Unsurprisingly, the graphic novel aims to tell us that the world is fair, and people will pay for the privilege which they do not deserve. Therefore, to be persuasive, the graphic novel has a simple but unpredictable plot, or in other word, the graphic novel has a sharp turn near the end, which is effectively led up to meaningful afterthoughts.
A quantity of metaphor is used in the novel graphic. According to Icon Theory (Manning, 1998), the “cross” serves as a symbol which is “a form with meanings learned only by habitual use”, of load and difficulties in real life, which slow down our step in the journey of life. Maybe the author was inspired by the saying: “we all have our crosses to bear”(Cambridge Idioms Dictionary, 2006). And the behavior of cutting piece of cross implicates flinching challenges , for which people have to pay a dear price sooner or latter.
In terms of details, the graphic novel simplifies the characters. In order to reveal the keynote concerning human life and philosophy, the author should create a sense for readers that as if they are personally on the scene, because the practice and feeling of the main character are supposed to be universal among us. So there is no need to give details a careful revision, since the meanings behind objects are far more important. The graphic novel only uses a few words to drive the plot, because unnecessarily excessive words can only blur the purpose of this graphic.
However, the author handles some necessary details in an appropriate way. For example, the musical note in the 10th script is a brilliant detail, through which we can sense the relaxation of the main character. And this serves as a hint foreshadowing the turning point in next script.
Therefore, in conclusion, this graphic novel is in good structure, which has a distinction in handling details between what is primary and what is secondary. Even without delicate painting style, the graphic novel eventually manages to convey the inspiration and thinking of living.
Reference:
a cross to bear. (n.d.) Cambridge Idioms Dictionary, 2nd ed.. (2006). Retrieved February 20 2015 from http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/a+cross+to+bear
Manning, A. D. (1998). Understanding comics: The invisible art. In All Faculty Publications. Retrieve from http://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/facpub/646
ZENG Zilu (Luna)
SID:54017720