In the autobiographical graphic novel Sisters by Raina Telgemeier, Raina, like many siblings, struggles with getting along with her sister. Raina’s sisters, Amara, is 5 years younger than Raina and the two are constantly at each other’s throats. While Sisters follows the Schmidt’s ‘Heroine’s Journey’, Telgemeier modifies the journey, making the novel an amazing read.
What fascinates me about Sisters, is the lack of a perfect world, as described in Victoria Schmidt’s ‘Heroine’s Journey’.
The novel opens with a Raina’s family of 5 eating dinner before a long road trip across the southwest US. Immediately Raina (14) and Amara (9) begin fighting at the dinner table, and Raina later screams “Why did I even ask for a sister?” (Telgemeier 3). With the conflict immediately evident, Telgemeier skips the “perfect world” step. Into the “realization” step, Raina flashbacks to her younger self asking her parents for a sister. But after Amara is born, Raina is soon unhappy with the change and responsibility which comes with a sibling.
Raina’s discomfort and anger with Amara turn out to be the focus of the novel. Throughout the road trip, Raina and Amara are constantly fighting. The sisters poke, fight, and argue throughout the weeklong trip across the southwest. The trip includes Schmidt’s ‘Awakening’ and ‘Decent’, though Telgemeier doesn’t follow the sections closely.
Ultimately, Raina enters the ‘all is lost’ step of her journey, feeling completely isolated and alone. After a week, they arrive at the family reunion. At the reunion, Raina finds she can’t fit in with her cousins who all like different hobbies, music, and games than her. Furthermore, Raina can’t fit in with the younger kids nor the adults. Feeling dejected, Raina wanders outside and finds Amara sitting alone outside. After an initial moment of commiseration about feeling like outcasts, the sisters fight once more and the moment disappears. That night, Raina contemplates one of the cruxes of a conflict in Sisters: Raina is lonely. She doesn’t fit in with her family or friends and is sick of being alone. Raina then takes her anger out on Amara.
To resolve Sisters Telgemeier recounts the car breaking down on the trip back home. Stranded and awaiting help, Raina and Amara begin arguing once more. In their yelling, the sisters realize their parents may get divorced. That they are both lonely and really do love each other. In this moment of ‘Rebirth’, Raina and Amara go from each other’s enemies to ‘support’ for one another.
Sisters does not follow ‘the Heroine’s Journey’ as Schmidt made it, but it tells a wonderful story about siblings, loneliness, and love.
-Kai
Sources:
Sisters, Raina Telgemeier, published 2014
Hi Kai! I really enjoyed how you interpreted Sisters in the context of the Herione's journey. I agree with your classification that though Telgemeier does skip some steps, generally, she hits the main points. I was wondering of you could say that both sisters went through the Herione's journey - it would be interesting if they were fighting the whole time just to be one the same path.
ReplyDeleteI've never read this novel but I think it's really interesting how you thought of it from the perspective of the heroine's journey while there seem to be 2 main characters. Although it may not follow every aspect of the heroine's journey, I think it's cool that you were able to identify multiple different stages. Ultimately this analysis was really good and I'd definitely read a book that follows the heroine's journey but with two protagonists instead of just one.
ReplyDeleteHi Kai! I loved reading Sisters when I was younger, so seeing how that beloved childhood book could fit into the framing of this class was really interesting! I definitely agree that Telgemeier skipped some steps of the Heroine’s Journey, but her portrayal of the major steps of the Journey, especially the Rebirth, makes the story still hit all the same. When I eventually read this book again, I’ll definitely keep this post in mind, and maybe even try to apply the Heroine’s Journey to Telgemeier's other books!
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