her mother was on vacation that Alison began to form her new identity. Her visits often let her interact with the environment around her. Her exposure to sights and sounds that were so different were integral into her forming her new identity. In a certain panel, Bechdel goes into the specific smells that filled the air on a certain day in New York. Her description of the smell just further shows that Bechdel was beginning to feel a certain connection to the city.
I know that I myself have come across a similar experience. The lights and sounds of New York City are both captivating and completely freighting. I can appreciate the feelings that Bechdel was beginning to develop. When Alison was old enough she moved to Brooklyn were she became engrained in the culture. The panel in which she was wearing her Doc Martin boots is a perfect example of the counter culture that rises up from the Village. In this culture Alison could begin to define who she would be. She could truly become the person that she wanted so badly to be.
Bechdel uses the city as a transformational tool. The city feeds into her personality by giving Alison an outlet to discover the Lesbian culture movement and resources that would allow her to grow as a person. She also found a good source of support in the form of groups and friends that are of the similar lifestyle. The city is optimal for her to embrace her Lesbian persona without the fear of rejection that she would experience if she tried to come out in Beaver Creek.
Jessica Abel however, uses Mexico as a tool for Carla to find herself as a person. Carla is lost as a character, thus she is the both lost in location and in identity. La Perdida is the tale of a person just trying to find a space in which to belong. Much like Bechdel, Abel uses the landscape of Mexico City to both points at deficiencies in Carla’s character and the growth that she experiences as a character.
This is especially true during the early chapters. As Carla arrives in Mexico and begins her journey, she also begins to see that the culture of Mexico City is very different from the ideal that she had pictured. Carla takes in the beautiful scene of the Parque Mexico she believes that she is truly seeing a piece of Mexico’s past. Instead of truly seeing the world changing around them.
Carla is rather naïve in nature thus leading to her befriending certain individuals that would abuse her naivety as well as her good heart. Since Carla is a recent arrival she seeks approval from the locals at every turn. This includes trying to be accepted by “true” Mexicans. What she does not understand is that the definition of Mexican varies from person to person.
In attempts to gain the acceptance of her friends, she seeks to find her true identity. However, what she does not realize is that she is eroding away at who she really is. Like Mexico City itself, the people who live in Mexico City are slowly marring Carla. The city itself is producing corrupt legions of officers and creating situations that corrupt even the most kind hearted of individuals.
Hana Wirth-Nesher writes, "Representation of the city will depend on the cultural and social position of the subject.” Thus, Carla is an outsider who is starting unlike most at the base level. Harry pretends to live among the masses, but he knows that he could never be one of them. In using Carla and Harry Abel can show a person who has fully expressed the need to be accepted and the person who believes that he has been.
Abel uses the reputation of the city as key factor in the development of the plot. Like most authors the journey to find oneself is usually tested. In La Perdida, Abel uses various forms of conflict that come about from the social and cultural breakdown of Mexico City to become obstacles for Carla. In the novel Abel uses man vs. man in the form of Carla, an outsider vs. Memo, an insider. Memo is typical of the new age revolutionary who thinks he knows what is best. However, he is nothing more than a man posing in order to gain from a situation.
Abel also uses Man vs. environment as an integral aspect of the novel. Carla has no choice but to adapt and change to her environment. One such example is the use of language. While Carla has a comfort zone in Harry, and his use of English, she moves out of her comfort zone in order to gain confidence and a new sense of worth. Her language slowly becomes more fluid. It also begins to take on the colloquial nuance of Mexican Spanish. This includes the words that are used in how you identify yourself to others.
"Cities intensify the human condition of missed opportunities, choices, and inaccessibility.” (Writh-Nesher, 1996) Writh-Nesher would appreciate how Abel uses Mexico as the driving force in the story. Abel establishes the relationship between harry and Carla. This is in direct unison with how Carla feels about the city itself. Carla and Harry share a relationship that could be described as strained. Carla fell in love with the ideal of Mexico, much like she fell in love with the ideal of living with Harry. The love was superficial and involved no emotional attachment. It was however this love of superficial beauty. Carla only loves Mexico for what the city could do for her much like she tolerates living with Harry.
In the same vein the author also stresses the reputation of the city. Mexico City is notorious for their slew of kidnapping events every year. The city’s cab system is privy to the actions of a few individuals. Abel capitalizes by using the threat of kidnapping early on, when Carla worries about Memo’s well being after he is placed in a cab drunk.
What is interesting is how the city is slowly taking Carla in and at the same time corrupting her sense of self. While Carla was striving to find herself in Mexico City, she instead was faced with a very different picture. Carla, saw the death of her dream as she was made an accomplice in the kidnapping of Harry. As she played along with the act, those around her slowly broke her down. The culture impact that the men who were living with her was slowly beginning to set in. The sense of self that she was searching for was replaced with a subservient and docile woman.
Her role no longer became that of searcher but that of the search. Her loss of contact with her family spurred her brother to make contact. It also possibly set her on her road back to understanding. As she spent her last few days in Mexico, she began to see the world around her for what it was. A world full of lies and deceit that is shaped by the corruption.
She begins to develop pity for those around them, and finally begins to grow deeper in understanding of the world around her. She also begins to appreciate what she had in Chicago. In doing so Carla begins to truly define herself as a person. Thus, Carla began to form her identity and it was not to be found in Mexico City.
Her identity is that of a multiethnic woman. Not a woman without a country, but a woman without definition. What the city did was shape her view of the world and her role in it. How she could rise above corruption and find her way in the dark streets of Mexico City. Carla did much to break away from her role as La Perdida, however the end of the novel still shows that the journey she took has changed her fundamentally. It has created this new character that we see at the beginning and end of the book.
Both authors use the cities that their characters live in as a background for developmental change in their characters. New York and Mexico City act as catalyst for the transformation of Carla and Alison. The experiences and events that they cities themselves provide, offer the characters new challenges, outlets, and hopes. New York represents a freedom from the monotony of Beaver Creek while Mexico City offers Carla a chance at becoming a whole new person.
Bechdel and Abel create a journey for the character to travel. The very streets of the city serve as a backdrop to the change that occurs. It is through the experiences that they each encounter in New York and Mexico that they begin to form the identity that they live with now. Carla is a liberated woman who is strong in character, but cautious in nature. Alison is the finger pointer who likes to discuss and extrapolate on her past and her future while analyzing the truths and untruths of the world. What they both are however, are people who have chosen to be shaped by the world they chose to live in. If not for their choice then whom would we be reading about today?
Reference
Abel, J (2001). La Perdida. New York: Pantheon Books.
Bechdel, A (2006). Fun Home A Family tragicomoic. New York: First Mariner Books.
McCloud, S. (1994). Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art. New York: Harper Paperbacks.
Wirth-Nesher, H (1996). CITY CODES: READING THE MODERN URBAN NOVEL. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Abel uses Mexico as the perfect backdrop for a woman that is seeking not only her identity but also a place to belong to. Bechdel also uses New York City as a tool of identification for herself as well as a place in which she feels she belongs. Both authors use the city as characters that directly influence the narrative. For both the sights, sounds, and smells are all integral to the story that both authors tell. For Bechdel in specific, it was the subculture that developed in New York City. The city itself is full of cultures that range from neighborhood to neighborhood, but no other neighborhood is quite like the Village.
As a young child Bechdel lived in a rather humdrum town that provided little to no other
viewpoint or sense of identity. Citizens of Beaver Creek, for the most part, lived and died there. Alison goes to great lengths to let the reader know that most families lived in close proximity to each other, thus creating an almost homogenous idea structure and values. It was through her visits to the New York City, when her mother was on vacation that Alison began to form her new identity. Her visits often let her interact with the environment around her. Her exposure to sights and sounds that were so different were integral into her forming her new identity. In a certain panel, Bechdel goes into the specific smells that filled the air on a certain day in New York. Her description of the smell just further shows that Bechdel was beginning to feel a certain connection to the city.I know that I myself have come across a similar experience. The lights and sounds of New York City are both captivating and completely freighting. I can appreciate the feelings that Bechdel was beginning to develop. When Alison was old enough she moved to Brooklyn were she became engrained in the culture. The panel in which she was wearing her Doc Martin boots is a perfect example of the counter culture that rises up from the Village. In this culture Alison could begin to define who she would be. She could truly become the person that she wanted so badly to be.
Bechdel uses the city as a transformational tool. The city feeds into her personality by giving Alison an outlet to discover the Lesbian culture movement and resources that would allow her to grow as a person. She also found a good source of support in the form of groups and friends that are of the similar lifestyle. The city is optimal for her to embrace her Lesbian persona without the fear of rejection that she would experience if she tried to come out in Beaver Creek.
Jessica Abel however, uses Mexico as a tool for Carla to find herself as a person. Carla is lost as a character, thus she is the both lost in location and in identity. La Perdida is the tale of a person just trying to find a space in which to belong. Much like Bechdel, Abel uses the landscape of Mexico City to both points at deficiencies in Carla’s character and the growth that she experiences as a character.
This is especially true during the early chapters. As Carla arrives in Mexico and begins her journey, she also begins to see that the culture of Mexico City is very different from the ideal that she had pictured. Carla takes in the beautiful scene of the Parque Mexico she believes that she is truly seeing a piece of Mexico’s past. Instead of truly seeing the world changing around them.
Carla is rather naïve in nature thus leading to her befriending certain individuals that would abuse her naivety as well as her good heart. Since Carla is a recent arrival she seeks approval from the locals at every turn. This includes trying to be accepted by “true” Mexicans. What she does not understand is that the definition of Mexican varies from person to person.
In attempts to gain the acceptance of her friends, she seeks to find her true identity. However, what she does not realize is that she is eroding away at who she really is. Like Mexico City itself, the people who live in Mexico City are slowly marring Carla. The city itself is producing corrupt legions of officers and creating situations that corrupt even the most kind hearted of individuals.
Hana Wirth-Nesher writes, "Representation of the city will depend on the cultural and social position of the subject.” Thus, Carla is an outsider who is starting unlike most at the base level. Harry pretends to live among the masses, but he knows that he could never be one of them. In using Carla and Harry Abel can show a person who has fully expressed the need to be accepted and the person who believes that he has been.
Abel uses the reputation of the city as key factor in the development of the plot. Like most authors the journey to find oneself is usually tested. In La Perdida, Abel uses various forms of conflict that come about from the social and cultural breakdown of Mexico City to become obstacles for Carla. In the novel Abel uses man vs. man in the form of Carla, an outsider vs. Memo, an insider. Memo is typical of the new age revolutionary who thinks he knows what is best. However, he is nothing more than a man posing in order to gain from a situation.
Abel also uses Man vs. environment as an integral aspect of the novel. Carla has no choice but to adapt and change to her environment. One such example is the use of language. While Carla has a comfort zone in Harry, and his use of English, she moves out of her comfort zone in order to gain confidence and a new sense of worth. Her language slowly becomes more fluid. It also begins to take on the colloquial nuance of Mexican Spanish. This includes the words that are used in how you identify yourself to others.
"Cities intensify the human condition of missed opportunities, choices, and inaccessibility.” (Writh-Nesher, 1996) Writh-Nesher would appreciate how Abel uses Mexico as the driving force in the story. Abel establishes the relationship between harry and Carla. This is in direct unison with how Carla feels about the city itself. Carla and Harry share a relationship that could be described as strained. Carla fell in love with the ideal of Mexico, much like she fell in love with the ideal of living with Harry. The love was superficial and involved no emotional attachment. It was however this love of superficial beauty. Carla only loves Mexico for what the city could do for her much like she tolerates living with Harry.
In the same vein the author also stresses the reputation of the city. Mexico City is notorious for their slew of kidnapping events every year. The city’s cab system is privy to the actions of a few individuals. Abel capitalizes by using the threat of kidnapping early on, when Carla worries about Memo’s well being after he is placed in a cab drunk.
What is interesting is how the city is slowly taking Carla in and at the same time corrupting her sense of self. While Carla was striving to find herself in Mexico City, she instead was faced with a very different picture. Carla, saw the death of her dream as she was made an accomplice in the kidnapping of Harry. As she played along with the act, those around her slowly broke her down. The culture impact that the men who were living with her was slowly beginning to set in. The sense of self that she was searching for was replaced with a subservient and docile woman.
Her role no longer became that of searcher but that of the search. Her loss of contact with her family spurred her brother to make contact. It also possibly set her on her road back to understanding. As she spent her last few days in Mexico, she began to see the world around her for what it was. A world full of lies and deceit that is shaped by the corruption.
She begins to develop pity for those around them, and finally begins to grow deeper in understanding of the world around her. She also begins to appreciate what she had in Chicago. In doing so Carla begins to truly define herself as a person. Thus, Carla began to form her identity and it was not to be found in Mexico City.
Her identity is that of a multiethnic woman. Not a woman without a country, but a woman without definition. What the city did was shape her view of the world and her role in it. How she could rise above corruption and find her way in the dark streets of Mexico City. Carla did much to break away from her role as La Perdida, however the end of the novel still shows that the journey she took has changed her fundamentally. It has created this new character that we see at the beginning and end of the book.
Both authors use the cities that their characters live in as a background for developmental change in their characters. New York and Mexico City act as catalyst for the transformation of Carla and Alison. The experiences and events that they cities themselves provide, offer the characters new challenges, outlets, and hopes. New York represents a freedom from the monotony of Beaver Creek while Mexico City offers Carla a chance at becoming a whole new person.
Bechdel and Abel create a journey for the character to travel. The very streets of the city serve as a backdrop to the change that occurs. It is through the experiences that they each encounter in New York and Mexico that they begin to form the identity that they live with now. Carla is a liberated woman who is strong in character, but cautious in nature. Alison is the finger pointer who likes to discuss and extrapolate on her past and her future while analyzing the truths and untruths of the world. What they both are however, are people who have chosen to be shaped by the world they chose to live in. If not for their choice then whom would we be reading about today?
Reference
Abel, J (2001). La Perdida. New York: Pantheon Books.
Bechdel, A (2006). Fun Home A Family tragicomoic. New York: First Mariner Books.
McCloud, S. (1994). Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art. New York: Harper Paperbacks.
Wirth-Nesher, H (1996). CITY CODES: READING THE MODERN URBAN NOVEL. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
