Nine characters have gathered to give their respects for a person who has either passed or can no longer perform. As the nine characters have come together on stage, with the backdrop of an elegant curtain scene behind them, representing the finale of a performance, none are able to speak and deliver their eulogy. Possibly they realize that they no longer have the ability, or they are too overcome by grief, regardless they find themselves speechless, and none of them attempts to approach the solitary microphone only a few feet away from them. They pay their respects, and mourn in silence.
Formally Animated: An Formalistic Approach to “Speechless”
Arguably, art is a representation of life, through the eyes of the artist. Artistic expression is represented in an abundance of forms, and although some may be considered intellectually inferior, they nonetheless can carry the same depth and emotional impact. Comic strips, animated film, cartoon, all can symbolically represent humanity in life lessons, political and economic dilemmas, and yet still provide pleasurable entertainment for the viewer. It must be clear however, that the intent of such art, is sometimes blurred by conceptions which we associate to it’s intent. What we associate may not necessarily fit the original intent of that piece. By using the school of Formalism, we can identify when these association are made incorrectly, in regard to original intent.
Before we can identify when associations are incorrectly made, we must recognize how we make these associations. Looking at the picture above “Speechless,” the event which has taken place is clear. There are various animated characters, in mourning, possibly over another character which has passed on. One of the most notable aspects of this picture, is the difference in the characters themselves. A closer view, grants us a representation of each character, or symbolically who or what group of people each character represents. Notably, these differences are distinct, by immediate comparison to the rest of the characters which surround them. For example, Speedy Gonzalez. If we were not privy to the information of the name of the character, most individuals would look at Gonzalez and recognize that he represents the Mexican, or a South American race. The small stature, darker brown complexion, and obvious use of certain cultural attire would immediately associate cultural traits of a Latin American ethnicity. This is heightened, as one of the characters that towers over Gonzalez is Foghorn Leghorn, who can arguably represent the White race of a Southern Origin. It is in light of these contrasts that their differences become obvious.
Although the characters image grants us an idea of where they may originate from, it is indeed our association that we attach to the characters behavior and the manner in which we expect them to act that is also notable. Viktor Shklovsky would argue that it is “habitualizaton” which blurs character, which becomes a symbol to us, and which “fades and does not leave even a first impression,’’ because we have associated our own ideas to that symbol (15).
Reviewing the picture again, we are granted with the microphone stand and the spotlight, alone at the forefront of the stage. Does this represent a character who was singularly more important than the rest, or was it a character who was simply more liked that the rest of the individual characters? Is it possible that that empty spotlight represents the inability to comment on politics and the government due to recent mandates and restrictions of freedom of speech, or perhaps these characters originate in a country where the government is oppressive in all aspects of media. Although, the empty spot light is undefined in the picture as to its purpose, we again associate many different ideas attributes in which formalism would promptly point out as false. Indeed, the empty spotlight only represents the one human voice of all the characters who has passed on.
Works Cited
Murray, Penelope and T.S. Dorsch. Classical Literary Criticism. London: Penguin Books LTD., 1965.
Van Citters, Darryl. Speechless. 1993. Lithograph Reprint.
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