Humourous Moments

Page 46

The darkly humorous tone of the last panel here displays an example of the more comic element of this book. The treatment of a heavy concept like death in a callous manner, referencing a point earlier in the chapter with a grim physical metaphor, creates humour in the contrast of seriousness of topic with frivolity of comment.

Page 54

The juxtaposition of minimal reaction with the enormity of an event such as death has humourous effect here as the second panel in the second row somewhat bathetically concludes, “That was all.”. Her hesitance when answering in the second panel of the first row also is a slight jab at societal norms and the discomfort of mentioning death as well as the apparent impossibility of an individual being “okay” after being hit by a truck. The contrast between okay and dead verges on polar.

Page 196

Bechdel pokes fun at herself here, and the human tendency for blame, even where it is unjustified. By exposing the inherent bias in her memoir with raw honesty, she admits her human flaw in narration and simultaneously creates humour in the juxtaposition of the formality of register with the ironic punchline of informality with the conversational phrase, “For one thing”.

Censorship Mind Map