Jimmy Corrigan is full of recurring symbols, some of which are more easily decoded than others. There was one image in Jimmy Corrigan that kept bugging me because I just could not wrap my head around what it meant. That was the image of the metal man. It was not until I began to look at the other symbols that operate in conjunction with it that I was able to make some sort of sense out of it.
The main symbol that it is connected to is the crutch. In the metal man sequence there is the full-grown metal man and what you might call the metal child. The metal child rolls out of bed and plops down the stairs to discover a single crutch as his birthday present. It is after this sequence that in the actual ‘reality’ of the story we find Jimmy with a sprained ankle and using a crutch. Also, between the end of the metal man sequence and the beginning of the next is one of the paper cutout projects that is supposed to end up as a zoetrope. The moving image that this zoetrope is supposed to depict is a metal man walking with a crutch. Through these connections it is clear that the presence of the crutch is to stand in for the metal man in the reality of the story.
The first few frames of the metal man sequence show Jimmy, as the metal man, confronting a tearful and overemotional imagined version of his father. The metal Jimmy’s reaction seems to be a mixture of discomfort and disdain. It seems to me that the image of the metal man represents Jimmy’s inability to connect emotionally with other people, thus the hard cold exterior. This also conjures up an association with the tin man from The Wizard of Oz, who had no heart.
Transferring the meaning of the symbol to the crutch, Jimmy’s emotional and social ineptitude is a figurative crutch as well, often keeping him from saying or doing the things that he wants to. The other place that we see a crutch in the book is when the father in the flashbacks to the 1890s is laid up with his leg in a cast. While this character does not carry the crutch around for the rest of the book, this association marks him as another character that is unable to connect emotionally with other people. We see this in his interaction with the widow, whom he had had a relationship with, and in his cold treatment of his son. The difference between this character and Jimmy, however, is that where Jimmy reacts by regressing into a fantasy world, the father reacts by lashing out physically.
Another way to interpret the metal man image is to see it as a literal ‘man of steel’. The connection with Superman and his repeated imagery as a distorted father figure suggests perhaps the source of Jimmy’s emotional detachment. Also, Superman’s broader image as an ideal of American masculinity, then associated with emotional distance and repression is perhaps saying something about how men in American society are expected to deal with their emotions.
3 comments:
Overall I like where the papers going theirs just a few things I think need some work:
I think with the intro you need to make some sort of argument. From the rest of the paper I can see that its about how them metal man is meant to represent Jimmy's character, so I would say something along those lines.
The first sentence of the 2nd paragraph confused me for a second, make it clear what "it" is that your referring too.
I think the last three paragraphs are strong (I really like the connection between the metal man and the tin man), they really just need transitions. You may also want to switch the order of the last two paragraphs. I would think it would flow better if you did the two paragraphs about the metal man then switch to the crutch.
The papers on the shorter side, but I think if you add some sort of conclusion to tie all your thoughts together it should be good.
In Jimmy Corrigan, repeating symbols are extremely important. They serve to impart meaning to the reader that is not or cannot be overtly depicted in the images or stated in the text. Symbols cross the boundaries between reality and fantasy, sometimes even defining those borders. One symbol that stuck in my mind was that of the metal man. It shows up briefly towards the beginning of the book, but it has lasting implications. To understand these implications it is necessary to look at the other symbols that act in conjunction with the metal man.
The primary symbol that works alongside the metal man is the crutch. In the sequence where the metal man is introduced we are shown first the full-grown metal man and then what you might call the metal child. The metal child rolls out of bed and plops down the stairs to discover a single crutch as his birthday present. Between the end of this sequence and the beginning of the next is one of the paper cutout projects included in the book. This one is supposed to end up as a zoetrope. The moving image that this zoetrope depicts if correctly assembled is the metal man walking with a crutch. The next sequence is a dream sequence, but afterwards we return to Jimmy’s actual reality as he is on the plane on his way to meet his father. In this scene Jimmy has his sprained ankle but at the time we don’t know why. When he arrives at the airport he is using the crutch that he will carry with him throughout most of the book. So first we see the metal man and the metal child. Then we see the metal child receiving the crutch. Then we see the metal man using the crutch. Then we see Jimmy using the crutch. Through this sequence of events, it is implied that the presence of the crutch is to stand in for the metal man in the story, especially when the presence of a real metal man would be out of place.
But if the crutch stands in for the metal man, we still don’t know what the metal man represents. The very first images we see of the metal man show Jimmy, as the metal man, confronting a tearful and overemotional imagined version of his father. The metal Jimmy’s reaction seems to be a mixture of discomfort and disdain. It seems to me that the image of the metal man represents Jimmy’s inability to connect emotionally with other people, thus the hard cold exterior. This also conjures up an association with the tin man from The Wizard of Oz, who had no heart.
Another way to interpret the metal man image is to see it as a literal ‘man of steel’. The connection with Superman and his repeated imagery as a distorted father figure suggests perhaps the source of Jimmy’s emotional detachment. Also, Superman’s broader image as an ideal of American masculinity, then associated with emotional distance and repression is perhaps saying something about how men in American society are expected to deal with their emotions.
Transferring the meaning of the symbol to the crutch, Jimmy’s emotional and social ineptitude is a figurative crutch as well, often keeping him from saying or doing the things that he wants to. The other place that we see a crutch in the book is when James’ father in the flashbacks to the 1890s is laid up with his leg in a cast. While this character does not carry the crutch around for the rest of the book, this association marks him as another character that is unable to connect emotionally with other people. We see this in his interaction with the widow, whom he abandoned while she slept leaving only a ten dollar bill, and in his cold treatment of his son. The difference between this character and Jimmy, however, is that where Jimmy reacts by regressing into a fantasy world, the father reacts by lashing out physically.
The symbolism in Jimmy Corrigan is extremely complex and each image inevitably leads to another so that it is impossible to consider any one symbol in isolation. Because of this, there is more to be said about the metal man especially in connection to the image of Superman, the preoccupation with father figures, and Jimmy’s mom. By the very nature of the book, it would be impossible to write comprehensively about a single aspect of the book. The only way that any one image or theme in Jimmy Corrigan can be completely understood is by understanding every other repeated image and theme. This is part of what makes the book, and Jimmy himself, so complex and worth reading again and again.
This is a very good and well-focused discussion; I was particularly happy with the way you connected the metal man theme with the Superman theme while remaining focused.
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