Passim Points

  Due to the incredibly raw and honest nature of Alison Bechdel’s art and narrative, we’re given a complex understanding of her own thought process. Simultaneously, many of us are probably wondering why she decided to disclose such sensitive, personal information. The answer? Catharsis- Bechdel uses the art of comics to further digest, analyze, and release her emotions.  Although, even this explanation of the therapeutic nature of cartooning doesn’t really cut it. After all, why is it so important that she express her emotions through that? While I was pondering this question myself I remembered Alison describing her family of artists as a “mildly autistic colony.” Her gravitation to comics as a form of expression may be explained by alexithymia, which is experienced by around 55% of autistic people and is defined by difficulty identifying and describing one’s own emotions as well as others. Creating Fun Home must've been an incredibly introspective experience and helped her c...

  TW// Suicide All in all, Esther’s experience with therapy was pretty bad (not only because it was the 1940s and ECT was bad and the only option usually!) Esther’s negative experiences with Dr. Gordon definitely led her to become more suicidal. He doesn’t do ECT correctly and she never really feels comfortable talking to him so they make no progress in their sessions.  The majority of those negative experiences stem from the fact that Esther is unable to “break up” with Dr. Gordon. This is an issue even today because it’s a common misconception that you can’t leave your therapist if you feel things aren’t working with them. When reflecting on Dr. Gordon Esther says he’d “tell me why I couldn't sleep and why I couldn't read and why I couldn't eat and why everything people did seemed so silly, because they only died in the end. And then, I thought, he would help me, step by step, to be myself again” (Plath 68). She was expecting their time together to go much, much differe...

  From the start it’s pretty clear to every reader that Holden Caufield is a bit different than everyone else. But why? Why does he view everyone as phony? Why doesn’t he try in school despite being smart? Why does he want to horse around so much? The answer? Holden probably has ADHD, which in the 1940s was never diagnosed in children. The fact that he’s unable to understand himself through the lenses of diagnosis definitely doesn’t help with his utter disillusionment and depression. In some respects, I saw a lot of myself in him. When most people think of ADHD they only think of hyperactivity, but other major symptoms include stuff like anxiety, daydreaming as well as many comorbid disorders like depression. One major aspect of Holden’s story is his refusal to do hardly any schoolwork and his subsequent failure at school. Holden never tries unless it’s English writing because it’s the one subject he genuinely enjoys and sees the point in. For that same reason, he’s able to wri...

  CAUTION !!!!!!!!!!!! SPOILERS How do we define a successful coming of age as opposed to an unsuccessful one, and can it be defined solely by measures such as morality, growth, and independence? The troubled life of Jesse Pinkman, one of the hit show Breaking Bad’s two main protagonists, brings many of these questions to the table. Breaking Bad tells the story of how Jesse and Walter White rise to the top of the meth business. At the beginning, Jesse is portrayed as an immoral, drug addict and dealer whereas Walter is a smart, moral man who wants to cook meth to pay for his bills and family’s future in light of his lung cancer diagnosis.  Throughout the five seasons, Jesse and Walter seem to switch roles, becoming the hero and antihero respectively. Walter becomes corrupted by the drug business while Jesse persistently tries to uphold morality. Jesse and Walter’s partnership changes both of their lives drastically. Jesse’s journey is a sad one: we see him grow out of his ca...

How are you feeling today? Are you feeling pent up or angry? Or maybe you’re excited and energetic? Maybe just feel like you need to scribble? Well now’s your chance! This exercise is incredible simply but will require your best pencil and a focus. Feel free to play some bops in the background or just listen to the white noise around you, whatever floats your boat. There are 4 simple steps. 1. Scribble 2. Follow the lines of the scribble with another line, try to keep it equidistant but don’t get worried if it’s a little off! It adds to the charm. 3. Keep filling in the lines, you can also fill in some bubbles with shading or just leave them blank to mix it up. 4. Nothing. Your masterpiece is done! 5. Buy a GraphGear mechanical pencil, seriously. I’ve had one GraphGear, it’s the only pencil I’ve used the last 2 years for both school work and art and I guard it with my life </3 (it’s a little pricey but it’s worth every penny because it’s the best pencil ever) also feel free to turn ...

I think the worst part of quarantine is that we can’t see our friends anymore. We miss them, they miss us, it’s a vicious cycle. It can be hard to even keep in touch sometimes, which is why you should reach out to them with this exercise! Grab your pencil, paper, and any other materials you want and get ready to draw! Think of a specific friend or group of friends and draw something you miss doing with them or a nice memory you share. When you’re done make sure to send it to them! Personally, quarantine has really stunted me because I’m unable to feed my boba addiction. Since subbie year, my friend Alice and have gone at least once a week, maybe even a few times to Green Street to get boba and talk. I really miss our weekly ritual so I decided to draw us doing cheers (but with boba of course). I sent it to her and she was really happy!