Our Mark in Life Is a Map of Movement

Chau Vien

Professor Ian. Scott Todd

LIB 112.T – Expository Writing

February 4th , 2016

“Our mark in life is a map of movement”

People have many struggles in their inner feeling. Those abstract and spiritual things have a super power that can control life, can torture one person. So does Craig Thompson’s case. Thompson was born in Michigan in 1975. He is a graphic novelist. For most of his writing career, Thompson’s distinctive writing style is the most semi-autobiographical graphic novel whose story is about the authors themselves. Craig Thompson is best known for Good-bye, Chunky Rice (1999), Carnet De Voyage (2004), Habibi (2011). One of his graphic novel where Thompson tells a story about his life and expresses his aspect of life is Blankets. Craig Thompson started to write Blankets in 1999 and just until 2003 that the book was published. Blankets portrays Thompson’s enduring childhood and conflicted adulthood. The book brings out Thompson’s aspects of life, the relationship between religion, sexuality and art-drawing and how the three main themes contradict and affect each other. Throughout the book, we can see how Craig always hides in his shell and lonely introspects. The section on pgs. 578-582 shows a grown-up and mature side of Craig-the character after all of his experiences and conflict in his mind. Craig now can realize and easily accept that every single issue we have to face is a step that pushes us to a happy future where we do not have to bother wondering things conflict or not, we just need to enjoy life simply. Every step we make is “a map of movement” according to Craig (581).

         In his childhood, Craig and his brother Phil are bullied and teased by his friends because of their family. Craig is raised in a poor and very religious family; his mother is a Christian. Because of that, religion and Bible like essential things that Craig has to take with him throughout his childhood and even when he has grown up. Religion is a barrier prevents Craig from doing what he likes and from his loved life. When doing something, Craig always reminds himself of God and his biblical studies which cause that guilty feeling rises in him. There is a scene when Craig draws a naked woman on a bus. His parents catch him; they are upset and sad. They believe “it hurts Him when you sin.” (208). After all, Craig feels regret and guilty. This scene shows how religion affects on Craig; he cannot think of sexuality and lust or using his drawing to illustrates that. His relationship with Raina is also related to religion. At first, he feels guilty as he was a child. But then, the love with Raina helps Craig bravely step out of his struggling with religion. Overall, Blankets is a twist in Craig Thompson’s life that he has to realize which way he wants to go and not just to be affected by other people and issues.

         On page 579, Craig breathes out and slowly gaze at his breath in the first and second frame. That moment illustrates Craig somehow agrees that things do not last forever, just like his love with Raina. They both start very coincidentally. Raina is just one of many girls in the church camp but he meets her, and they fall in love. Raina is responsible; she had to take care of all her family members and experienced a lot of difficulties, especially her parents divorce. Craig is a boy who seems to be very miserable at school and even at his house. Both of them have their wounds. Therefore, they feel each other and begin to share those difficulties. However, as they get closer and closer, there is a gap between them. During daytime, the two are not together since Raina is going to the party, but Craig does not enjoy meeting new people and going to crowded place. He just wants to spend time with Raina and keeps her at private: “Why can't we just be alone together- like this morning when she typed, and I painted” (Thompson, 358). Raina is like a security blanket of Craig, so is her handmade quilt. He needs her to get away from his conflict. Craig treasures his relationship that’s why Craig keeps the blanket which is a precious thing to him. The relationship with Raina has made Craig become more mature and somehow influenced Craig’s thought later on. Even though Raina is not with him anymore, Craig is still living fine and do not want to cling on her anymore. Craig now knows how to let things go.