Eng 300- Blankets- Chapters 2-5

Craig as a teenager is very similar to who he was as a child. In both stages of his life, he's timid and easily overpowered by others. He also constantly has a fear of reaching his next stage in life hanging over him. As a child, he's constantly afraid of becoming a teenager, linking it to the sexual abuse he enduredd from his teenage baby-sitter. When he becomes a teenager, he fears his own sexuality, getting incrediby nervous whenever Raina tries to touch him or kiss him. He links the sexual abuse he endured from his babysitter to every sexual thought or action (such as masturbating on pgs 146-147) as dirty and sinful.
Craig's drawings, I believe, are linked to his religion. He also seems to think his drawings are sinful, drawing his passion away from the love of God. Adults, such as his Sunday school teacher, (pgs 136-137) draw him even farther away from his drawing, dismissing it. His drawing is his escape, who he is. Essentially, his religion is drawing him farther and farther away from his true self. Throughout the story Craig sticks towards his religion with only subtle details giving away his doubts, such on pgs 217 and 218, Jesus is drawn to describe a story Craig is reading in the Bible, but Jesus is not drawn or depicted in a light, warm, and loving way. I viewed the drawing if Jesus as dark, sinister, and mysterious. A shroud of darkness always seemed to shroud is face, especially his eyes. In some panels, Jesus' face or body was blcked out completely, hiding i from the reader.
Throughout the book I also noticed a symbol that interested me. It almost looks like a sea shell. I'm not quite sure what it represents, but it appears on pg. 293 in an image of his naked babysitter, in the middle of his chest, where his heart should be. It appears, in many other places, but also on the border of the panel on pg. 311, depicting a loving image of Raina. This symbol also links Craig's very different images and experiences of his sexuality together.