Arbuckleology

This is probably uncalled for.

But I just had some epiphanies about Garfield. The lovable comic feline.

The cat ate lasagna, first of all. Think about that, giving a cat italian food, let alone a conglomeration such as lasagna. The cat wouldn't leave a mess on the couch, it would just be gone. You'd wake up and Kitty wouldn't be there anymore, it would have crawled under the house to die an oregano death alone.

And I blame this on Jon, not only did he let the cat eat lasagna and other human foods (coffee boggles my mind especially), but he let the cat rummage through the refrigerator, watch television, complain about Monday's etc. etc.

It takes a real crumb of a man to let his pets, a rude, possessive, gluttonous cat who communicates through ESP and a handicapped dog who is audaciously named Odie, rule his life from the inside out.

I don't remember Jon having a job, and when he was at home, he wasn't really involved in any leisure activity, except maybe hanging out with Lyman, that creep with the 'stache across the street. or taking care of a fern, that he would casually let his cat eat. The only upside in Jon's life was his obsession with the vetrinarian, which to me, even as a second grader, seemed insanely awkward for all parties involved. And the tension would mount even more in situations where he had to converse with his family.

Here's how I figure it. Jon's the protagonist. Lyman and the vet are both legitimate people that Jon interacts with. The animals however can be viewed as abstracts, as much as characters. Odie represents Jon's unabashed foolishness and lack of direction in all walks of life, while Garfield represents the thorn in Jon's side that shackles him to the current slump of bachelorism he's in where he finds pleasure in feeding his cat Taster's Choice and pasta for brunch.

And these two dynamics create barriers for Jon to overcome in his interpersonal relationships, whether they be from ignorance or from the oppressive, self-ridicule that stems from spending too much time alone, or with the same two humans. The fern could represent a progression in Jon's life that blossoms for a season, but is soon devoured by his lack of self-esteem. Natch.

Arbuckle, find a way before the comic is canceled.