Week 5: Body Talk: Eisner and Thompson

Upon reading Blankets and most of A Contract With God, I was absolutely astounded by the sheer amount of emotion that was portrayed into both works. Blankets, in particular, left quite a deep resonance with me.

I’ve always appreciated works that dealt with human relationships without making them appear too banal or trite, and Blankets was a perfect example of that. In (far too) many works today, interpersonal relationships seem to be portrayed in a way that’s far too shallow or predictable. It’s one of the main reasons why I cannot follow many live-action dramas for a long period of time; I find it hard to invest myself in characters that I care so little about because I simply cannot overlook how seemingly shallow or cliché they and their relationships are.

Such was not true with Blankets. For one, nothing seemed over-the-top cliché or unrealistic, which is always a huge plus in my books. Since it’s narrated in a first-person point of view, I felt a deeper connection with the main character. The way he faced a lot of problems were also pretty realistic. He wasn’t brave enough to confront those who bullied him, but clearly resented the treatment enough to think of up highly unsavory situations involving them. I’ve never been a personal victim of bullying per se, but I can understand the feeling of being pushed into situations which made me very uncomfortable.

His relationship with Raina was also sweet and poignant in many ways. It really captures the essence of being a young adult in love, without being over-the-top dramatic or cringe-worthy. It also ends up being rather bittersweet, but I imagine that he learned from the experience and became a more mature person for it.  

I was also surprised that one of the biggest themes in the book ended up being about religion. As a child, I was raised Catholic, but I’ve never been a very ardent believer. I went to church when my mother prompted me to, and while I do think there is a God out there, I’m also fairly casual in what I believe in or do in terms of religion. Seeing someone whose life predominantly revolves around their religion, especially my religion, made me appreciate reading Blankets just a little more.