Emotions through Illustrations

Most memoirs are in the form of a novel. Every page is plastered with words, which describe emotions, thoughts, and actions. However, Stitches: A Memoir, by David Small, is a memoir in the form of a graphic novel. Instead of words, Small uses illustrations to stitch up words into pictures and tell a story about his unhappy childhood with unloving parents and abuse.

Pictures are worth a thousand words. Small's drawings are indeed worth a thousand words. His use of shadows, facial expressions, and presence of the eyes of the characters wonderfully show emotions, which might be harder to convey with words.

Shadows usually indicate gloom, sadness, anger, and suspense. The first time I read Stitches: A Memoir, I did not notice the shadows. However, the class discussions in my English 1302 class about the book opened my eyes and mind when we discussed about shadows. After reading the memoir a second time, I noticed that Small uses many shadows throughout the whole book. Looking at these shadows closely, I notice that the illustrations evoke certain moods or emotions, depending on what is on the panel.

One particular panel that spark my attention is the one in page 92 of the book. Using what I learned in Film Literature class about shadows, I analyze the mood of the panel. In this page, a window off-screen produces a shadow, which looks like prison bars. Considering what is happening in this part of the chapter, the reader can infer that the child David feels like he is a prisoner in his grandmother's house, and the shadow of the window sets this mood. In the same panel, a ceiling light illuminates the child David's grandmother, who is dragging him upstairs into a room. Even with the light illuminating the grandmother, there is a dark shadow, which fully engulfs David and his grandmother's face. It evokes suspense and fear even though their faces can't be seen.

Even with shadows looming in most of the illustrations, facial expressions can still be seen in most of them. Small's use of facial expressions shows the characters' emotions successfully without the aid of words.

In page 174, the readers can see the expressions of David and his mom in the panels. The first panel shows a complex of emotions. David's mom, Betty, seems annoyed and mad. In the second panel, David mirrors his mom's expression, and Small does an excellent job drawing and portraying the parallel emotions the two characters are experiencing. In page 175, we still see David's face. It seems he's unconvinced that his mom will actually get what he wants (mentioned in page 173). In the fourth panel, his eyebrows are raised and he seems to be looking down on his mom, because he doesn't believe Betty will actually get what he wants. Then, in the next two panels, we see Betty. She still seems angry because of the arch of her eyebrows, but her eyes can't be seen.

It is often said that the eyes are the windows to the soul. Many emotions can be seen through the eyes. A person can sometimes tell what another person is feeling through the eyes. However, in Small's memoir, Betty's eyes are usually "missing." Her eyes are mostly covered by the glasses she is wearing. This covers up whatever emotions she has pent up inside, which is fitting because there is a lack of communication in this family. The reader can infer that her emotions are repressed, and that her glasses are blocking the windows to her soul.

Shadows, facial expressions, and presence of the eyes can show a variety of emotions if used in certain ways. Small uses them wonderfully, and draws readers to his nightmare of a childhood with repressed emotions, and lack of communication.

Works Cited

Small, David. Stitches: A Memoir. New York; Norton 2009. Print