“The Beautiful Ambiguity of Covers: Comics Representation and Religious Art,” written by Benjamin Stevens of the University of Florida, provides many insights into Craig Thompson's 2003 autobiographical graphic novel , Blankets. Stevens' analysis focuses on features of the novel such as style, search for identity, the impact of Christianity, and details of the actual illustrations. This allows the reader to better understand the content and meaning of Thompson's work. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay Thompson's combination of illustration and dialogue is remarkable. Stevens' survey of the work highlights this fact, noting "the visual and material similarity of the 'image' and the 'text' or 'word'" (Stevens 6). The ability to use both text and a direct form of visual aid is not typical of a novel, but they allow Thompson to go into more detail about Craig's home life, his childhood, his search for himself and his inner conflict regarding his faith. An interesting feature of this graphic novel is the fact that no two pages are the same. There is no fixed number of boxes or words assigned, which leaves the author the freedom to express himself fully through his work: “From the first page of the scene, therefore, our awareness of the path of Craig, of what we later saw him call his “‘Movement’ depends on the visual, representational, or spatial rather than the textual, discursive, or temporal” (Stevens 8). The use of his drawings in his illustrations is also intriguing, allowing the reader to gain a better understanding of his state of mind. Craig's quest for identity is another important element of the storyline: "An immediate complication of this reading is that the character's 'private' meditation", in the form of his depicted thoughts, is not 'private' but presented to the reader or viewer” (Stevens 2). A clear example of this self-exposure is the detailed comic illustrations of masturbation on pages 147 and 148. Craig is comfortable enough with his audience to be honest about even the most intimate circumstances, allowing the reader access to his most intimate thoughts. Thompson connects the search for identity with the idea of ​​“stretching” both mentally and physically: “[CRAIG] I've never seen shadows stretch until now. [RAINA] They are ambitious” (Thompson 245.3). Thompson takes advantage of his ability to display his thoughts and emotions in a more complex medium than just words on a page. It privileges the reader with Craig's thoughts and desires, particularly in light of his feelings for Raina and his struggle to accept the biblical teachings he grew up with. Craig's devout Christian parents attempt to impose their beliefs on him, but are very hypocritical throughout their lives. process. Likewise, all of Craig's interactions within the church have been negative because the "Christians" are very cruel to him for various reasons. One of his greatest passions is drawing, which gives him the idea of ​​worshiping God through his art. However, his teachers, parents, and church members all condemn this, going so far as to say that the art will lead to things such as homosexuality and Pygmalionism through the process of idolatry. This forces Craig to engage in an internal struggle between accepting a faith that is not lived among his "followers" and choosing to follow his own path of worshiping God in the manner in which he is more comfortable. As Stevens notes, "Covers are at least an 'art on the », 2004.