Swallow Me Whole

I found the most interesting discussions in class this week to be covered within the graphic novel, Swallow Me Whole. At first, I was very reluctant to begin to read this book because every page involved so much detail and what I believed to be “hidden” messages. However, after reading the piece I found that the extremely detail oriented and hidden meanings within the entirety of this graphic novel is what captured and sustained my attention the most. I love how the book gives us so much room as readers to develop our own beliefs and thoughts. How each page allows for us to sit and talk for moments on end was very intriguing and actually fun. I loved how many ideas were thrown out into discussion throughout class. There were so many differing and thought provoking ideas that I found myself fascinated by how much we all came up with individually for each page of the novel. I especially loved the end of the book where Ruth is literally swallowed up and taken away by her schizophrenic hallucinations. I have no idea why the thought of the early Bible stories of the plague broke out in my mind, but probably because of not only the locusts and frogs, but also because of how these creatures seemed to engulf Ruth’s entire being and sweep her away without her being able to put up a fight any more. Ruth gives in to her hallucinations and is literally swallowed whole. This book is truly one of my favorites this semester. I love how much we as readers are able to allow our minds to be swallowed up by this novel’s illustrated hallucinations and how much it affects us to the point that we ourselves might even sound a little crazy.