The wording in this shot stands out because it gives the reader a sense of (young) Harvey's arrogance and cockiness. The fact that he "craved recognition as the best in one field or another" displays his egotism. If this desire of his is not reached, he quits because he simply can't handle it. When I read this part, I thought (young) Harvey was pretty pathetic; Yet, his decision was understandable. It's pathetic because he doesn't even try to improve his football skills and he doesn't persevere. However, it's also understandable because this decision may have been linked to his childhood. Since he was bullied often, he wants to be "tough" to prove how much stronger he is than he was in the past. This decision of his also seems to make him less motivated because he asks himself, "What would I have to do to keep up my morale enough to at least be able to show up in a school every day?" Because of this decision, he must find a new passion that Harvey will love and pursue.
The image also stands out in this shot. The football helmet sits at the bottom left of the shot, while Harvey is walking away from it. In between the helmet and Harvey, there's a white line that seems to separate football from Harvey because of his decision to quit.
However, after I read this scene, I wondered, why did Harvey choose to pursue football in the first place? Football is the traditional, American sport. Yet, his parents lean towards their Jewish culture. I thought that Harvey may have decided to pursue football because he wanted to step away from his Jewish background. His parent's opinion on Harvey playing football is unclear. They seem to only care about Harvey still keeping up with his school and Hebrew studies.
Wanted to say, I do agree that this frame has a big impact on how the reader views Harvey. Definitely ties into the name of the novel big time, and shows the reader Harvey's "pathetic" side. I was thinking about some of the questions you posed in your final paragraph. From what I read Harvey explains that as an American born child he has always felt different from his parents. He wonders why they never adapted like he did. He is however American born, and a big piece of Harvey's life is wanting to fit in. Plus, football is one of those sports that is typical of the big tough guy, so it makes sense that Harvey would play it. I mean come on, he's insecure like a lot of kids, (though probably bit more so.)
ReplyDeleteI really do see now how the way this shot is portayed with the dialogue really does enhance Harvey's arrogance, especially in the line that says he "craved recognition." What I thought was interesting though, was the tone of voice when he says "What would I have to do to keep up my morale enough to at least be able to show up in a school every day?" It's almost as if he's wondering if he'll EVER find something that will have him be seen as the cliché popular high school athlete. This, combined with the way he's portayed in the shot as walking away from a sport he was geniunley talented at, makes me wonder the same thing. Will he continue to pursue different activities in order to gain a feeling of recognition and be respected amongst his peers? I think so, but at the rate he's going, I can't help but see a future full of quitting.
ReplyDeleteFrom Jessie P.:
ReplyDeleteLalita- I really like the connection you made between football being an American sport, and the extreme opposition to American culture that Harvey's parents seem to follow. It really makes me wonder, did Harvey join the football team just to get away from the Jewish lifestyle and values? Maybe that is the reason he quit; because even though he is immersed in this "American sport," he is still bound to his family's Jewish traditions. He cannot escape his heritage, so why bother putting in the effort?
Much Agreed. I can see I'm not the only one who understands the importance of this particular portrayal of Harvey's young ignorance, arrogance, and pretension. The fact that quits the team more than once shows his lack of willpower and annoyingly high stuck-up nose; “If I can’t be the best, than no one can have me”. He’s relatively immature for not pulling through and proving himself to the coach, which I might have considered admirable, but all he does is flat out quit. Multiple times. Good choice, my friend.
ReplyDeleteFrom Hannah:
ReplyDeleteYou made a lot of really great observations about this particular image. One thing that we can all agree on is that Harvey is a quitter. That sort of goes without saying. I think the tricky thing to decide is why he quits. Is it really just because he cowers away from failure? I agree that Harvey wants to be tough. So when he isn’t the amazing and tough football player that he wanted to be, he quits. However, it is important to remember that football isn’t the only thing that Harvey quit. Therefore, there may be a greater reason for his constant defeated attitude. I personally think that one of the underlying reasons is his search for identity. Harvey’s identity has always been something that he struggles with. His parents are from Poland, but he was born in the United States. He also struggled with his racial identity as he grew up surrounded by blacks. Needless to say, Harvey probably struggled to understand who he was. So when he was old enough to try and define himself, Harvey looked to sports. Sports, especially baseball and football, are such trademark hobbies for Americans. It makes sense that those two sports would be a part of the identity that he wanted to have. He had an image in mind of what he wanted his identity to be. When he failed at the sports that he had set out to play, he wasn’t living up to the identity that he had envisioned. And so, he quit, time and time again, because he wanted to fulfill his self-proclaimed vision of himself. This is just a theory about why Harvey wanted to play sports and then why he continued to quit. This could, of course, be completely off the mark, but I do think it goes a little farther than his desire to be the “tough” guy.