Mother Come Home
Analysis and discussion of Mother, Come Home by Paul Hornschemeier
How does the choice of colors in this novel enhance the mood of the novel?
Mother, Come Home by Paul Hornschemeier is a graphic novel that deals with the serious subject of bereavement and a surviving parent's inability to cope with tragedy. Unlike a traditional comic book that revolves around exterior actions, Hornschemeier is intent upon exploring the inner life of his characters, and the ways that people deal with death. Instead of using a bright palate of primary shades, Hornschemeier depicts his characters in muted, somber pastels. Most of the novel takes place in the mind of the surviving child and his grieving father. The father's mental deterioration, as he grows more and more disenchanted with reality, is reflected in the color choice of the artist. The color tones are darkest when the father is alone. When his son Thomas comes into the frame, the colors brighten to reflect the father's slightly happier mood, although the tones remain fairly bleak.
At other times the author completely enters the mind of the young boy, Thomas. Thomas sometimes imagines himself as a lion, to feel powerful in the wake of the ineffectuality of his father, aunt, and uncle to cope with the tragedy. To show the childlike nature of the boy's mind, all of the characters become animals and the already simple line drawings become even simpler.
Using the colors and the drawing style of the graphic novel enable the author better able to realize his ultimate purpose in creating the text, to show the mental state of family members left behind after someone dies. The fact that one of the characters is a child and the other is mentally unstable makes the fluid use of visually fantastic metaphors particularly effective. Images like when the father floats in the air at night in his dreams to look for the mother or when Thomas becomes a lion are both artistically striking and emotionally evocative. Some of the confusion the reader might feel regarding the narrative shifts from imaginative to concrete reality is alleviated with the subtle differences and shadings of color between the frames depicting reality and the images that are purely fantasy.
Works Cited
Hornschemeier, Paul. Mother, Come Home. Dark Horse Books, 2004.
Vignola began his career as an architect in Bologna and supported himself by painting and making perspective templates for inlay craftsmen, later traveling to Rome to work and study. His talent and skill was utilized by the papacy, including Pope Julius III and the papal family of the Farnese. He worked with Michelangelo and was deeply influenced by his style. It is believed that Cardinal Gianfrancesco Gambara commissioned Vignola to
Children constantly grow and evolve with time, and relevant communication, emotional, social, and cognitive changes are experienced. Social and emotional changes are how children start perceiving things around them and respond accordingly. These perceptions can build from the closest relations, like parents and friends. This paper analyzes three developmental domains, cognitive, social, and emotional, of the selected developmental period in my life in relevance to the theories. The practical applications
Seamstress Document Analysis Germany is one of the world's leading industrial powerhouses; its industrial growth and success is, however, interesting, having moved from periods of oppression of workers to unionization and social democracy. This text analyzes the autobiography of one of the women who faced gender-based oppression and manipulation at the workplace in Berlin in the 19th century. Document Analysis: 'Seamstress' In the generations before WW1, Germany emerged as Europe's industrial powerhouse, evident
Mother Tongue, by Amy Tan [...] how the author uses rhetorical strategies to make her argument, while critiquing cultural standards. Amy Tan writes of the different forms of English she uses in her life, while illustrating the myriad ways that people express themselves depending on their audience and their needs. Everyone uses different phrases and expressions depending on their surroundings and their goals. Tan's essay applies to all of
Methods of Killing The methods of committing neonaticide, infanticide, and filicide are as diverse as the women who commit the tragic crime. According to Rouge-Maillart, Jousset, Gaudin, Bouju, and Penneau (2005), strangulation, head trauma, drowning, and suffocation were the four most frequent methods of filicide. However, in these researchers' study, some mothers used what they deem to be 'more active' methods. Five children died after being struck by their mothers' fists.
Looking at her mother she concludes that education is a supportive element for personal freedom and also happiness. ironically, her mother is another woman trapped in her house. Esperanza will finally comprehend that she is free to do what she wants to do. A very unpleasant episode of sexual abuse and two deaths in her family are shocking episodes which push her closer to maturity. Their negative emotional impact make
Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.
Get Started Now