Robert
Crumb’s Genesis is a very unique
work, especially for Robert Crumb. If one were to look at other works of Crumb’s,
like his Zap Comics, one would find
his vision of society extremely satirical and highly sexualized. In fact, in
the documentary film Crumb several of
his girlfriends in the past attested to how sexual he was. Thus knowing how
Robert Crumb is as an artist and a person, upon finding out that he did a comic
of The Book of Genesis, it would be automatically assumed that the
interpretations of the must be satirical and sexual. However, much to the surprise
of many, Robert Crumb does a very literal translation of Genesis. The entire
text is word for word from the bible. He also took 5 years meticulously researching
and drawing for the book, thus making it as accurate as one can.
Despite
his attempts at making his comic of The Book of Genesis as straight edged and
from the text to the drawing as possible, it is inherent in art that even with
a text so well known, it will be interpreted. The entire comic is Crumb’s way
of humanizing the story. Most people when they first read Genesis 1-50, were
reading it under the guide of Sunday school or a parent to teach the religion
to their impressionable children. The text was made to seem very light hearted,
or to show the loving god that created the world and was so crucial to shaping
society. Of course, Crumb does not change anything, therefore god is still
shown to have created the world and is crucial to shaping society, however he isn’t
so inherently loving. Crumb makes it so that Gods power actually stems from
fear. Often when he comes to Noah or Abraham, their faces look shocked and
scared of what is going to be told to them. They succumb to his almighty power
and oblige. This is not immediately apparent from just reading the words, but
very obvious when drawn.
One
of the most striking scenes in The Book of Genesis is when Abraham is
instructed to sacrifice his first born to God, by God. The words and images,
while conceivably do match up, would not be initially associated together if
looked at separately. The text is simply Abraham going up to the spot, tying up
his son and when close to the sacrifice being stopped by God and rewarded for
showing his devotion. This is obviously a very disturbing scene, but it is just
taken for granted by many who read it from the bible. Crumb does a fantastic
job of giving it new meaning simply with placement and facial expressions.
Isaac early on is
smiling and happy just to go on this adventure with his father. Yet, once
nearing the top of the mountain he realizes there is wood and fire for the
offering, but no sheep and his worry increases. Once bound tears run down his
face and he is very scared, deservingly so, for his life. All the while Abraham
remained stoic throughout. He shows no emotion. The only emotion is the sweat
on his brow once he was stopped by God, indicating how hard it was going to be
for him to complete the task, and shortly afterwards he collapses to his knees
in relief. Once the ram is sacrificed, God lists the rewards for his actions,
but Abraham seems to be unresponsive, holding his sobbing child while staring
off into space. With this Crumb makes the text very boxy and emotionless, the
conversation between father and son are also separated or in different bubbles
all together, to emphasize the emotional strain.
Crumb reimagines
Genesis 22, with simply the addition, or more the subtraction with Abraham, of
emotion and the placement of word bubbles. When reading the text itself it just
seems like Abraham easily and willingly was going to sacrifice his kid simply
because God said to. Yet, in real life, sacrificing your kid even if it had to
be for the greater good would be one of the most difficult things to do and
would traumatize an individual forever. Even simply losing a child in the mall
for 10 minutes would haunt a mother for a week. Crumb shows the text in a
powerful and human light with Abraham not willingly performing this act, but
struggling with it every step of the way, and even when the action was revealed
as a test and the ram was to be sacrificed, Abraham was still deeply affected.
In effect, this scene embodies the whole text. Crumb did all he could to draw
the Book of Genesis from word to image, yet the text does not show the emotion
necessary to truly tell a story. Crumb does a fantastic job of making it more
real, which in turn showed the true darkness of the text.
There are alot of good points that you bring up. The strongest section is probably about the struggle with the sacrifice. You did a good job expressing what the characters are going through. It almost seems like the expressions of Issac and Abraham are opposite of each other. That also adds to the tension. I don't think the beginning (expressing images sexually) adds any meaning to the argument. There would need to be another section arguing why he did or didn't make it sexual and how that would change the work.
ReplyDeleteYour argument could be clearer at the beginning. God’s power stems from fear, and the God of the Bible isn’t the guy we know from Sunday school (for those of us who went). It’s a fine starting point, and well on the way to being an interesting argument, but you are indirect and slow about expressing it.
ReplyDeleteIn the closing three paragraphs you pick a scene. We both agree that it’s critical, and I don’t disagree with your overall assessment of it, nor with your interesting if not fully developed comments about the *subtraction* of Abraham’s facial expressions. But although you’re on an interesting track, you struggle to do anything that isn’t simply descriptive. Nor is a a thoughtless description - you focus on good details, but what is your argument?
Are you focusing on God as a God of, or through, fear? Are you focusing on Abraham’s choice? It *is* a dark text - but what does that darkness mean, and how do you respond to it? Are you a critic of Abraham’s? Of God’s? Are you trying to say something about the meaning of those choices in a dark and terrifying situation?