Calvin and Hobbes is a comic strip created by Bill Watterson. It was first published in newspapers in November 1985, and was immediately popular, running through December 1995 (http://www.billwatterson.net/). The strip is about the adventures of six-year-old Calvin and his tiger, Hobbes. The characters are named for the reformation leader John Calvin and philosopher Thomas Hobbes, respectively, and embody some of the qualities of their namesakes. Calvin tends to challenge authority and insists on doing things his way, while Hobbes is overly realistic and serves as the voice of reason within the strip. Calvin also is very philosophical and has an unusually large vocabulary for a kid his age, which makes him seem more adult-like.
However, Calvin is also imaginative and rambunctious, just like any average six-year-old. This is made clear by the role of Hobbes. When Calvin and Hobbes are the only two characters shown in a panel, Hobbes is shown to be an anthropomorphic tiger. He can move and talk, and is Calvin's best friend. When there is another character in the panel, Hobbes is shown as just a stuffed tiger, raising the question if whether Hobbes is only a figment of Calvin's imagination. Because Calvin has both these childish tendencies and adult characteristics, he is an excellent representation of the inner child in everyone, something that contributed to the success of the strip.
However, Calvin is also imaginative and rambunctious, just like any average six-year-old. This is made clear by the role of Hobbes. When Calvin and Hobbes are the only two characters shown in a panel, Hobbes is shown to be an anthropomorphic tiger. He can move and talk, and is Calvin's best friend. When there is another character in the panel, Hobbes is shown as just a stuffed tiger, raising the question if whether Hobbes is only a figment of Calvin's imagination. Because Calvin has both these childish tendencies and adult characteristics, he is an excellent representation of the inner child in everyone, something that contributed to the success of the strip.
In this comic, it shows Calvin complaining about doing his homework, and then eventually giving up to go play outside. In the last panel, Calvin says, "Childhood is short and maturity is forever," and this is the central argument of the strip. This particular comic makes the argument that childhood is short and needs to be embraced by evoking pathos through the universality of the comic, metaphors alluding to the fact that childhood eventually ends, and the logos of the technical form of paneling, drawing of the comic strip itself, and the typeface and outlining used.
Calvin and Hobbes effectively appeals to the audience because this comic is something that a lot of people can relate to. Calvin is drawn as a simple, generic child, and as stated in the McCloud essay, this abstraction works create to a more universal appeal, as more people are able to see themselves in Calvin, which supports the idea that Calvin represents people’s inner child. Also, Calvin does not look very realistic, but anyone would recognize him as a human child. Since Calvin is so simple, the audience pays more attention to the message he is giving than how he looks. This works to strengthen the overall argument by creating an emotional appeal to pathos with the audience because everyone was a child once and knows what that is like.
In addition to the universality of the drawings, the situation of the comic is something that appeals to a broad spectrum of people. Everyone old enough to read this comic has gone to school at some point, whether it is kindergarten or graduate school, and most people can relate to the feeling of not wanting to do homework. By putting off his homework to go play outside, Calvin again embodies the inner child in the audience, which works to preserve childhood, furthering the argument that childhood needs to be embraced.
In addition to the universality of the drawings, the situation of the comic is something that appeals to a broad spectrum of people. Everyone old enough to read this comic has gone to school at some point, whether it is kindergarten or graduate school, and most people can relate to the feeling of not wanting to do homework. By putting off his homework to go play outside, Calvin again embodies the inner child in the audience, which works to preserve childhood, furthering the argument that childhood needs to be embraced.
Another element of the strip that works to preserve childhood is the role of Hobbes, the tiger, who is shown as a stuffed tiger that is as real as a human friend to Calvin. Hobbes represents an imaginary friend, which is another fundamental element of childhood. This appeals to the pathos of the audience because it is something that a lot of people can relate to, and by making Hobbes a part of Calvin's imagination, it establishes the childishness of the strip. Since people eventually outgrow imaginary friends, Hobbes represents the idea that childhood is short because Hobbes, like childhood, will someday be outgrown. This metaphor directly reflects the argument of the comic: Hobbes, like childhood, must be taken advantage of while it is still there, before it is gone forever.
The sled in the third panel appears to be flying, again adding to the sense that childhood has more freedom. When Calvin and Hobbes are free from the confines of sitting at a desk doing homework, they are visibly much happier, which is shown by their facial expressions and body language. While they are inside, the comic shows Calvin overwhelmed and unhappy in the first panel. This is reiterated in the second panel by showing the same scene from a different angle. As stated in Chapter 15 of Compose, Design, Advocate, we can relate to the body language because we have bodies that function in the same way as the characters' in the strip. The audience can relate to the level of frustration Calvin is feeling while he is stuck sitting at his desk doing homework, which provides another emotional appeal to pathos. This supports the argument because by showing that childhood is more enjoyable, it emphasizes that is must be enjoyed before one has to give in to the drudgery of adulthood.
Besides the emotional appeals to pathos, the technical elements in the form of the comic strip provide appeals to logos. The comic is made up of three panels, which show the passing of time. In this particular strip, the third one is twice the size as the first two, and the visual arrangement appeals to logos. This organization visually establishes that the third panel is the most important of the three, since it is the one that contains the message that "childhood is short and maturity is forever." As the comic strip ends, it symbolizes that eventually childhood will end too. The third panel is another metaphor for the argument, as it shows that it is the main emphasis of the strip. The fact that the comic ends represents the finality of maturity. Again this emphasizes that childhood must be embraced before the finality of maturity and adulthood sets in.Another appeal to logos made in the drawing of the comic is that the first two panels contain indoor scenes, and the third is an outdoor scene. This not only shows the different activities associated with childhood and maturity, but also represents the binary relationship between the two. Sitting inside and doing work is considered a more mature, "adult" activity, while sledding outside is more of a "kid" activity. Since these activities are shown in completely different settings, it shows the contrast between mature adulthood and carefree, fun childhood.
An additional technical appeal to logos is the typeface used in the comic. It is depicted in all-caps, and looks handwritten, like something a child might write, but more legible. This adds to the childishness of the comic, and also creates another appeal to pathos. The child-like text evokes an emotional appeal from the audience while they are reading it, so they might be more inclined to believe the overall argument.
Furthermore, the form of the comic itself creates an appeal to logos. The first and third panels are outlined, while the second one is not. This creates a visual break, emphasizing the difference between the scenes. Also, the dialogue bubbles are the same way. They are outlined in the first and third panels, but not in the second one. This is a visual continuity with the outlining of the panels. By having the second panel not outlined, it makes the third one stand out, again emphasizing the importance of the final panel and it's message.
Through establishing pathos and logos, the universal appeal of Calvin and Hobbes, the role of Hobbes as a fundamental element of childhood, and the technical form of the comic strip, the argument is made that childhood is short and needs to be embraces. Though Calvin and Hobbes is not geared just toward children, the fact that this argument is made in a comic strip shows the true nature of the argument. By reading a comic in the first place, the audience is in fact embracing their inner-child, which is the whole point of the argument. Because childhood is short and maturity is forever, childhood needs to be taken advantage of while it still can be. People have forever to be mature adults, but people only get to be kids once. This means that though childhood eventually ends, it is important to take time to live life.
Works Cited
Bill Watterson Infosite. 29 March 2010. http://www.billwatterson.net/Gocomics.com. Calvin and Hobbes. 29 March 2010. http://www.gocomics.com/calvinandhobbes/
