Kavalier and Clay | Connections | Blog Post #1
Compare this novel to those you've read previously. What appears here that appears in others? For example, Chabon was asked if he purposefully referenced the opening of Moby Dick when two unlikely bedmates are forced together to share a bed unwillingly with the opening of Kavalier and Clay. Make connections in the first 12 chapters to other works of literature in a similar way.
In this blog post, I will compare "The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay" to "The Posisonwood Bible," "Ceremony," and "There There" in terms of content and literary style.
Firstly, Chabon's novel is similar to "The Poisonwood Bible" because it references history periodically so as to both ground the reader in the story and add depth to the characters' narratives. In K+C, WWII and the Holocaust, although not the main story, are extremely significant to the time and greatly affect the manner in which the characters behave. For example, if Chabon had not included background information on the time, it would still be a mystery as to why Joe wanted to escape to America and, even further, why Joe and Sam create their comic book. In TPB, Kingsolver frequently references the political turmoil in the Beligian Congo. This is helpful because it explains why Nathan is so fixed on helping the Congolese (among many other reasons).
"The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay" and "Ceremony" share the motif of escapism. Although it is notably more present in K+C with Joe's magic and his desire to escape his life in Europe, the motif of escapism can also be seen in "Ceremony" in that Tayo's cousin Rocky was very skeptical of their way of living and felt a need to escape to white society. The characters Joe and Rocky share the feeling of unfitness in their current community as well as a burning desire to escape to opportunities elsewhere.
Lastly, "The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay" and "There There" share a desire from the characters to reconnect with cultural roots. Like the majority of the characters in "There There," Sam appears to be clueless when it comes to being what Jewish means. In addition, like the many characters in "There There" attempted to learn from the Internet or friends and family what it meant to be Native American, Sam is attempting to learn more about his religion from Joe.
In this blog post, I will compare "The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay" to "The Posisonwood Bible," "Ceremony," and "There There" in terms of content and literary style.
Firstly, Chabon's novel is similar to "The Poisonwood Bible" because it references history periodically so as to both ground the reader in the story and add depth to the characters' narratives. In K+C, WWII and the Holocaust, although not the main story, are extremely significant to the time and greatly affect the manner in which the characters behave. For example, if Chabon had not included background information on the time, it would still be a mystery as to why Joe wanted to escape to America and, even further, why Joe and Sam create their comic book. In TPB, Kingsolver frequently references the political turmoil in the Beligian Congo. This is helpful because it explains why Nathan is so fixed on helping the Congolese (among many other reasons).
"The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay" and "Ceremony" share the motif of escapism. Although it is notably more present in K+C with Joe's magic and his desire to escape his life in Europe, the motif of escapism can also be seen in "Ceremony" in that Tayo's cousin Rocky was very skeptical of their way of living and felt a need to escape to white society. The characters Joe and Rocky share the feeling of unfitness in their current community as well as a burning desire to escape to opportunities elsewhere.
Lastly, "The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay" and "There There" share a desire from the characters to reconnect with cultural roots. Like the majority of the characters in "There There," Sam appears to be clueless when it comes to being what Jewish means. In addition, like the many characters in "There There" attempted to learn from the Internet or friends and family what it meant to be Native American, Sam is attempting to learn more about his religion from Joe.
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