Panel at top of page 38

There is a cartoon panel at the top of page 38 of the book Pedro and Me by Judd Winick. There are three sections to the panel. In one part of the panel the main character, Pedro, is on board a ship headed towards the United States. Accompanying Pedro are his mother, his father, his grandmother, his sister Mily, and his brother Jesus. In that same part of the panel, the family is huddled together with their heads hung, trying to stay warm and safe from the weather elements. Another part of the panel depicts Pedro's four older brothers and his older sister standing somberly behind a fence. Those behind the fence are not aboard the ship because they are too close to the draft age and must stay behind. The final portion of the panel is an extension of the second. The scene has panned out to give Pedro's perspective as he watches his older siblings being drift into the distance.

There are many visual and textual details that enable anyone viewing the panel to know what is going on within it. The simplest of clues associated with understanding the panel are the texts that go along with the cartoon depiction; in the text it is clearly states that part of Pedro's family are on a boat headed to America while the others are not allowed to. The actual illustration shows Pedro, and those of his family on board the boat, huddled together with their heads down. It also shows people standing behind a fence and watching with forlorn looks on their faces. Finally, it shows those same people behind the fence at a greater distance. This difference in perspective found within the two sections of the panel, gives the illusion of that the picture is a representation of the last glimpse of the life and family that Pedro left behind. The dramatic split that this panel depicts is a common theme for Pedro within Pedro and Me.

Not only does this panel fit in format wise (black and white cartoon) with the rest of the novel, but in context with the part of the novel that the panel on the top of page 38 is found on, it fits perfectly in depicting the hard choices and voyage that led Pedro to come to America. It really helps the reader to understand Pedro's background before he met Judd Winick. The hardship that Pedro had to overcome in order to arrive in the United States only set the stage for a lifetime of hardships and choices that he had to face which are represented in Pedro and Me. Such hardships included being HIV positive, which later became a central part of his life and legacy. In a way, the panel shows the split that occurred not only between Pedro and his older siblings but also the one that occurred within himself. Later in the novel Pedro is often torn internally. Two examples of this include how he was sick but didn't want to portray people having AIDS as sick when he appeared on MTV's The Real World; and also when he wanted to live with his partner Sean while longing to stay physically close to his family. The panel of Pedro's family separation is a great prelude to the Pedro's life story.

The use of darkness and shadows give the reader more information about the scene they are looking at. First off the darkness gives way to show physical attributes of the characters drawn. For example Cubans often have dark hair. Shadows also contour the facial features of the people which helps show the sad emotional context of the scene. In addition, the segment of Pedro and his family on the boat is comparatively dark when taking all three segments into account. This shows how hard of a decision it was for them to leave the other family members behind. There are also dark streaks that run throughout the portrait of those on the boat which add to the somber feeling while simultaneously depicting the bad weather that surrounded their departure. The actual wording is another thing to consider that relays more information to the viewer of the panel.

Throughout Pedro and Me the writing is in comic "blurbs" with all capitol letters. Such a format is rather personal, and less formal which yields to it being inviting for many people of different education levels and backgrounds to relate to. In addition, the words in the top part of the panel are enmeshed into the vision, while the words portraying those left behind are separated with a box. This is important because it's as there is supposed to a message that while it was great that Pedro and some of his family went to America, the part that was most important was they left others that they cared a lot about behind. It's almost like the actions of those on the boat are an afterthought to those behind the fence. While the text of the panel is interesting to interpret, the details seem more important for this particular piece.

It's very interesting that Winick chose to split the panel of Pedro's family separating into three parts. The first drawing is set up much darker to portray the sadness and grief at leaving home. The families behind the fence are shown with precise faces that are showing emotions, but as the picture is panned out they become more obscure showing the emotion of them fading into the distance physically and psychologically. The black and white colors let you focus truly on what is happening in the illustration. You are not distracted by colors, plus it shows that on that very day there was a cloud over their lives. They were happy to be leaving for better opportunities yet very depressed to be leaving their families and homes forever. In addition the rainy streaks create a sense of movement; after all, happy or not, Pedro and part of his family were moving forward. In the other two parts of the panel the lines in the fence serve as a way to break up the features of those who are being left behind. Those same lines provide a prison-like look. Many of these various elements can easily be analyzed for symbolism.

There is a symbolic nature in the illustration as a whole. The mothers and fathers gathered around their young children, guarding them from the rain, symbolize the parents wanting to guard their children from life and the misfortunes they may run across. They drift off into the sea, going away from the life that they have always known and departing toward a new one that they are unsure of. It is as if they are huddled around their children trying to protect them from the elements, but also knowing that they will be heading to a more fruitful nation where freedom is expected. The hung faces of those on the boat are really important. Often times, we think that people are so lucky to have the chance to come to America- but this shows that such a freedom weighs heavily on their hearts and their minds. The panel also shows the family left behind and how sad they are to see their families leave; but it is important to note that they are not crying because they know that the family members on the boat are headed to bigger and better things. The fence itself seems to have a purpose all of its own- it is a physical barrier that serves to prevent the family from reconnecting.

All in all there are many details that go hand in hand to make the panel on the top of page 38 of Pedro and Me a very interesting piece to analyze. It truly seems to be a turning point for Pedro as well as his family, and evidently has many repeating characteristics of Pedro's life as a whole. It's a very sad scene and Judd Winick used a wide variety of techniques from shading to separating to make it speak volumes.

Works Cited

Winick, Judd. Pedro and Me. New York: Henry Holt and Company, 2000. Print.