Blankets By Craig Thompson: A Literary Analysis

The graphic novel Blankets, by Craig Thompson, is an emotionally charged and painfully truthful account of the author’s life as he grew from a young child through the stages of adolescence to young adulthood. Thompson’s account of his life events represent many developmental theories and philosophies. Bronfenbrenner’s theory of systems, Vygotsky’s social development theory, Marcia’s theory of the identity, Arnett’s theory of emerging adulthood, and Kraft’s theory of the family system are all seen throughout Craig’s life. Urie Bronfenbrenner presented his theory of ecological systems in 1979. In his theory, Bronfenbrenner claims that there are four systems that work in concert with one another to effect the behavior of an individual (Lobb,

Craig’s mesosystem affected him deeply through the presence of bullying and a traditionally styled classroom. Craig’s days throughout his school system were plagued with bullies who not only outnumbered him, but outweighed him as well. A clear demonstration of bullying in Craig’s life can be seen on pages 20 through 25. Throughout these pages, Craig is harassed and then physically beaten down. A research study by Kaltiala et al. reports that it is known that those who suffer from bullying also suffer from depressive attitudes and, in some cases, suicidal ideation. The presence of bullies in Craig’s life and the knowledge of a common correlation between bullying and depression could also explain the timidity observed in his character. The school system Craig is a part of is also obviously a traditional classroom system. These class styles are known to offer little room for creativity or acceptance of expression of feelings (Lobb, 2016). One of Craig’s childhood teachers is described as having little tolerance for Craig and his expression of what is going on in his life (Thompson, 26-28). This suppression of Craig’s feelings and desire to express those feelings to the adults in his life is also a factor that shaped the withdrawn personality Craig possesses throughout the book. The culmination of the bullies and strict traditional teachers in Craig’s life can be seen on page

Vygotsky’s social theory is partially pertaining to the social development kids experience from the teachers in their lives. It states that a child needs teachers in its life to show it the correct way to present itself and interact (Lobb, 2016). As discussed previously, the main teachers in Craig’s life can be seen in his school system and also in his Bible studies. These teachers affected Craig negatively in that they subdued his creativity and demanded for him to learn what they taught and nothing more. These teachers caused him to nearly give up his passions and to also question all values presented in his life. Another teacher in Craig’s life was his father. His father was an authoritarian leader and expressed himself several times throughout the book as such (Thompson 13, 169). He demanded unquestioning loyalty and obedience from his children. The authoritarian parenting style is known to create gaps of understanding between parents and children (Kraft, 2016). These gaps do not allow for complete communication and healthy relationships to form. The strain in their relationship and lack of the ability to be vulnerable with each other is seen on pages 202 through 207. Here Craig’s mother and father sit down with Craig to explain why it is wrong to draw naked women. However, Craig’s father is obviously uncomfortable with the situation and refuses to say more than a few words, let alone any