Our Mark in Life Is a Map of Movement

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This ending section covers with a snow background. The present of snow is repressed but also beautiful. There is a scene Raina’s father says “We experience, a discomfort that may be foreign to others, but that pain opens up the world of beauty” (176). For the last scene, snow appears on the scene once more time. At first, snow is repressed. That is when Craig is lonely waiting for someone who can encourage him and is uncomfortable with anyone. Winter is the time when Craig and Raina meet each other for the first time. However, there is a transformation at the end of the book, Craig is now walking alone down the path. He is picking up of the snow, turning his back. Thompson does not show the reaction of Craig in this frame but compare to those panels before, Craig seems to have the same expression: he is recalling the memory. Nevertheless, looking at the panels, we can feel that snow is a remarkable phenomenon. Snow is included in most of Craig’s memory. Therefore, every time Craig sees snow, it reminds him of his relationship, his old past with many complexity and conflict.

Back to page 578, at the end of the page, Craig is walking past the barrel where he burns all of his memories. Similarly, he is reaching the corner of the paper and also the last panel of page 579. It seems like he is walking but however, still at the same place according to the panels. I find this particular scene of Craig is impressive. There is no destination for Craig, wandering and wandering and once again, leaving his past behind.

The third page of this section is divided into four rectangular panels. Unlike the first two pages where the landscape is covered with trees, house, and fences, this third page is plainly white. Thompson only draws Craig’s movement but not his thought. As always, simple is complicated. Firstly, Craig is about to jump and then he arrived in the snow leaving a small white gap behind. Craig then continues to work. Surprisingly, Craig is now facing the corner where he is already at on those two pages before. In contrast, Craig now knows his destination, he continues to walk and does not look back. The feeling of Craig is somehow positive and peaceful, not optimistic or miserable. According to the reference on page 581 and 582, Craig realizes those struggles such as religion, love, art we have to face in our inner feelings during our childhood and development are marks that we have to make to grow, to be joyful and relaxed. They are just challenges which give us strength but before we need to face them first and untangled those twists in our mind, inner feelings: “How satisfying it is to leave a mark on a blank surface” (581). It is better to undergo those hard trials in your life so that you do not need to suffer torment anymore in the future and do not have to live dependently on other people. Our road is our decision not based on other people’s aspect. Every mark we make in our life is a milestone that when we look back, we can remember all those difficulties we have been through and continue to live. According to Craig in Blankets, life is a blank white road covered with snow, our steps magically turn that simple snowy way to a vivid map. Therefore, when we get old, we can look back to that map and see how great we have been to undergone those difficulties of life: “How satisfying it is to leave a mark on a blank surface. To make a map of my movement----no matter how temporary” (581, 582).

To sum up, Blankets is an autobiographical, graphic novel that portrays all the conflicts between religion, sexuality and art in Craig’s childhood and development. Although Blankets first appear to be a straightforward and simple story since there are more visual than texts, it is not that simple at all after finishing the book. The readers have to figure out how those three central themes affect and relate to each other. At last, how Craig overcomes his struggle. In my opinion, everyone has their challenges that they have to confront with, and it is precious to win over challenges. Those challenges have strengthened us at the end. We can relate this to Sigmund Freud’s quotation: “One day, in retrospect, the years of struggle will strike you as the most beautiful.” Craig Thompson has shared with us his story to encourage and show his sympathy toward us. Blankets is a complicated but meaningful graphic novel.

Works Cited

Thompson, Craig. Blankets. Marietta: Top Shelf, 2003. Print.