DISCUSSION PROMPT #1: Discuss your initial reaction to Chabon's characters. Consider: How are they characterized? What does his writing reveal about them?
Kavalier and Clay are both escapists, but they seem to have opposite inspirations. Josef looks to magic while Sam looks to science (page three lists his heroes). These are both elements of comic books. Reading about Clay’s “incorrect but fervent understandings” of different scientific concepts reminded me of the book I read for physics this summer, The Physics of Superheroes (4). In the physics book, the author discussed the often misunderstood concepts of science used in comic books and mentioned that some superpowers would be feasible given some “miracle exceptions.” The “miracle exceptions” are the part of the comics Josef could represent, bringing his magic into the mix.
Kavalier’s connection to magic especially shows in the last chapter of part one, as he encounters the Golem. Whereas before he used only the stage magic of illusion and the skills of a lock pick, here the laws governing the real world seem to bend and allow for a creature that really is magical (as shown by his surroundings – “after more than thirty years, the floor of the Golem’s room looked new… and still carried a sting of fresh emulsion”) (50). It should be interesting to see how the cousins combine their different approaches to achieving the same dream!
Michael Chabon's writing sucked me into this story. Only 10 or so pages after he was introduced, Kavalier was as deep and fleshed out as a real person. I was particularly stunned by the description of Josef's goodbye to his family and his reluctance to return to them after his visa is denied. He is only a teenager who is desperately trying with "buoyant Cagneyesque callousness" to remain strong in the face of his grief at leaving his home and his loved ones (18). Chabon uses perfectly subtle details like how he hides a torque wrench in his cheek or writes a boastful invitation to the Hofzinser Club to emphasize Kavalier's dedication and dreams of magic. Carolyn touched on Kavalier's obsession with magic as a form of escapism and that connection between magic and escape is literal for Kavalier. By the end of the section I felt as if I was Josef as he lies contorted in the coffin of the magic golem making a miraculous escape to Lithuania to begin a fantastic journey to America. Also I noticed that Chabon zooms in to focus on the minutiae of Kavalier's feelings before zooming out and almost blurring his magical escape through Eastern Europe and Asia. I was really surprised by the effectiveness of Chabon's brief but exquisitely detailed snippets of Kavalier's life at creating a realistic and likeable character. -Alex
Chabon’s ability to provide the reader with snippets of information, as Alex mentioned above gives the reader time to process and add to their knowledge of the character, rather than come to a snap judgment. He allows the reader to watch Sammy’s dreams of “a land where wild cataracts of money” to evolve and be caught up in Sammy’s excitement (87). I was extremely amused by one instance where Chabon described Sammy’s efforts to make his portfolio appear as “battered, scraped, and … dented” as possible, showing just how excited and buoyant Sammy was by life and its possibilities. Sammy’s little quirks and mannerisms show how he has been shaped as one of the “little men, city boys, and Jews” growing up (3). I agree with Carolyn’s assessment of Josef above, as the one who will provide the “miracle exceptions” and believe that Sammy’s contribution to the comic books that he loves will be how the characters are shaped. Although Sammy’s heroes are scientists, Sammy approaches his characters as an experiment, looking to fit each piece together and find the “why?” behind them (146). Chabon manages to infuse his characters with life by providing little details that add dimension; he does not simply outline their triumphs and dreams, but their failures and weaknesses as well. Chabon does not allow Sammy and Josef to become instant hits, but gives them depth by providing them with obstacles to overcome. In addition, the ways in which the characters go about creating their own characters reflects their inner turmoil and trouble. Josef has the Escapist battle “the evil forces of the Iron Chain” and Sammy has Tom Mayflower go from a cripple with a “gimpy leg” to a proud hero fighting injustice (133, 145). Showing Josef’s wish to free his family from Germany and the Nazis and Sammy’s wish to be have full control over his legs. -Stephanie
Chabon's characters Josef Kavalier and Sammy Klayman seem so different due their differences in interests, but are actualy quite similiar. Sammy is interested in the sciences and how things work, where as Josef is more interested in the art of illusion, and escape. Both characters are escapists which is showed through their determined and persistent personalities, and their fantasies for the future. Sammy is determined to make a name for himself and "attain fabulous sums of money."(7) He also likes to romanticize certain things, to add a sense of adventure, danger, or other action packed events. Kavalier looks at life with an extremely different view. Kornblum believes that Kavalier practices escape artistry is for "dangerously metaphorical reasons" which could bring harm to himself and others(37). Kavalier lives in the present but ultimately wants to be big, like Houdini or other illusion/escape artists. Both characters want very similar futures, but have extremely different views on their dreams, and how to obtain them. -Julia
Michael Chabon’s characters were the first thing that really drew me in to his novel. From the first chapter, where both Kavalier and Clay have very mysterious histories but extremely quirky behaviors, I was dying to know more about both of them. Chabon’s characterization of Kavalier as a young man interested in escape and devoted to doing the right thing for his family left me wondering how he’ll cope once he settles in the United States. It is evident that Josef forms extremely tight bonds with people, such as his parents, his brother Thomas, and his mentor, Kornblum. It is also evident that these bonds have helped to shape him as a person. Josef Kavalier has such a close bond to his family that, when his visa is denied, he cannot bear to return to them with failure. While telling Kornblum of his attempt to cross the border, “Josef sat down. He buried his face in his hands. He let out a shuddering breath, his shoulders grew taut, cords stood out on the back of his neck. He was struggling with the desire to cry” (17). Josef so wanted to live up to his family’s hopes and expectations that he hardly knows what to do now that it seems he can’t. On the other hand, he cannot bring himself to lose control in the company of someone he esteems as much as he does Kornblum.
Chabon’s writing, which can seem fractured as it leaps from chapter to chapter, serves to give only the defining moments in Kavalier’s life while still illustrating the details which make him who he is. When telling the story of Kavalier’s attempt to escape from a sack at the bottom of a river, Chabon writes, “the tension wrench twisted like the stem of a top” (55) noting that Kavalier’s skills for picking locks had made a transformation from a fun pastime to a life-saving skill. For me, Chabon’s writing style has done a lot to convey indirectly the most important aspects of Kavalier’s character, and I’m excited to see what he does with Sam Clay!
DISCUSSION PROMPT #2: How does the way that Kavalier and Clay develop their comic books reflect their characters? How does the concept of comic books relate to their lives and dreams?
Kavalier and Clay rely on one another to develop their comic books. Kavalier provides the artistic portion, filled with an extraordinary level of color and detail. Clay develops the story, not by looking to create a generic superhero; with his trusty sidekick and arch nemesis, but by asking “why.” Sammy pushes each writer to figure the motivation for his superhero’s urge to fight evil (146). Kavalier’s motivation for drawing comics stems from his need to rescue his family from Prague. Josef promised Thomas that he wouldn’t “rest until [he was] meeting [their] ship in the harbor of New York City” and he means to fulfill this promise (59). By infusing the Escapist with as much color and detail as he can, Josef makes the comic more realistic, as if the Escapist was an actual person, capable of infiltrating the frontlines of the “Razis” and “the Iron Chain” (170). Josef is able to live viscerally through his drawings, which represent his greatest desire. The Escapist is able to perform feats that Josef himself cannot do yet. Illustrating the comics has a more practical purpose as well; Josef is able to save up money that will be the key to actually saving his family from the Nazis.
As Stephanie said, Clay was essential in the birth of the escapist, making sure that the hero had a true motive and a cause deeper than the pursuit of glory through violence. However, after the scene of the initial drafting of The Escapist, we are shown little of Clay’s involvement in the comic-making process. He is the more cool-headed cousin, who, aware of the dependence of Kavalier’s sanity on having the comics as an outlet for all his frustration will negotiate business and stand by Joe’s moral decisions even when refusal to compromise could cost both the cousins a potential raise and end Clay’s own dreams of success (286). Kavalier himself throws himself into drawing the comics with a fury, and Sam notices that “if he was not kept fighting, round the clock – his cousin might be overcome by the imprisoning futility of his rage” (171). While for Clay, comic books are a means to achieving wealth and childhood dreams, for Kavalier they are a way to fight a desperate battle against the Nazis and the oppression of his family. While he is consumed by the world of the Escapist, he can briefly escape his own world in which he is powerless to help his family, no matter how much money he amasses (177).
In the beginning of the third section Kavalier and Clay are referred to as "golem makers" (171). To the cousins, the comic is a golem, a symbol of hope and salvation. But Joe and Sam both have very different relationships with this comic golem. For example, as Stephanie said, Joe lives vicariously through his illustrations of fighting the Nazis. But after his father's death and after he meets Rosa Saks, Joe begins to have a different relationship with comic books. He brings elements of his real life into the comic books in the form of Luna Moth and also begins to take on characteristics of the escapist. This is especially apparent when Joe, almost mad with grief, begins to look for trouble and spits on the shoe of a German man. Violence, an element Joe has always infused into the stories of his comic, finally diffuses out and makes Joe feel "as powerful as the escapist" (190). But as Joe becomes more wound into the comic book, Sam seems to drift away. He does not write for the same reason that Joe draws. As Carolyn observes, Sam becomes the unemotional front man who takes care of business and money. Sam's role in making the comic books mirrors his role in real life: he is always involved but not passionate, feeling that he being pushed to the side.
Kavalier and Clay both incorporate their goals and dreams into the comic strip to make it such a success. They go into the "Why" as Stephanie and others have mentioned, which gives a background to the character and history showing thier motivations as a superhero. Sam provides the imaginative story plots, which he has always fantisized, and incorporates an "underdog" character based on himself. He loves the idea that characters with flaws can still make a difference and a statement to the world. Joe, incorporates his amazing artwork, and life passion into the comic strips. He is constantly waging a "make-believe waragainst enemies he could not defeat"(285). Joe tries to help his family in Prauge and the only way he can acheive this is through the comics. When that is threatened to be taken away, his worst nighnmares come true and the realization that his work has not made the lives of his family members any better. Together Kavalier and Clay create a comic book which adresses world issues, and social problems, which appeal to a large number of people.
Both Joe Kavalier and Sam Clay rely on each other to develop their comic book, and in the end their unique combination of talents is what makes the idea so successful. Sam has grown up longing for a partner, someone who he can trust to respect his ideas and help him build on them. Originally he had hoped that this partner would be his father, Alter Klayman. Sam’s hope of finding a partner in his father did not even die when he left home without telling Sam first. His hope died when “Alter Klayman had been crushed, and with him Sammy’s fondest hope […] of working with a partner” (108). Sam Clay’s intense desire to work with a partner helped him develop the comic book because, with another person following him, he was able to find the self-confidence to push his idea and go after his dream.
Joe Kavalier’s greatest desire upon coming to the US was to earn enough money to help his family back in Prague. His ability to put his head down and work helped the pair get their comic book done in time for the deadline, and Kavalier’s quiet nature offsets some of Clay’s gung-ho attitude, allowing their comic book to meet exactly in the middle with the perfect balance of fine attention to detail and glossed over suggestions of scenery.
Michael Chabon uses magic to symbolize the hopes and dreams of his characters. Their successes seem miraculous like Josef's escape from Prague or the comic's success, but their failures show that magic is really just an illusion. Underneath the miracles lies reality which is harsh and cold. For example, Josef becomes more and more disillusioned with America and no longer believes in the magic "movie-derived notions of life" in New York City (90). A key moment when the harshness of reality finally hits him is when Thomas' boat passage that was miraculously "smoothed by the invisible hand of Eleanor Roosevelt" is attacked by a U Boat and sunk (384). To Josef, America is the land of opportunity, comic book golems and magic. But even here terrible events can happen and Thomas' rescue from Europe does not succeed no matter how hard Josef tries. In response, Josef attempts to drown himself at a Bar Mitzvah doing an escape. Escapes are supposed to be magical and fantastic but for Joe reality trumps the power of magic and he cannot find a will to live because his brother Thomas is dead. There is no magic that could have saved Thomas from drowning and ultimately Joe comes to the realization that magic is only a deceptive illusion.
As Alex said, magic is only a temporary illusion to mask the cruelty of reality.
Clay’s autobiographical novel is titled, “American Disillusionment.” In part I, Chabon comments that Clay isn’t truly familiar with this topic (7). This novel is mentioned again in part IV as Sam revisits its first and only chapter (295). Such a novel could not have been successful before the end of part IV, as Sam always was under several illusions. Sam viewed comic books as his road to fortune, believing that writing pulps and publishing a comic book could lead to greatness – he is a great admirer of Deasey’s work even though Deasey is ashamed of his work, believing that he is a sell out. Clay is also in denial about his sexuality. For a short time in part IV, Sam is able to overcome his own fears and let himself enjoy his time with Bacon. However, this momentary time of happiness is brought to a sudden stop, and Clay finds himself more forlorn than ever before. Comics no longer hold glory and magic for him. Deasey’s pessimism has taken hold of Sam, and Clay is embarrassed by his books. (When Rosa brings up that she told someone that he wrote three novels, Sam is less than enthused – “for God’s sake, those were pulps, I got paid by the yard. Why do you think they invented the pseudonym?” (294)). Clay also leaves Bacon, convinced that “regardless of what he felt for Bacon, it was not worth the danger, the shame, the risk of arrest and opprobrium” (420). Sam Clay is thoroughly disillusioned.
Chabon coats the world of Kavalier and Clay with magic, through the use of comic books and illusions. However, as Carolyn mentioned above, when Chabon strips his characters of the magical aspect of their lives, which serves to open doors and bring their dreams to life, they become well and truly disillusioned by life. It is as if each character has their own personal “wolf pack” following them around, waiting to strike when they are at their happiest (401). When Josef had finally guaranteed his brother’s arrival and understood that he was “going to be like a father to [Thomas],” the reality that there was a war going on and that even children were not spared came crashing down on him. As Alex mentioned above, Josef comes to realize that magic is simply a matter of deception. Even though Kornblum saved Josef from drowning in the River Moldau, Thomas who “had turned thirteen on a cot” and suffered from a “lifelong snuffle” had no one to save him when his lifeboat was hit by a storm (37, 381).
I would agree with Stephanie, that the theme of "illusion vs. reality" comes up over and over again in the novel. The characters believe they are doing something which is potentially helpful, when in all reality, it has no effect whatsoever on any particuluar outcome. One of the moments where this theme really struck me was when Joe is welcomed into the Sak's household. He replies "I already have a family" (321), which shows that at this point in the novel he is not ready to face the reality that his family is probably gone, and he is alone without them. I think Joe realizes that his hopes are just illusions of hope which he paints before his eyes, and that he may have given up his chance to belong in a family once again. Another question I would like address, is the purpose for writing the novel. I find this book very obscure and extremely deep, I was just curious as to the purpose for writing this book, and if Chabon realizes just how deep this book is.
As Julia mentioned, the theme of “illusion versus reality” is prevalent throughout the novel. One part in which Chabon’s use of this theme struck me was in chapter five of Part IV. This chapter discusses Carl Ebling’s attempt to exact revenge on Joe for his destruction of the AAL. The way Chabon describes Ebling’s planning and execution is extremely unique. Throughout the novel, Chabon has described Kavalier and Clay’s comic book ideas in a tone which sounds very much like a comic book. Because we as readers know that The Escapist is a character that the pair created, we are not confused when Chabon sets the scene for The Escapist in chapter two of Part II. His voice is extremely distinct from his normal storytelling style, and we can recognize that Max Mayflower is not a character that we have come across before. When on page 321 Chabon writes, “The Steel Gauntlet, Kapitan Evil, the Panzer, Siegfried, Swastika Man, the Four Horsemen, and Wotan the Wicked all confine their nefarious operations, by and large, to the battlefields of Europe and North Africa,” we assume that he is writing of another comic book character. As the chapter progresses, though, and the Saboteur begins to think of events far too close to Josef Kavalier’s life to be coincidence, the reader is left wondering whether this is illusion or reality. Chabon very effectively blurs the line between the two, and, again as Julia mentioned, adds a depth to the novel which, in my opinion, is almost unparalled.
DISCUSSION PROMPT #4: What was your reaction to the ending? What stood out the most about the ending? (If you can connect this to broader themes in the novel, all the better. Don't forget to cite specifics and acknowledge each other's ideas. Remember that it's okay to respectfully disagree with each other, too!)
The ending me feel so bad for Sammy! His suffering was overshadowed by Joe’s throughout the entire novel, and while the ending is happy for Joe (he calmed down, regained Rosa, and found a family), Sam is unavoidably pushed out by Joe’s return. While Joe was gone, Sam gave up the chance to follow his own dreams and married Rosa so that her dream of having a family could survive and Thomas wouldn’t grow up fatherless –without a partner in the world – as Sam had. Though he was unhappy with his life – as another comic book writer noted, “[h]e’s never been happy anywhere”– Sam stayed with Rosa and loved his time with Thomas more than anything else (481). (It seems that Rosa also felt trapped, and may even have been having an affair [520]). When Joe returns, and Thomas learns who his real father is, although the boy may not see a reason for Clay to leave (he still refers to him as “Dad” (629)), Clay feels that he is encroaching on a life that is not his own. Sam doesn’t really have anything left of what he used to live for – comics don’t offer joy or escape, he was exposed on national television, and he no longer feels that he can truly act as Thomas’s father. I don’t think any of the characters wanted Sammy to leave, but I also don’t see how he could have stayed.
I totally agree with Carolyn, that Sammy is, was, and will be unhappy wherever he is. The end of this book tore me apart, because as Carolyn mentioned I was so focused on Joe's struggles and hardships, that I never even thought about what Sammy gave up to make others happy. Joe "used to imagine that he [Sammy] was happy"(555), but he never actually cared enough to really look at the situation and see that he was in fact quite miserable. After Joe's return, Sammy had no true place in their family. He left without any true note, just the deed to the house with "Kavalier and Clay" written on it. (636) This shows that he still values his relationship with the family, but can not handle the happiness with which they can now live the rest of their lives. I thought that the way Joe acted upon his return was a bit too peaceful for his character, because throughout the entire novel, he is shown as a violent and impulsive person. I can't wait to hear what everyone else has to say!! -Julia
I was blown away by the ending and I was in tears at my kitchen table when I read about Sammy leaving. I agree with both Julia and Carolyn that Sammy's suffering, which wasn't apparent earlier in the novel, is heartbreaking. But I have to respectfully disagree with Julia that Joe's return was too peaceful for his character. Over the course of a few weeks, Joe jumped off the empire state building, snuck around in disguise meeting with Tommy, and destroyed Sammy and Rosa's life together (even if it wasn't perfect). Everywhere that Joe goes there is turmoil and violence that is not always physical but rather emotional. His return is so absurdly complicated and extreme that Rosa is wordless and stunned that Joe couldn't "just have just called?" (558). But I really was most astounded by the fact that both Joe and Sammy have not taken Kornblum's advice at all. They still never think about "what they are escaping to" (37). Joe jumps off the empire state building and still has no explanation for Rosa about why he did it other than that he just wanted to come home. In the same way, Sammy escapes from the life he has built for himself without even thinking about what he is going to do with his life. When asked where he is going to travel and what he is going to work on Sammy can only say "I was thinking Los Angeles" (637) which clearly shows that he has not thought his decision through. To sum up, Michael Chabon wrote a perfect two sentences that encompasses, to me, the whole theme of the novel: "He had escaped, in his life, from ropes, chains, boxes, bags, and crates, from handcuffs and shackles, from countries and regimes, from the arms of a woman who loved him, from crashed airplanes and an opiate addiction and from an entire frozen continent intent on causing his death. The escape from reality was, he felt—especially right after the war—a worthy challenge" (575). I really don't think there is any better way to describe Sammy and Joe's sometimes absurd but always meaningful need to escape from all things both good and bad in life. -Alex (sorry it is so long, I just couldn't stop writing!!)
So far, everyone has said that Sammy’s leaving was sad and that it further reflects the suffering that he faced throughout the novel. Although I do agree that it’s sad that Sammy had to leave his family, I think Los Angeles is an absolutely wonderful opportunity for him. All through Chabon’s story, Sammy has continually put his friends and family before himself, especially when he volunteered to give up years of his life to raise his cousin’s child and marry a woman that he is not, and never could be, in love with. Sammy’s leaving the family in favor of Los Angeles does cause him to lose the partnership that he’s dreamed of for years, but for the first time in the novel Sammy is able to actually think only of himself and what will be best for him. This is true even after Joe calls Sammy an idiot and tells him, “after I left you this morning, I went over there and made an offer for the Empire Comics” (635). If Sammy was ever going to feel obligated to do something, that was the time, and I cheered for him when he stood his ground and left for California.
(I’m so glad Joe came back too but now I’ve run out of room to talk about it :D)
I will have to respectfully disagree with Jocelyn because I felt that when Sammy was leaving Rosa and Tommy he was sacrificing his happiness once more. While Josef was allowed to escape from everything without much regard to the feelings of the people he was abandoning, until it was to late for him to return, as Alex mentioned above, Sammy had to pick up the pieces that Joe left behind by “joining the navy” because his suicide attempt failed (421). Sammy created a life for himself during the twelve years that Joe had been gone and was “delighted to call [Thomas] his son” (472) and when Sammy was able to spend time with Thomas “it was invariably the happiest hour of Sammy’s week” (474). In addition, Sammy carried around the “little card that had come with the packet of documents of sale” from the house he had bought in his wallet, as it represented a milestone that he was proud of (474). When Joe comes back, Sammy leaves without a word allowing Josef to take his place “through … [a] clever feat of substitution” and gives up everything he has worked for and achieved in the past twelve years, leaving behind the “wrinkled and dog-eared” card and much more.
How will Tommy deal with Clay's departure? The man he has known and loved as his father all his life picks up in the middle of the night and leaves without saying goodbye. I don't think that Tommy will fully understand why Clay left. Will he feel abandoned, confused, or possibly even guilty?
Also, how does Tommy feel about the fact that he has been getting to know his real father for all of these months, and that he didn't actually die during the war? I think that Tommy is at that age where, if Rosa and Joe handle it well enough and actually tell Tommy why Sammy left, he could understand it completely. If they try to stay secretive, there's a very good possibility that Tommy will end up feeling abandoned, confused, guilty, or any combination of the three.
I think Tommy is happy to have Joe in his life. Perhaps it is just the novelty of suddenly having an exciting new stranger in his life, but Thomas seems to have accepted his biological father completely. Joe is a mysterious and long lost relative, an accomplice in childish schemes (sending secret messages, encouraging Tommy to escape from school and go into the city wearing a disguise), and a master of illusions. Sam may have been Tommy's father for the past twelve years, but Joe arrived with BOXES, an exciting past, and the remains of the GOLEM.
The Clays had been telling Thomas that Sam was his real father, and any tales of another father were made up by Thomas himself, so he might not have too much trouble adjusting to the idea that Joe is his father, especially after stumbling upon the photograph of Joe and Rosa. I am afraid that Tommy might have some trouble dealing with reality as Joe's story seems like it could be straight out of one of Tommy's dreams. Tommy doesn't seem to have any friends to help keep him in the real world, but Sam's leaving might serve to shatter the aura of fantasy that seems to surround the family's reunion.
I just couldn't help but think about that aura of fantasy that Rogue mentions. Joe's homecoming is so incredibly surreal. He has created an elaborate secret scheme with Tommy, lived in the empire state building, jumped off the building held by only rubber bands, and slipped back into Rosa and Sammy's lives as if nothing happened.
In this way the ending of the book really parallels the surreality of the beginning. Chabon dreams up these elaborate scenarios and sandwiches harsh reality between them. It is just so powerful.
Tommy is going to end up a disillusioned boy, rather like you, Batman. Both of his fathers abandoned him at some point in his life, one at birth and one when he had just discovered the other. Perhaps I'll pay little Tommy aka the Bug a visit. My team could do with an understudy.
The Joker has a good point. Tommy has to deal with TWO fathers who have abandoned him. Sam only had to deal with one. He already seems to lack normal interaction with people his age. Who can he rely on now?
I think the Joker is missing an important point: Tommy has Rosa for a mother. Both fathers have abandoned him at some point but he has always had a father and a mother. No matter who his father is (at first Sammy but later Joe) Tommy still has more support from a father figure than Sam ever did as a boy. And Sammy turned out fine even though he was basically raised by a single mother. Tommy has many good influences in his life to rely on even though he is (probably) emotionally damaged from the absurd father substitution at the end of the novel.
Sammy was never really 'fine' though. Throughout his life he was looking for a father figure or partner. He gave all the comic book characters he worked with wards, so that they could have a father.
I see your point that Sam is not the *only* person to affect Tommy, and that Rosa is one constant in his life, but I would have to question your statement that he has "many good influences in his life." Other than Rosa and Sam, who has been a good influence? (And I agree with Dogmatix that Sammy isn't really fine - although he is a good person, he is miserable!)
I agree with Rogue that there haven't been very many good influences in Tommy's life, and I think that this is why he's so withdrawn at school and doesn't have too many friends. I'm wondering whether, now that Tommy has his real father, he'll be able to accept it. He does have an extremely active imagination, and is this the end of Tommy's wild wonderings?
I think that Tommy's wild wonderings were prompted by Joe's appearance. I think he might have more of a problem understanding the idea that Joe will not allow him to wander off anymore, now that he is officially Tommy's father. I wonder how Sammy will fare in life now that he no longer has a official home or Bacon to fall back on. He plans seemed pretty vague and the only thing he appeared to be certain about was that he was leaving.
I'd be a good influence on Tommy. Perhaps Tommy will just end up looking for his 'real father' the same way that Sammy tried to find someone to make up for the father he never had.
Do you think Tommy feels the same loneliness that Sam did when he was younger? The Joker mentioned that he might always be searching as Clay had, but so far I think Tommy has followed a path more similar to his biological father's. While Josef's parents were both a part of his life, I think they often were a bit distanced from their children. They definitely cared about their children, but I think they were always busy. Josef turned to magic tricks and then escapes, perhaps partially to fill this void. In turn, Tommy seems to have isolated himself from other people (children at school, the storekeeper, etc.) rather than reaching out for companionship, and he too shows an interest in illusions.
Tommy is really an amalgamation of both of his fathers. It is fascinating to see, like Rogue said, the way that he is obsessed with escape like Josef but a loner like Sammy.
I personally think that the novelty of having a new father will make him less lonely. While he loves Sammy he clearly feels that he has outgrown him for instance when Sammy comes and lies on his bed Tommy says there is not enough room anymore. For Tommy, Josef represents a new beginning and Tommy is clearly excited by his new father's escapades. He has never been so involved in anything in his life before he met Josef. It makes me sad because Sammy tried so hard to be a good father but still didn't seem to be able to connect with Tommy. I hope that Joe, even though like Sammy he wasn't really close to his father, can step up and be the father that Tommy needs.
I just realized that at some point Sammy must have returned to the comic book world and faced the 'aging' fans that adored his comics. As the beginning of the books mentions how Sammy would talk at conventions, implying that he returned. However, it could also have been before he decided to leave on another amazing adventure.
Good point WKW. I never thought back to the beginning when it mentioned that Sammy went to conventions. I guess it is more appealing to me to leave his future uncertain. It leaves him more room for the happy ending that I'm not sure he really gets.
It must be very bittersweet to meet the aging fans. He would really be hit with the understanding that he was once very successful and happy and fell from that life.
-The Masked Cactus (I just can't give up this name)
I agree with the Masked Cactus that leaving Kavalier and clay open ended is more appealing, as much as I wish there was a sequel.
Although, the fact that he chose to return to the conventions means that it must be less bittersweet than we would originally think. We also don't know what happened to him in between leaving Joe, Rosa, and Tommy and the conventions. Sammy may have found something he loved more.
Dogmatix, how does his decision to return make it less bittersweet? On one hand he sticks with something he had loved while on the other he is trapped by his past (even later in his career he had started to resent his mass produced stories). I am glad that he returned though, as WKW brought up (I had forgotten that detail too!) and hope that that means that Sammy was able to face the public without feeling ashamed or under attack and that in turn the public was less accusatory.
- Jean Grey (Unless we're permitted to reclaim our names...)
I agree with Jean Grey. I can't think of any worse fate than having to defend old stories that you no longer truly believe in to an accusatory crowd. It's like being a defense lawyer when everyone absolutely knows the defendant is guilty. Not to say that Sammy doesn't appreciate the magic of the old comics but he's definitely disillusioned with the mass produced stories.
We have a new recruit! Jule just discovered the marvels of Kavalier and Clay and will be joining us. If Ms. Kitsis happens to be reading the blog, she should post too, if she hasn't already.
I'm not sure Sammy was there defending his work at that point. I assumed that he was there voluntarily, after discovering something he truly enjoyed doing when he left. I felt that Sammy left to find himself and when he did was able to return and talk about his work and life with others. Also, I don't think that the crowds were accusatory because they were there out of mutual enjoyment of comics.
-Wadsworth Kevin Wallis IV (Should the ending after Walter Kicks Waldo be Jr. not II? I always get confused by that.)
I felt the end of the book was sad, but most of my sadness was not directed at Sammy. At the end of the book, Sammy is finally moving on with his life and actively seeking out happiness. Now that he’s freed of his secrets and the binds of family he has the freedom to pursue the life he wants. In fact, he acts as though he’s stepping back into the life he gave up the day he proposed to Rosa - he is going to LA and plans to write for TV, just like he had intended to do when he almost left with Bacon. Whenever Sammy wants to escape, he always thinks of LA (when he almost walked out after having to return to the comic business he bought at ticket to LA, too). I think to Sammy LA symbolizes the life with Bacon that he missed out on. Also, that Sammy wrote Kavalier&Clay on the card suggests that Sammy has not lost his loved ones, he still feels connected to them, but he needs the distance in order to construct his own life. The one I felt sorry for was Tommy, or Sammy’s relationship with Tommy. I wanted Sammy to finally be able to start the life he wanted, and had given up on having, but it was shocking to me to see how loose Sammy felt his bond to Tommy was, that he could leave his son so easily. It was as if he had spent 12 years as a placeholder for Joe and now that Joe was back had transferred the position with no regrets. I do agree with Carolyn that there didn’t seem a place for Sammy anymore. Joe and Rosa were obviously together again – a fact that seemed not to have sunk in yet for the two of them (Joe was shocked at the idea of Sammy sleeping on the couch). Yet I felt that Sammy still had the option to be a strong part of Tommy’s life – in practice, he was Tommy’s father.
-Unprecedented Physical Prowess Dedicated to Acts of Derring-Do in the Public Interest
I felt that Joe’s buying Empire Comics almost created new chains for Sammy. While Joe did rekindle Sammy’s respect for comics, Sammy still seems to want to write for different media. He tells Deasey he’s going to try TV; he doesn’t seem to hold for long the fantasy of owning Empire Comics.
-Unprecedented Physical Prowess Dedicated to Acts of Derring-Do in the Public Interest
About fathers . . . Sammy, though he admits to not being enough of a presence in Tommy’s life, is pretty level-headed and dependable. I wonder how Joe will fare as a father? His lifestyle is more wild and ungrounded – after all, he jumps off a building because he thinks his son sort of asked him to! Joe loves Tommy but he seems like an older brother or a good friend . . . I don’t know if he’d make a responsible father.
-Unprecedented Physical Prowess Dedicated to Acts of Derring-Do in the Public Interest
In response to Julia’s question on what the purpose of the book is, I think on one level Kavalier & Clay is an evaluation of escape. Superheroes escape from physical binds, such as gravity, and the characters escape from various problems. The Escapist glorifies escape, yet in many instances, such as Sammy’s marriage, or Thomas’s escape from Prague, characters end up escaping into worse situations than before. For Sammy, by marrying he escaped from a life where he would live in fear of police and public humiliation, but in doing so he created an equally painful, if not more so, situation for himself. Almost all the escapes in the book are mixed blessings. For instance, after the war Joe escapes into comic books to ease his pain, yet it can be argued that he hid in books instead of confronting his situation and revealing himself to the Clays.
Despite how often escapes go wrong, there seems to be a perpetual need to escape. Sammy can’t be happy in a marriage where he’s forced to suppress his sexuality and his ambition. If he wants happiness, he has little option but to try to escape this marriage. In a sense, Sammy’s life is a series of chains: he starts out limited by weak legs (his father used Sammy’s weak legs as an excuse to leave him) and by lack of money; He uses comic books to escape this need for money; later, Sammy escapes fear of police and public humiliation by marrying Rosa, and then finally escapes the smothering family binds by fleeing to LA. Perhaps this is meant to suggest that humans fundamentally feel a need to escape, and life and progress are just replacing one set of chains with another. To throw in a positive note, perhaps in LA Sammy’s new set of chains will be lighter ones, because at least now he is not trying to escape for himself.
-Unprecedented Physical Prowess Dedicated to Acts of Derring-Do in the Public Interest
When Sammy and Joe meet, they decide to change their names from Sammy Klayman and Josef Kavalier to Sam Clay and Joe Kavalier. Yet the narration keeps referring to Sam as “Sammy” despite replacing “Josef” with “Joe”. This seems to suggest that Joe's new identity is valid, but Sam’s is just a pretense. This is emphasized when Anapol continues to refer to Sam as “Sammy” and Sam introduces himself to Bacon as “Sammy”. Joe has become Americanized and leads a completely new, different life, but Sammy is just the same insecure, ambitious kid he always was. -Unprecedented Physical Prowess Dedicated to Acts of Derring-Do in the Public Interest
1. Sammy becomes Deasey: -They both have a novel that is became almost legendary for never being finished -If I recall correctly, both the novels were autobiographical and meant to be serious, depressing and grand works -they both acquire a disgust with their own work in comics -they both at one time are editors of comics because they are unable to make it writing works they respect -they both have are involved in love triangle. For Deasey, he loved his brother and the woman his brother married (156). For Sammy, for a while there is an odd situation where he can’t decide if he is jealous of Rosa or of Joe, and later he marries the woman his cousin - who is like a brother to him - loves.
2. Sammy, with his bad leg and grand ambitions, seems to be Tom Mayflower. Joe, with his physical grace and escapist skills, was the inspiration for the Escapist. Joe seems to be the alter ego Sammy wants to be: watching Joe break into Glovsky’s apartment he feels “a longing – common enough among the inventors of heroes – to be someone else” (115).
3. Parallelism with names: Tom Mayflower and the Mayflower Hotel where Bacon stays (347).
4. Tom Mayflower, Thomas Kavalier, and Tommy Clay. I’m sure there’s some deep parallels here, but at the moment this is all I can come up with: Joe tried to rescued Tom Kavalier from Europe and was going to be his new father. Max Mayflower rescued Tom Mayflower from Europe and became his new father. Sammy enabled Rosa to have a Tom Clay and became his new father. Also, an Tommy Clay seems to be almost the reincarnation of Thomas Kavalier. Joe associates Thomas’ death with water (602) and Tommy’s room is decorated with a nautical theme. Also, by the time Joe meets Tommy, Tommy is the age Thomas would have been had he arrived in America. Its like Tommy is Joe’s second chance.
--Unprecedented Physical Prowess Dedicated to Acts of Derring-Do in the Public Interest
A thought on Sammy’s love life: For a while Sammy seems not to be in love with people, but with their lives and physical capabilities. He is thrilled by Joe’s ability to swing himself on a fire escape and break into Glovsky’s apartment: “The desire he felt, watching Joe, was unquestionably physical, but in the sense that Sammy wanted to inhabit the body of his cousin, not possess it” (115). Later, when Bacon visits Sammy on the rooftop Sammy feels “that old stirring of desire he had often experienced, growing up to have . . . not Tracy Bacon, but rather his life, his build, his beautiful and temperamental girlfriend and the power to break her heart” (351). In the end of the book, Sammy does declare himself gay, but initially, at least, his feelings of love for men don’t seem romantic. They seem more like admiration than lust. Also, anyone know why, when at James Love’s house, both Bacon and Sammy seem to suggest that Sammy’s not sure he’s gay? (Bacon says, “If you are [gay]” and Sammy says “I might be [gay]” (406) ).
In a way Sammy seems to be in love with the Escapist. He had crushes on the two men who played him – Joe in his “battles” with Carl Ebling, and Tracy Bacon on the radio and on TV.
-Unprecedented Physical Prowess Dedicated to Acts of Derring-Do in the Public Interest
A thought on Alex’s point (Nov. 16) about Joe “taking on characteristics of the Escapits”. Here it seems that Joe is doing almost an inverted escapism: in bringing the Escapist into his own life Joe is using comics to escape, not by fleeing to the fantasy world of the Escapist from the real world, but by bringing the fantasy world into the real world.
I also just want to mention Chabon’s writing style. The thing that stood out for me the most about Chabon’s style is his use of intensely long, phrase-filled sentences. For instance, when Joe first meets Anapol, Anapol lights him a cigar. In writing this fact, Chabon works adds detail to Anapol’s character and enhances/further defines the atmosphere of the scene by describing exactly what sort of lighter Anapol used. “Anapol set fire to the twenty-cent lonsdales with the silver Zippo that had been presented to him as a token of gratitude by the general subscription of the International Szymanowski Society” (154). Chabon makes you pause to absorb all the details of the characters and the time period. I admire too, how Chabon will let subplots drop then pulls them back in. Just as I was almost forgetting about Carl Ebling and wondering what happened to him, he pops back up as the Sabatuer. James Love casually works his way back into the story months after his introduction. Deasey, Kornblum, and the Golemn, figures from the very beginning of the book, return to tie up the book at the end. I really like the feeling of unity Chabon creates by weaving all the various subplots back into path of Joe and Sammy’s lives. The time lag between the introduction of something – for instance Ebling – and its reintroduction later with Ruth or the Sabatuer makes the events seem more realistic; it prevents the reintroduction from seeming contrived.
-Unprecedented Physical Prowess Dedicated to Acts of Derring-Do in the Public Interest (sorry for posting so many times all at once. I was afraid I'd forget what I wanted to say if I waited).
Another parallelism: In the Escapist comics Big Al is Anapol. Both are mocked for their large size. “[Anapol’s] physical bulk . . . had for much of his early life rendered him the butt of jokes and the object of women’s scorn” (80) while Big Al’s size results in him being displayed as “the Ogre”. Both characters harbor a love of the violin that they are unable to really pursue. Both, too, are freed by the escapist, Big Al physically and Anapol monetarily. Did anyone see any connections with Omar, Miss Blossom or Max to Sammy/Joe’s lives? -Unprecedented Physical Prowess
Wow, Unprecedented has some great observations. I wish I had a book with me so I could talk about specific instances to illustrate my points [the quotes do help everyone understand :)] but I'll do my best working from memory. I won't try to tackle everything, but here are a couple thoughts (I'll think of more responses after posting).
The instance at Love's house: Sammy denied his sexuality for most of his life. Either he really wasn't sure of himself or he was still partially in denial. Also (maybe this was obvious, but) Love's name is probably not coincidental.
About Sammy's relation to the escapist: I think Clay's love for the hero extends beyond the Escapist's physical representations to what he stands for. Feeling fettered by society, Sam yearns for the power to escape.
I was born and raised in Saint Louis, Missouri and first moved to Massachusetts to attend Amherst College, where I majored in both English and Russian literature. After graduation, I accepted a Fulbright Scholarship to the University of Tartu in Estonia, where I studied children's literature and semiotics ("the study of signs and symbols"). I returned to the United States to spend a few years exploring the wide world of business, but the classroom kept calling. It was high time to earn my Masters in Education from Tufts University and join the staff at Arlington High School.
Please don't hesitate to email me; I love to hear from my students and their caregivers. I look forward to getting to know you!
Just a friendly reminder that class calendars are subject to change. Sometimes I make mistakes (it's true!) and sometimes we just move a little more or less quickly than predicted. I will announce any changes in class and try to post them as quickly as possible on the blog. You are responsible for any updates made in class.
DISCUSSION PROMPT #1: Discuss your initial reaction to Chabon's characters. Consider: How are they characterized? What does his writing reveal about them?
ReplyDeleteKavalier and Clay are both escapists, but they seem to have opposite inspirations. Josef looks to magic while Sam looks to science (page three lists his heroes). These are both elements of comic books. Reading about Clay’s “incorrect but fervent understandings” of different scientific concepts reminded me of the book I read for physics this summer, The Physics of Superheroes (4). In the physics book, the author discussed the often misunderstood concepts of science used in comic books and mentioned that some superpowers would be feasible given some “miracle exceptions.” The “miracle exceptions” are the part of the comics Josef could represent, bringing his magic into the mix.
ReplyDeleteKavalier’s connection to magic especially shows in the last chapter of part one, as he encounters the Golem. Whereas before he used only the stage magic of illusion and the skills of a lock pick, here the laws governing the real world seem to bend and allow for a creature that really is magical (as shown by his surroundings – “after more than thirty years, the floor of the Golem’s room looked new… and still carried a sting of fresh emulsion”) (50). It should be interesting to see how the cousins combine their different approaches to achieving the same dream!
~Carolyn
Michael Chabon's writing sucked me into this story. Only 10 or so pages after he was introduced, Kavalier was as deep and fleshed out as a real person. I was particularly stunned by the description of Josef's goodbye to his family and his reluctance to return to them after his visa is denied. He is only a teenager who is desperately trying with "buoyant Cagneyesque callousness" to remain strong in the face of his grief at leaving his home and his loved ones (18). Chabon uses perfectly subtle details like how he hides a torque wrench in his cheek or writes a boastful invitation to the Hofzinser Club to emphasize Kavalier's dedication and dreams of magic. Carolyn touched on Kavalier's obsession with magic as a form of escapism and that connection between magic and escape is literal for Kavalier. By the end of the section I felt as if I was Josef as he lies contorted in the coffin of the magic golem making a miraculous escape to Lithuania to begin a fantastic journey to America. Also I noticed that Chabon zooms in to focus on the minutiae of Kavalier's feelings before zooming out and almost blurring his magical escape through Eastern Europe and Asia. I was really surprised by the effectiveness of Chabon's brief but exquisitely detailed snippets of Kavalier's life at creating a realistic and likeable character.
ReplyDelete-Alex
Chabon’s ability to provide the reader with snippets of information, as Alex mentioned above gives the reader time to process and add to their knowledge of the character, rather than come to a snap judgment. He allows the reader to watch Sammy’s dreams of “a land where wild cataracts of money” to evolve and be caught up in Sammy’s excitement (87). I was extremely amused by one instance where Chabon described Sammy’s efforts to make his portfolio appear as “battered, scraped, and … dented” as possible, showing just how excited and buoyant Sammy was by life and its possibilities. Sammy’s little quirks and mannerisms show how he has been shaped as one of the “little men, city boys, and Jews” growing up (3). I agree with Carolyn’s assessment of Josef above, as the one who will provide the “miracle exceptions” and believe that Sammy’s contribution to the comic books that he loves will be how the characters are shaped. Although Sammy’s heroes are scientists, Sammy approaches his characters as an experiment, looking to fit each piece together and find the “why?” behind them (146). Chabon manages to infuse his characters with life by providing little details that add dimension; he does not simply outline their triumphs and dreams, but their failures and weaknesses as well. Chabon does not allow Sammy and Josef to become instant hits, but gives them depth by providing them with obstacles to overcome. In addition, the ways in which the characters go about creating their own characters reflects their inner turmoil and trouble. Josef has the Escapist battle “the evil forces of the Iron Chain” and Sammy has Tom Mayflower go from a cripple with a “gimpy leg” to a proud hero fighting injustice (133, 145). Showing Josef’s wish to free his family from Germany and the Nazis and Sammy’s wish to be have full control over his legs.
ReplyDelete-Stephanie
Chabon's characters Josef Kavalier and Sammy Klayman seem so different due their differences in interests, but are actualy quite similiar. Sammy is interested in the sciences and how things work, where as Josef is more interested in the art of illusion, and escape. Both characters are escapists which is showed through their determined and persistent personalities, and their fantasies for the future. Sammy is determined to make a name for himself and "attain fabulous sums of money."(7) He also likes to romanticize certain things, to add a sense of adventure, danger, or other action packed events. Kavalier looks at life with an extremely different view. Kornblum believes that Kavalier practices escape artistry is for "dangerously metaphorical reasons" which could bring harm to himself and others(37). Kavalier lives in the present but ultimately wants to be big, like Houdini or other illusion/escape artists. Both characters want very similar futures, but have extremely different views on their dreams, and how to obtain them.
ReplyDelete-Julia
Michael Chabon’s characters were the first thing that really drew me in to his novel. From the first chapter, where both Kavalier and Clay have very mysterious histories but extremely quirky behaviors, I was dying to know more about both of them. Chabon’s characterization of Kavalier as a young man interested in escape and devoted to doing the right thing for his family left me wondering how he’ll cope once he settles in the United States. It is evident that Josef forms extremely tight bonds with people, such as his parents, his brother Thomas, and his mentor, Kornblum. It is also evident that these bonds have helped to shape him as a person. Josef Kavalier has such a close bond to his family that, when his visa is denied, he cannot bear to return to them with failure. While telling Kornblum of his attempt to cross the border, “Josef sat down. He buried his face in his hands. He let out a shuddering breath, his shoulders grew taut, cords stood out on the back of his neck. He was struggling with the desire to cry” (17). Josef so wanted to live up to his family’s hopes and expectations that he hardly knows what to do now that it seems he can’t. On the other hand, he cannot bring himself to lose control in the company of someone he esteems as much as he does Kornblum.
ReplyDeleteChabon’s writing, which can seem fractured as it leaps from chapter to chapter, serves to give only the defining moments in Kavalier’s life while still illustrating the details which make him who he is. When telling the story of Kavalier’s attempt to escape from a sack at the bottom of a river, Chabon writes, “the tension wrench twisted like the stem of a top” (55) noting that Kavalier’s skills for picking locks had made a transformation from a fun pastime to a life-saving skill. For me, Chabon’s writing style has done a lot to convey indirectly the most important aspects of Kavalier’s character, and I’m excited to see what he does with Sam Clay!
-Jocelyn
DISCUSSION PROMPT #2: How does the way that Kavalier and Clay develop their comic books reflect their characters? How does the concept of comic books relate to their lives and dreams?
ReplyDeleteKavalier and Clay rely on one another to develop their comic books. Kavalier provides the artistic portion, filled with an extraordinary level of color and detail. Clay develops the story, not by looking to create a generic superhero; with his trusty sidekick and arch nemesis, but by asking “why.” Sammy pushes each writer to figure the motivation for his superhero’s urge to fight evil (146). Kavalier’s motivation for drawing comics stems from his need to rescue his family from Prague. Josef promised Thomas that he wouldn’t “rest until [he was] meeting [their] ship in the harbor of New York City” and he means to fulfill this promise (59). By infusing the Escapist with as much color and detail as he can, Josef makes the comic more realistic, as if the Escapist was an actual person, capable of infiltrating the frontlines of the “Razis” and “the Iron Chain” (170). Josef is able to live viscerally through his drawings, which represent his greatest desire. The Escapist is able to perform feats that Josef himself cannot do yet. Illustrating the comics has a more practical purpose as well; Josef is able to save up money that will be the key to actually saving his family from the Nazis.
ReplyDelete-Stephanie
As Stephanie said, Clay was essential in the birth of the escapist, making sure that the hero had a true motive and a cause deeper than the pursuit of glory through violence. However, after the scene of the initial drafting of The Escapist, we are shown little of Clay’s involvement in the comic-making process. He is the more cool-headed cousin, who, aware of the dependence of Kavalier’s sanity on having the comics as an outlet for all his frustration will negotiate business and stand by Joe’s moral decisions even when refusal to compromise could cost both the cousins a potential raise and end Clay’s own dreams of success (286). Kavalier himself throws himself into drawing the comics with a fury, and Sam notices that “if he was not kept fighting, round the clock – his cousin might be overcome by the imprisoning futility of his rage” (171). While for Clay, comic books are a means to achieving wealth and childhood dreams, for Kavalier they are a way to fight a desperate battle against the Nazis and the oppression of his family. While he is consumed by the world of the Escapist, he can briefly escape his own world in which he is powerless to help his family, no matter how much money he amasses (177).
ReplyDeleteIn the beginning of the third section Kavalier and Clay are referred to as "golem makers" (171). To the cousins, the comic is a golem, a symbol of hope and salvation. But Joe and Sam both have very different relationships with this comic golem. For example, as Stephanie said, Joe lives vicariously through his illustrations of fighting the Nazis. But after his father's death and after he meets Rosa Saks, Joe begins to have a different relationship with comic books. He brings elements of his real life into the comic books in the form of Luna Moth and also begins to take on characteristics of the escapist. This is especially apparent when Joe, almost mad with grief, begins to look for trouble and spits on the shoe of a German man. Violence, an element Joe has always infused into the stories of his comic, finally diffuses out and makes Joe feel "as powerful as the escapist" (190).
ReplyDeleteBut as Joe becomes more wound into the comic book, Sam seems to drift away. He does not write for the same reason that Joe draws. As Carolyn observes, Sam becomes the unemotional front man who takes care of business and money. Sam's role in making the comic books mirrors his role in real life: he is always involved but not passionate, feeling that he being pushed to the side.
-Alex
Kavalier and Clay both incorporate their goals and dreams into the comic strip to make it such a success. They go into the "Why" as Stephanie and others have mentioned, which gives a background to the character and history showing thier motivations as a superhero. Sam provides the imaginative story plots, which he has always fantisized, and incorporates an "underdog" character based on himself. He loves the idea that characters with flaws can still make a difference and a statement to the world. Joe, incorporates his amazing artwork, and life passion into the comic strips. He is constantly waging a "make-believe waragainst enemies he could not defeat"(285). Joe tries to help his family in Prauge and the only way he can acheive this is through the comics. When that is threatened to be taken away, his worst nighnmares come true and the realization that his work has not made the lives of his family members any better. Together Kavalier and Clay create a comic book which adresses world issues, and social problems, which appeal to a large number of people.
ReplyDelete=Julia
Both Joe Kavalier and Sam Clay rely on each other to develop their comic book, and in the end their unique combination of talents is what makes the idea so successful. Sam has grown up longing for a partner, someone who he can trust to respect his ideas and help him build on them. Originally he had hoped that this partner would be his father, Alter Klayman. Sam’s hope of finding a partner in his father did not even die when he left home without telling Sam first. His hope died when “Alter Klayman had been crushed, and with him Sammy’s fondest hope […] of working with a partner” (108). Sam Clay’s intense desire to work with a partner helped him develop the comic book because, with another person following him, he was able to find the self-confidence to push his idea and go after his dream.
ReplyDeleteJoe Kavalier’s greatest desire upon coming to the US was to earn enough money to help his family back in Prague. His ability to put his head down and work helped the pair get their comic book done in time for the deadline, and Kavalier’s quiet nature offsets some of Clay’s gung-ho attitude, allowing their comic book to meet exactly in the middle with the perfect balance of fine attention to detail and glossed over suggestions of scenery.
-Jocelyn
DISCUSSION PROMPT #3: How does Chabon use reality and magic in the novel?
ReplyDeleteMichael Chabon uses magic to symbolize the hopes and dreams of his characters. Their successes seem miraculous like Josef's escape from Prague or the comic's success, but their failures show that magic is really just an illusion. Underneath the miracles lies reality which is harsh and cold. For example, Josef becomes more and more disillusioned with America and no longer believes in the magic "movie-derived notions of life" in New York City (90). A key moment when the harshness of reality finally hits him is when Thomas' boat passage that was miraculously "smoothed by the invisible hand of Eleanor Roosevelt" is attacked by a U Boat and sunk (384). To Josef, America is the land of opportunity, comic book golems and magic. But even here terrible events can happen and Thomas' rescue from Europe does not succeed no matter how hard Josef tries. In response, Josef attempts to drown himself at a Bar Mitzvah doing an escape. Escapes are supposed to be magical and fantastic but for Joe reality trumps the power of magic and he cannot find a will to live because his brother Thomas is dead. There is no magic that could have saved Thomas from drowning and ultimately Joe comes to the realization that magic is only a deceptive illusion.
ReplyDelete-Alex
As Alex said, magic is only a temporary illusion to mask the cruelty of reality.
ReplyDeleteClay’s autobiographical novel is titled, “American Disillusionment.” In part I, Chabon comments that Clay isn’t truly familiar with this topic (7). This novel is mentioned again in part IV as Sam revisits its first and only chapter (295). Such a novel could not have been successful before the end of part IV, as Sam always was under several illusions. Sam viewed comic books as his road to fortune, believing that writing pulps and publishing a comic book could lead to greatness – he is a great admirer of Deasey’s work even though Deasey is ashamed of his work, believing that he is a sell out. Clay is also in denial about his sexuality. For a short time in part IV, Sam is able to overcome his own fears and let himself enjoy his time with Bacon. However, this momentary time of happiness is brought to a sudden stop, and Clay finds himself more forlorn than ever before. Comics no longer hold glory and magic for him. Deasey’s pessimism has taken hold of Sam, and Clay is embarrassed by his books. (When Rosa brings up that she told someone that he wrote three novels, Sam is less than enthused – “for God’s sake, those were pulps, I got paid by the yard. Why do you think they invented the pseudonym?” (294)). Clay also leaves Bacon, convinced that “regardless of what he felt for Bacon, it was not worth the danger, the shame, the risk of arrest and opprobrium” (420). Sam Clay is thoroughly disillusioned.
Chabon coats the world of Kavalier and Clay with magic, through the use of comic books and illusions. However, as Carolyn mentioned above, when Chabon strips his characters of the magical aspect of their lives, which serves to open doors and bring their dreams to life, they become well and truly disillusioned by life. It is as if each character has their own personal “wolf pack” following them around, waiting to strike when they are at their happiest (401). When Josef had finally guaranteed his brother’s arrival and understood that he was “going to be like a father to [Thomas],” the reality that there was a war going on and that even children were not spared came crashing down on him. As Alex mentioned above, Josef comes to realize that magic is simply a matter of deception. Even though Kornblum saved Josef from drowning in the River Moldau, Thomas who “had turned thirteen on a cot” and suffered from a “lifelong snuffle” had no one to save him when his lifeboat was hit by a storm (37, 381).
ReplyDelete-Stephanie
-Stephanie
I would agree with Stephanie, that the theme of "illusion vs. reality" comes up over and over again in the novel. The characters believe they are doing something which is potentially helpful, when in all reality, it has no effect whatsoever on any particuluar outcome. One of the moments where this theme really struck me was when Joe is welcomed into the Sak's household. He replies "I already have a family" (321), which shows that at this point in the novel he is not ready to face the reality that his family is probably gone, and he is alone without them. I think Joe realizes that his hopes are just illusions of hope which he paints before his eyes, and that he may have given up his chance to belong in a family once again. Another question I would like address, is the purpose for writing the novel. I find this book very obscure and extremely deep, I was just curious as to the purpose for writing this book, and if Chabon realizes just how deep this book is.
ReplyDelete-Julia
As Julia mentioned, the theme of “illusion versus reality” is prevalent throughout the novel. One part in which Chabon’s use of this theme struck me was in chapter five of Part IV. This chapter discusses Carl Ebling’s attempt to exact revenge on Joe for his destruction of the AAL. The way Chabon describes Ebling’s planning and execution is extremely unique. Throughout the novel, Chabon has described Kavalier and Clay’s comic book ideas in a tone which sounds very much like a comic book. Because we as readers know that The Escapist is a character that the pair created, we are not confused when Chabon sets the scene for The Escapist in chapter two of Part II. His voice is extremely distinct from his normal storytelling style, and we can recognize that Max Mayflower is not a character that we have come across before. When on page 321 Chabon writes, “The Steel Gauntlet, Kapitan Evil, the Panzer, Siegfried, Swastika Man, the Four Horsemen, and Wotan the Wicked all confine their nefarious operations, by and large, to the battlefields of Europe and North Africa,” we assume that he is writing of another comic book character. As the chapter progresses, though, and the Saboteur begins to think of events far too close to Josef Kavalier’s life to be coincidence, the reader is left wondering whether this is illusion or reality. Chabon very effectively blurs the line between the two, and, again as Julia mentioned, adds a depth to the novel which, in my opinion, is almost unparalled.
ReplyDelete-Jocelyn
DISCUSSION PROMPT #4: What was your reaction to the ending? What stood out the most about the ending? (If you can connect this to broader themes in the novel, all the better. Don't forget to cite specifics and acknowledge each other's ideas. Remember that it's okay to respectfully disagree with each other, too!)
ReplyDeleteThe ending me feel so bad for Sammy! His suffering was overshadowed by Joe’s throughout the entire novel, and while the ending is happy for Joe (he calmed down, regained Rosa, and found a family), Sam is unavoidably pushed out by Joe’s return. While Joe was gone, Sam gave up the chance to follow his own dreams and married Rosa so that her dream of having a family could survive and Thomas wouldn’t grow up fatherless –without a partner in the world – as Sam had. Though he was unhappy with his life – as another comic book writer noted, “[h]e’s never been happy anywhere”– Sam stayed with Rosa and loved his time with Thomas more than anything else (481). (It seems that Rosa also felt trapped, and may even have been having an affair [520]). When Joe returns, and Thomas learns who his real father is, although the boy may not see a reason for Clay to leave (he still refers to him as “Dad” (629)), Clay feels that he is encroaching on a life that is not his own. Sam doesn’t really have anything left of what he used to live for – comics don’t offer joy or escape, he was exposed on national television, and he no longer feels that he can truly act as Thomas’s father. I don’t think any of the characters wanted Sammy to leave, but I also don’t see how he could have stayed.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with Carolyn, that Sammy is, was, and will be unhappy wherever he is. The end of this book tore me apart, because as Carolyn mentioned I was so focused on Joe's struggles and hardships, that I never even thought about what Sammy gave up to make others happy. Joe "used to imagine that he [Sammy] was happy"(555), but he never actually cared enough to really look at the situation and see that he was in fact quite miserable. After Joe's return, Sammy had no true place in their family. He left without any true note, just the deed to the house with "Kavalier and Clay" written on it. (636) This shows that he still values his relationship with the family, but can not handle the happiness with which they can now live the rest of their lives. I thought that the way Joe acted upon his return was a bit too peaceful for his character, because throughout the entire novel, he is shown as a violent and impulsive person. I can't wait to hear what everyone else has to say!!
ReplyDelete-Julia
I was blown away by the ending and I was in tears at my kitchen table when I read about Sammy leaving. I agree with both Julia and Carolyn that Sammy's suffering, which wasn't apparent earlier in the novel, is heartbreaking. But I have to respectfully disagree with Julia that Joe's return was too peaceful for his character. Over the course of a few weeks, Joe jumped off the empire state building, snuck around in disguise meeting with Tommy, and destroyed Sammy and Rosa's life together (even if it wasn't perfect). Everywhere that Joe goes there is turmoil and violence that is not always physical but rather emotional. His return is so absurdly complicated and extreme that Rosa is wordless and stunned that Joe couldn't "just have just called?" (558).
ReplyDeleteBut I really was most astounded by the fact that both Joe and Sammy have not taken Kornblum's advice at all. They still never think about "what they are escaping to" (37). Joe jumps off the empire state building and still has no explanation for Rosa about why he did it other than that he just wanted to come home. In the same way, Sammy escapes from the life he has built for himself without even thinking about what he is going to do with his life. When asked where he is going to travel and what he is going to work on Sammy can only say "I was thinking Los Angeles" (637) which clearly shows that he has not thought his decision through.
To sum up, Michael Chabon wrote a perfect two sentences that encompasses, to me, the whole theme of the novel: "He had escaped, in his life, from ropes, chains, boxes, bags, and crates, from handcuffs and shackles, from countries and regimes, from the arms of a woman who loved him, from crashed airplanes and an opiate addiction and from an entire frozen continent intent on causing his death. The escape from reality was, he felt—especially right after the war—a worthy challenge" (575). I really don't think there is any better way to describe Sammy and Joe's sometimes absurd but always meaningful need to escape from all things both good and bad in life.
-Alex (sorry it is so long, I just couldn't stop writing!!)
So far, everyone has said that Sammy’s leaving was sad and that it further reflects the suffering that he faced throughout the novel. Although I do agree that it’s sad that Sammy had to leave his family, I think Los Angeles is an absolutely wonderful opportunity for him. All through Chabon’s story, Sammy has continually put his friends and family before himself, especially when he volunteered to give up years of his life to raise his cousin’s child and marry a woman that he is not, and never could be, in love with. Sammy’s leaving the family in favor of Los Angeles does cause him to lose the partnership that he’s dreamed of for years, but for the first time in the novel Sammy is able to actually think only of himself and what will be best for him. This is true even after Joe calls Sammy an idiot and tells him, “after I left you this morning, I went over there and made an offer for the Empire Comics” (635). If Sammy was ever going to feel obligated to do something, that was the time, and I cheered for him when he stood his ground and left for California.
ReplyDelete(I’m so glad Joe came back too but now I’ve run out of room to talk about it :D)
-Jocelyn
I will have to respectfully disagree with Jocelyn because I felt that when Sammy was leaving Rosa and Tommy he was sacrificing his happiness once more. While Josef was allowed to escape from everything without much regard to the feelings of the people he was abandoning, until it was to late for him to return, as Alex mentioned above, Sammy had to pick up the pieces that Joe left behind by “joining the navy” because his suicide attempt failed (421). Sammy created a life for himself during the twelve years that Joe had been gone and was “delighted to call [Thomas] his son” (472) and when Sammy was able to spend time with Thomas “it was invariably the happiest hour of Sammy’s week” (474). In addition, Sammy carried around the “little card that had come with the packet of documents of sale” from the house he had bought in his wallet, as it represented a milestone that he was proud of (474). When Joe comes back, Sammy leaves without a word allowing Josef to take his place “through … [a] clever feat of substitution” and gives up everything he has worked for and achieved in the past twelve years, leaving behind the “wrinkled and dog-eared” card and much more.
ReplyDelete-Stephanie
DISCUSSION PROMPT #5: What a crazy, random happenstance! Any additional comments?
ReplyDeleteHow will Tommy deal with Clay's departure?
ReplyDeleteThe man he has known and loved as his father all his life picks up in the middle of the night and leaves without saying goodbye. I don't think that Tommy will fully understand why Clay left. Will he feel abandoned, confused, or possibly even guilty?
-Rogue
Also, how does Tommy feel about the fact that he has been getting to know his real father for all of these months, and that he didn't actually die during the war? I think that Tommy is at that age where, if Rosa and Joe handle it well enough and actually tell Tommy why Sammy left, he could understand it completely. If they try to stay secretive, there's a very good possibility that Tommy will end up feeling abandoned, confused, guilty, or any combination of the three.
ReplyDelete-Batman
I think Tommy is happy to have Joe in his life.
ReplyDeletePerhaps it is just the novelty of suddenly having an exciting new stranger in his life, but Thomas seems to have accepted his biological father completely. Joe is a mysterious and long lost relative, an accomplice in childish schemes (sending secret messages, encouraging Tommy to escape from school and go into the city wearing a disguise), and a master of illusions. Sam may have been Tommy's father for the past twelve years, but Joe arrived with BOXES, an exciting past, and the remains of the GOLEM.
The Clays had been telling Thomas that Sam was his real father, and any tales of another father were made up by Thomas himself, so he might not have too much trouble adjusting to the idea that Joe is his father, especially after stumbling upon the photograph of Joe and Rosa. I am afraid that Tommy might have some trouble dealing with reality as Joe's story seems like it could be straight out of one of Tommy's dreams. Tommy doesn't seem to have any friends to help keep him in the real world, but Sam's leaving might serve to shatter the aura of fantasy that seems to surround the family's reunion.
-Rogue
I just couldn't help but think about that aura of fantasy that Rogue mentions. Joe's homecoming is so incredibly surreal. He has created an elaborate secret scheme with Tommy, lived in the empire state building, jumped off the building held by only rubber bands, and slipped back into Rosa and Sammy's lives as if nothing happened.
ReplyDeleteIn this way the ending of the book really parallels the surreality of the beginning. Chabon dreams up these elaborate scenarios and sandwiches harsh reality between them. It is just so powerful.
-The Masked Cactus
Every hero has multiple identities,
ReplyDeletebut each identity is his own.
Piracy is a crime!
Hmm,Batman... Here Tommy gains a lost father. This is a situation much different from your own, isn't it?
ReplyDeleteMUAHAHAHAHA
-The Joker
PS Gotham City is MINE!!!!
Tommy is going to end up a disillusioned boy, rather like you, Batman. Both of his fathers abandoned him at some point in his life, one at birth and one when he had just discovered the other. Perhaps I'll pay little Tommy aka the Bug a visit. My team could do with an understudy.
ReplyDelete-The Joker
The Joker has a good point. Tommy has to deal with TWO fathers who have abandoned him. Sam only had to deal with one. He already seems to lack normal interaction with people his age. Who can he rely on now?
ReplyDelete-The Joker
Copycat.
ReplyDelete-The Joker
I think the Joker is missing an important point: Tommy has Rosa for a mother. Both fathers have abandoned him at some point but he has always had a father and a mother. No matter who his father is (at first Sammy but later Joe) Tommy still has more support from a father figure than Sam ever did as a boy. And Sammy turned out fine even though he was basically raised by a single mother. Tommy has many good influences in his life to rely on even though he is (probably) emotionally damaged from the absurd father substitution at the end of the novel.
ReplyDelete-The Masked Cactus
Sammy was never really 'fine' though. Throughout his life he was looking for a father figure or partner. He gave all the comic book characters he worked with wards, so that they could have a father.
ReplyDelete-Dogmatix
@ The Masked Cactus
ReplyDeleteI see your point that Sam is not the *only* person to affect Tommy, and that Rosa is one constant in his life, but I would have to question your statement that he has "many good influences in his life." Other than Rosa and Sam, who has been a good influence?
(And I agree with Dogmatix that Sammy isn't really fine - although he is a good person, he is miserable!)
-Rogue
I agree with Rogue that there haven't been very many good influences in Tommy's life, and I think that this is why he's so withdrawn at school and doesn't have too many friends. I'm wondering whether, now that Tommy has his real father, he'll be able to accept it. He does have an extremely active imagination, and is this the end of Tommy's wild wonderings?
ReplyDelete-Batman
P.S. Joker, I'm tracing your IP address.
I think that Tommy's wild wonderings were prompted by Joe's appearance. I think he might have more of a problem understanding the idea that Joe will not allow him to wander off anymore, now that he is officially Tommy's father. I wonder how Sammy will fare in life now that he no longer has a official home or Bacon to fall back on. He plans seemed pretty vague and the only thing he appeared to be certain about was that he was leaving.
ReplyDelete-Dogmatix
I'd be a good influence on Tommy. Perhaps Tommy will just end up looking for his 'real father' the same way that Sammy tried to find someone to make up for the father he never had.
ReplyDelete-The Joker
P.S. Just keep trying Batty.
Do you think Tommy feels the same loneliness that Sam did when he was younger? The Joker mentioned that he might always be searching as Clay had, but so far I think Tommy has followed a path more similar to his biological father's. While Josef's parents were both a part of his life, I think they often were a bit distanced from their children. They definitely cared about their children, but I think they were always busy. Josef turned to magic tricks and then escapes, perhaps partially to fill this void. In turn, Tommy seems to have isolated himself from other people (children at school, the storekeeper, etc.) rather than reaching out for companionship, and he too shows an interest in illusions.
ReplyDelete~Rogue
Tommy is really an amalgamation of both of his fathers. It is fascinating to see, like Rogue said, the way that he is obsessed with escape like Josef but a loner like Sammy.
ReplyDeleteI personally think that the novelty of having a new father will make him less lonely. While he loves Sammy he clearly feels that he has outgrown him for instance when Sammy comes and lies on his bed Tommy says there is not enough room anymore. For Tommy, Josef represents a new beginning and Tommy is clearly excited by his new father's escapades. He has never been so involved in anything in his life before he met Josef. It makes me sad because Sammy tried so hard to be a good father but still didn't seem to be able to connect with Tommy. I hope that Joe, even though like Sammy he wasn't really close to his father, can step up and be the father that Tommy needs.
-The Masked Cactus
I just realized that at some point Sammy must have returned to the comic book world and faced the 'aging' fans that adored his comics. As the beginning of the books mentions how Sammy would talk at conventions, implying that he returned. However, it could also have been before he decided to leave on another amazing adventure.
ReplyDelete-Warren Kenneth Worthington III
Good point WKW. I never thought back to the beginning when it mentioned that Sammy went to conventions. I guess it is more appealing to me to leave his future uncertain. It leaves him more room for the happy ending that I'm not sure he really gets.
ReplyDeleteIt must be very bittersweet to meet the aging fans. He would really be hit with the understanding that he was once very successful and happy and fell from that life.
-The Masked Cactus (I just can't give up this name)
I agree with the Masked Cactus that leaving Kavalier and clay open ended is more appealing, as much as I wish there was a sequel.
ReplyDeleteAlthough, the fact that he chose to return to the conventions means that it must be less bittersweet than we would originally think. We also don't know what happened to him in between leaving Joe, Rosa, and Tommy and the conventions. Sammy may have found something he loved more.
-Dogmatix (Stop it, find a new name, both of us)
Dogmatix, how does his decision to return make it less bittersweet? On one hand he sticks with something he had loved while on the other he is trapped by his past (even later in his career he had started to resent his mass produced stories). I am glad that he returned though, as WKW brought up (I had forgotten that detail too!) and hope that that means that Sammy was able to face the public without feeling ashamed or under attack and that in turn the public was less accusatory.
ReplyDelete- Jean Grey (Unless we're permitted to reclaim our names...)
I agree with Jean Grey. I can't think of any worse fate than having to defend old stories that you no longer truly believe in to an accusatory crowd. It's like being a defense lawyer when everyone absolutely knows the defendant is guilty. Not to say that Sammy doesn't appreciate the magic of the old comics but he's definitely disillusioned with the mass produced stories.
ReplyDelete- Walter Kicks Waldo II
We have a new recruit! Jule just discovered the marvels of Kavalier and Clay and will be joining us. If Ms. Kitsis happens to be reading the blog, she should post too, if she hasn't already.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure Sammy was there defending his work at that point. I assumed that he was there voluntarily, after discovering something he truly enjoyed doing when he left. I felt that Sammy left to find himself and when he did was able to return and talk about his work and life with others. Also, I don't think that the crowds were accusatory because they were there out of mutual enjoyment of comics.
ReplyDelete-Wadsworth Kevin Wallis IV (Should the ending after Walter Kicks Waldo be Jr. not II? I always get confused by that.)
I felt the end of the book was sad, but most of my sadness was not directed at Sammy.
ReplyDeleteAt the end of the book, Sammy is finally moving on with his life and actively seeking out happiness. Now that he’s freed of his secrets and the binds of family he has the freedom to pursue the life he wants. In fact, he acts as though he’s stepping back into the life he gave up the day he proposed to Rosa - he is going to LA and plans to write for TV, just like he had intended to do when he almost left with Bacon. Whenever Sammy wants to escape, he always thinks of LA (when he almost walked out after having to return to the comic business he bought at ticket to LA, too). I think to Sammy LA symbolizes the life with Bacon that he missed out on. Also, that Sammy wrote Kavalier&Clay on the card suggests that Sammy has not lost his loved ones, he still feels connected to them, but he needs the distance in order to construct his own life.
The one I felt sorry for was Tommy, or Sammy’s relationship with Tommy.
I wanted Sammy to finally be able to start the life he wanted, and had given up on having, but it was shocking to me to see how loose Sammy felt his bond to Tommy was, that he could leave his son so easily. It was as if he had spent 12 years as a placeholder for Joe and now that Joe was back had transferred the position with no regrets.
I do agree with Carolyn that there didn’t seem a place for Sammy anymore. Joe and Rosa were obviously together again – a fact that seemed not to have sunk in yet for the two of them (Joe was shocked at the idea of Sammy sleeping on the couch). Yet I felt that Sammy still had the option to be a strong part of Tommy’s life – in practice, he was Tommy’s father.
-Unprecedented Physical Prowess Dedicated to Acts of Derring-Do in the Public Interest
I felt that Joe’s buying Empire Comics almost created new chains for Sammy. While Joe did rekindle Sammy’s respect for comics, Sammy still seems to want to write for different media. He tells Deasey he’s going to try TV; he doesn’t seem to hold for long the fantasy of owning Empire Comics.
ReplyDelete-Unprecedented Physical Prowess Dedicated to Acts of Derring-Do in the Public Interest
About fathers . . . Sammy, though he admits to not being enough of a presence in Tommy’s life, is pretty level-headed and dependable. I wonder how Joe will fare as a father? His lifestyle is more wild and ungrounded – after all, he jumps off a building because he thinks his son sort of asked him to! Joe loves Tommy but he seems like an older brother or a good friend . . . I don’t know if he’d make a responsible father.
ReplyDelete-Unprecedented Physical Prowess Dedicated to Acts of Derring-Do in the Public Interest
In response to Julia’s question on what the purpose of the book is, I think on one level Kavalier & Clay is an evaluation of escape. Superheroes escape from physical binds, such as gravity, and the characters escape from various problems. The Escapist glorifies escape, yet in many instances, such as Sammy’s marriage, or Thomas’s escape from Prague, characters end up escaping into worse situations than before. For Sammy, by marrying he escaped from a life where he would live in fear of police and public humiliation, but in doing so he created an equally painful, if not more so, situation for himself. Almost all the escapes in the book are mixed blessings. For instance, after the war Joe escapes into comic books to ease his pain, yet it can be argued that he hid in books instead of confronting his situation and revealing himself to the Clays.
ReplyDeleteDespite how often escapes go wrong, there seems to be a perpetual need to escape. Sammy can’t be happy in a marriage where he’s forced to suppress his sexuality and his ambition. If he wants happiness, he has little option but to try to escape this marriage. In a sense, Sammy’s life is a series of chains: he starts out limited by weak legs (his father used Sammy’s weak legs as an excuse to leave him) and by lack of money; He uses comic books to escape this need for money; later, Sammy escapes fear of police and public humiliation by marrying Rosa, and then finally escapes the smothering family binds by fleeing to LA. Perhaps this is meant to suggest that humans fundamentally feel a need to escape, and life and progress are just replacing one set of chains with another. To throw in a positive note, perhaps in LA Sammy’s new set of chains will be lighter ones, because at least now he is not trying to escape for himself.
-Unprecedented Physical Prowess Dedicated to Acts of Derring-Do in the Public Interest
When Sammy and Joe meet, they decide to change their names from Sammy Klayman and Josef Kavalier to Sam Clay and Joe Kavalier. Yet the narration keeps referring to Sam as “Sammy” despite replacing “Josef” with “Joe”. This seems to suggest that Joe's new identity is valid, but Sam’s is just a pretense. This is emphasized when Anapol continues to refer to Sam as “Sammy” and Sam introduces himself to Bacon as “Sammy”. Joe has become Americanized and leads a completely new, different life, but Sammy is just the same insecure, ambitious kid he always was.
ReplyDelete-Unprecedented Physical Prowess Dedicated to Acts of Derring-Do in the Public Interest
Some parallelisms I found interesting:
ReplyDelete1. Sammy becomes Deasey:
-They both have a novel that is became almost legendary for never being finished
-If I recall correctly, both the novels were autobiographical and meant to be serious, depressing and grand works
-they both acquire a disgust with their own work in comics
-they both at one time are editors of comics because they are unable to make it writing works they respect
-they both have are involved in love triangle. For Deasey, he loved his brother and the woman his brother married (156). For Sammy, for a while there is an odd situation where he can’t decide if he is jealous of Rosa or of Joe, and later he marries the woman his cousin - who is like a brother to him - loves.
2. Sammy, with his bad leg and grand ambitions, seems to be Tom Mayflower. Joe, with his physical grace and escapist skills, was the inspiration for the Escapist. Joe seems to be the alter ego Sammy wants to be: watching Joe break into Glovsky’s apartment he feels “a longing – common enough among the inventors of heroes – to be someone else” (115).
3. Parallelism with names: Tom Mayflower and the Mayflower Hotel where Bacon stays (347).
4. Tom Mayflower, Thomas Kavalier, and Tommy Clay. I’m sure there’s some deep parallels here, but at the moment this is all I can come up with:
Joe tried to rescued Tom Kavalier from Europe and was going to be his new father. Max Mayflower rescued Tom Mayflower from Europe and became his new father. Sammy enabled Rosa to have a Tom Clay and became his new father.
Also, an Tommy Clay seems to be almost the reincarnation of Thomas Kavalier. Joe associates Thomas’ death with water (602) and Tommy’s room is decorated with a nautical theme. Also, by the time Joe meets Tommy, Tommy is the age Thomas would have been had he arrived in America. Its like Tommy is Joe’s second chance.
--Unprecedented Physical Prowess Dedicated to Acts of Derring-Do in the Public Interest
A thought on Sammy’s love life:
ReplyDeleteFor a while Sammy seems not to be in love with people, but with their lives and physical capabilities. He is thrilled by Joe’s ability to swing himself on a fire escape and break into Glovsky’s apartment: “The desire he felt, watching Joe, was unquestionably physical, but in the sense that Sammy wanted to inhabit the body of his cousin, not possess it” (115). Later, when Bacon visits Sammy on the rooftop Sammy feels “that old stirring of desire he had often experienced, growing up to have . . . not Tracy Bacon, but rather his life, his build, his beautiful and temperamental girlfriend and the power to break her heart” (351). In the end of the book, Sammy does declare himself gay, but initially, at least, his feelings of love for men don’t seem romantic. They seem more like admiration than lust.
Also, anyone know why, when at James Love’s house, both Bacon and Sammy seem to suggest that Sammy’s not sure he’s gay? (Bacon says, “If you are [gay]” and Sammy says “I might be [gay]” (406) ).
In a way Sammy seems to be in love with the Escapist. He had crushes on the two men who played him – Joe in his “battles” with Carl Ebling, and Tracy Bacon on the radio and on TV.
-Unprecedented Physical Prowess Dedicated to Acts of Derring-Do in the Public Interest
A thought on Alex’s point (Nov. 16) about Joe “taking on characteristics of the Escapits”. Here it seems that Joe is doing almost an inverted escapism: in bringing the Escapist into his own life Joe is using comics to escape, not by fleeing to the fantasy world of the Escapist from the real world, but by bringing the fantasy world into the real world.
ReplyDeleteI also just want to mention Chabon’s writing style. The thing that stood out for me the most about Chabon’s style is his use of intensely long, phrase-filled sentences. For instance, when Joe first meets Anapol, Anapol lights him a cigar. In writing this fact, Chabon works adds detail to Anapol’s character and enhances/further defines the atmosphere of the scene by describing exactly what sort of lighter Anapol used. “Anapol set fire to the twenty-cent lonsdales with the silver Zippo that had been presented to him as a token of gratitude by the general subscription of the International Szymanowski Society” (154). Chabon makes you pause to absorb all the details of the characters and the time period.
I admire too, how Chabon will let subplots drop then pulls them back in. Just as I was almost forgetting about Carl Ebling and wondering what happened to him, he pops back up as the Sabatuer. James Love casually works his way back into the story months after his introduction. Deasey, Kornblum, and the Golemn, figures from the very beginning of the book, return to tie up the book at the end. I really like the feeling of unity Chabon creates by weaving all the various subplots back into path of Joe and Sammy’s lives. The time lag between the introduction of something – for instance Ebling – and its reintroduction later with Ruth or the Sabatuer makes the events seem more realistic; it prevents the reintroduction from seeming contrived.
-Unprecedented Physical Prowess Dedicated to Acts of Derring-Do in the Public Interest (sorry for posting so many times all at once. I was afraid I'd forget what I wanted to say if I waited).
Another parallelism: In the Escapist comics Big Al is Anapol.
ReplyDeleteBoth are mocked for their large size. “[Anapol’s] physical bulk . . . had for much of his early life rendered him the butt of jokes and the object of women’s scorn” (80) while Big Al’s size results in him being displayed as “the Ogre”. Both characters harbor a love of the violin that they are unable to really pursue. Both, too, are freed by the escapist, Big Al physically and Anapol monetarily.
Did anyone see any connections with Omar, Miss Blossom or Max to Sammy/Joe’s lives?
-Unprecedented Physical Prowess
Wow, Unprecedented has some great observations. I wish I had a book with me so I could talk about specific instances to illustrate my points [the quotes do help everyone understand :)] but I'll do my best working from memory. I won't try to tackle everything, but here are a couple thoughts (I'll think of more responses after posting).
ReplyDeleteThe instance at Love's house: Sammy denied his sexuality for most of his life. Either he really wasn't sure of himself or he was still partially in denial. Also (maybe this was obvious, but) Love's name is probably not coincidental.
About Sammy's relation to the escapist: I think Clay's love for the hero extends beyond the Escapist's physical representations to what he stands for. Feeling fettered by society, Sam yearns for the power to escape.
-The Forgotten Muse
testing.
ReplyDeleteI had no idea all this was happening! I'm impressed. In fact, I'm about to write about it in an article for teachers.
ReplyDeleteDon't know if you'll see this note, but you all made my day. It's also a really good reason to set up an RSS feed on my blogs. Wow.
- SMK
http://blastr.com/2011/02/animation-tests-for-the-k.php
ReplyDeleteanimation from the movie that never was.
-WKW III