Isabella De La Rosa 4th Period Calvin and Hobbes final Essay April 12, 2013 Calvin and Hobbes

on the Perception of Meaning This has got to be my favorite comic strip from the series. In this comic strip Calvin screams to the stars that he is SIGNIFICANT but then after a moment of thought comments, screamed the dust speck. I really liked this because it reminded me of Neil Degrasse Tyson and how we, humans, all have literal outer space within us. But within this comic alone, Calvin is commenting on the need of people to believe they matter in the great universe. He is also, in his alone-ness, comparing himself to being about as special as a speck of dust. I think this comic touches on the darker side of existentialism a bit because Calvin sees and understands the insignificance of human life in the grander scheme of things. I am not sure Calvin fully understands his meaning in life but he sees how small humans are in the cosmic universe. This comic also comments on the idea of absurdity in life and how to give life a universal meaning would be, well, absurd.

Although I have not read many Calvin and Hobbes comic strips I believe this is one of the deeper strips because the situation Calvin is posing is a universal one. I think we, as humans, need to feel some sense that we are significant or else what are we doing on this planet? (Really? Id like to know!) This comic also comments on our selfperception. I think if we truly believe that we are significant than we are, but if we look to the outside world for approval we will be eternally unsatisfied and full of doubt. The human need to be heard and understood is in all of us. It is why people seek love so feverishly. I believe Calvin wants to be heard just as loudly as every one else. One thing I noticed about this comic strip is that Hobbes is not in it. I can understand why Hobbes does not appear because this is such a universal moment of thought that many people think about and there is no answer Hobbes can provide. Calvin is not completely pessimistic but just observant of the world/universe around him. I also believe that there is a layer to this comic that just provides awe of the universe. Even after all these years after exploration of the

planet Earth we have our final frontier of Outer Space. Although we, humans, seem to know so much, there is still so much we do not know! Perception of our place in the universe is a hard one to imagine. All in all, this moment in Calvin and Hobbes is very relatable because of all the bases it touches from the scientific to the selfperception we all have. This comic really made me critically think and I am thankful for that. It is safe to say I will be reading Calvin and Hobbes strips whenever I come across them in the future. Word Count: 502