Monday, April 19, 2010

Alice

What do you think is David's fascination with "Alice in Wonderland"? He dresses up as Alice, he fantasizes falling down the rabbit hole in his drawing, he even draws his psychologist as the White Rabbit.
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4 comments:

kc said...

I've never read "Alice"! But I think the fantasy of escape into an alternate, parentless (authority-less) world full of fabulous creatures and adventures is innately appealing to kids, but especially to kids whose actual lives have so little to recommend them.

His pretending to be Alice also prompts the other kids to call him "faggot," which maybe was his introduction to the fact that gayness, whether actual or perceived, was mercilessly punished in our society. It must have lent some later perspective to the fact that his mother was not free to openly live the life she really wanted, but instead had to concoct brief fantasy escapes of golf outings and secret afternoon trysts.

6:47 AM, April 21, 2010
cl said...

Since he grew up to do so much with children's illustrations, I like to think that book influenced him later.

I guess I think "Alice" isn't just wacky children's material, but kind of dark, too, so maybe he could relate to that as well.

That was great use of the rabbit, though! In Lewis Carroll's story, Alice is endlessly chasing the rabbit with the watch, and in "Stitches," the rabbit actually sits David down to tell him the truth he needs to hear. Sort of the opposite of nonsense-land.

KC, that's very insightful about the "faggot" incident and what kind of impression that might have made on him.

4:49 PM, April 21, 2010
Erin said...

The rabbit was really striking to me because it was the only time he drew a person in a metaphorical way. Obviously his therapist talking to him in a respectful, honest way -- and especially admitting to him that his mother didn't love him -- was transformational for David. But the rabbit "always had his watch," as David says. He can never forget that it's just a professional relationship.

11:10 AM, April 29, 2010
kc said...

Yes, the watch comment was kind of sad, like he finally met someone who could make sense of the world for him, but it wasn't someone he could really be close to.

And the friends he made while living on his own as a teenager seemed valuable at the time but kind of ephemeral.

Did anyone think it was strange that his brother just kind of disappeared from the narrative at some point?

1:00 PM, April 29, 2010

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