The Title and The Ending
For me, Adrian Tomine ended Shortcomings perfectly. The reader sees almost everyone’s different
failures, or shortcomings, in relation to each other. Miko apologies to Ben for
her faults on page 102:
She continues to clearly lay out Ben’s inadequacies through
page 103:
The novel ends leaving Ben, and the reader, in mid air, just
short of a landing, or resolution.
What did everyone think of the ending? Should it have ended
on a more resolved note to “fix” some of the shortcomings? What were some of
the other character’s shortcomings? How did race play into perceptions of
failure?
I thought the ending was...realistic. I noted in a previous comment to someone else that I thought it would end with him being confronted with his awfulness and narcissism and horribleness, and there wouldn't be a complete resolve. Because that's what real life is like generally, and the author seemed to be going for some form of realism. Things like this rarely happen in a contained period of time and completely resolve at is comes to a close. People don't generally just "see the light" and change their ways at the flip of a switch (or upon confrontation--I know I don't.)
ReplyDeleteBen is a man who is set in his ways. He "exists" before the book and continues to "exist" after the last panel. His character clearly has these things hardwired into him, so it's unrealistic that this incident with his girlfriend would change him and lead to a book to a clear and resolved note. I like the ambiguous ending. It's hard to tell if he's still just fuming, or if he's looking out that window actually thinking about his mistakes and maybe his faulty wiring. But you know he's thinking. And that's good. That's realistic.
I think that the book ended perfectly the way it did. In most endings, we expect to see happy ending for the character despite what he/she has done. That may satisfy us as readers, but the method drifts away from reality and make the story mediocre. Shortcomings is different because we see a man being hit in the face with cold irony when he has done wrong himself. If the book had ended with Miko running back to Ben at the airport, then it would just become another cliche that no one would want to read. The ending is perfect and nothing should be changed. As far as the fixing of the shortcomings, I believe that they were in a way fixed. At the very end of the book, we see Ben looking out of an airplane window. At this point he is probably looking back on what he has done throughout the book. Probably contemplating his errors and what he could do to improve himself. If that's the case, then he sort of fixed his shortcomings through that.
ReplyDeleteRace did play a major role into the perception of failure because of a favoring factor. In my Media & Identity class, we watched a survey of children where they were given the choice between a White doll and a Black doll. The majority of those kids chose the White doll over the Black doll because it appealed to them better. If that's the case then Ben probably chose White females over Asian because of their appearance. This is a clear example of racial shortcomings that are also common in the US.
I think the ending was right, I really didn't like it though. It just felt kind of like a waste. I can't even think of how it might have ended better, I just wish that there had been something. I agree with others who posted that it's very realistic. Because realistically he's not going to change much over the course of such a short period of time. But man, Ben was really a scumbag the entire time, and almost really just got worse. I saw no reason in this entire story for me to like him, so I didn't. And that made it hard to read, and even more frustrating upon reaching the ending. I think the ending suffered more because of the rest of the story then because of the ending itself. Because it's right that he ended up heading back home, pondering. That's what Ben Tanaka would have done. But what a douche. And not even like compellingly so. Just all around not somebody I enjoyed reading about. I don't think it should have been more resolved, though some sense of moving towards SOMETHING would have been nice.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this quiet ending. Ben is still sort of in denial. He still sort of expects everything to be okay when he gets back home. I think this is a really interesting point about a personal shortcoming many people face. This sort of universal denial about how we are at fault in our own failed relationships. I don't think Ben ever takes responsibility for his actions. I think that is why this novel ends with Ben alone, still feeling sorry for himself.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Mike. I did not like the ending. It kinda reminded me of watching a Korean Drama that leaves you feeling unfulfilled. There should have been more sustaining details to the ending. Yes it was all realistic, but the ending felt like the author just gave up. I don't think a story always has to have a happy ending, but I felt that for this story we should have seen the characters either acknowledge their own shortcomings and felt the need to change or they were totally obtuse and refused to acknowledge their shortcomings or they can't see their own shortcomings. I don't feel that we as the audience really got that with this ending.
ReplyDeleteI understand this notion of racial preference in the story, and I agree that it is quite realistic. A lot of American women idolize those typically beautiful men from romance stories and movies. There was this image that was floating around the Yahoo news a while back where a woman was not wearing makeup and it was sent to magazines all over the world and people were asked to alter the image based on their ideal woman concept in their country. It was quite fascinating to see. I agree that popular media is to blame for the ideal beauty notions that a majority of people prefer, but I also think it has a lot to do with environment or the manner in which we are raised to see and view the world, because their are a lot of people that fine certain men and women to be beautiful simply because they are not used to seeing these other types of people.
When I was in Japan last summer a large number of the men I met though American women are pretty because women in their own country don't look like us. Then several women from my class think that Korean men are most handsome because they don't look like the typical American man.
I felt the specifics of the ending were just fine. It was a mundane ending to a mundane series of events, which is a totally valid strategy. But the ending in terms of the story as a whole confirmed my fears that I had while reading the story: Tomine doesn’t really have a narrative point here. Tomine is great at representing reality through dialogue, timing, etc. But usually that’s used as a vehicle to tell some kind of :story:. There are characters, and tension, and sometimes even a plot. At no point in the story did I feel like there were any stakes for me to invest in as a reader. It was just a series of scenes strung together, and periodically one of the characters would spout off in a very ‘I am just a mouthpiece for the author’ kind of way about race (Ben and Meredith’s conversation in the bar pgs 91-94 was the worst offender). I’m not sure why Tomine didn’t just right an essay about race instead, as he doesn't really seem to be putting comics as a medium to good use here.
ReplyDeleteI thought the ending totally worked. Ben never wants to discuss anything, so to have everything laid out on the table untouched was great. I'm glad it did not end on any positive note about Ben changing or anything; I would have been so mad. Well his employee at the movie was a little too eccentric for him, which was her shortcoming. And Autumn's was similar, she was not too interested in him as he was in her. And she was apparently undecided about her sexual preference as well.
ReplyDeleteI think Ben thought his shortcoming was his race and he maybe thought Miko's shortcoming was her race as well. Ben also thought his racial failure was partially rooted in his insufficient size as a Japanese-American versus caucasian. Ben doesn't know how to accept his racial background or that his fantasies about white women did not work in his real life experiences and that he could not deliver to Miko as well as her new white boyfriend could. Overall, race was Ben's failure: his lack of acceptance and his own feelings of failure.
The ending was nice, but I wish it wasn't the ending. Though I'm glad there was that unknown idea at the end, I felt the bulk of the story could have continued further. Most of the others have commented on the other characters shortcomings, and with most I agree. Ben seemed to unknowingly deny his own race, and that was, in my opinion, his shortcoming.
ReplyDeleteI thought the ending was perfect for this story. Through the entire book, Ben claimed to want resolutions for his problems, but he consciously fought against resolving any of them by letting his faults and shortcomings control him. Most of the other characters in the book seemed to eschew resolution as well. As such, leaving the ending completely open makes sense; if no character wants to resolve things, then how can you possibly wrap anything up at the end?
ReplyDeleteOn a more metaphorical note, I find the final panel quite interesting. Ben is drawn in the same pose for multiple panels, clearly ruminating on his situation and what lies ahead. I believe he feels a great deal of regret for the way he treated Miko and Alice, and he is now feeling more alone than ever, having cut everyone out of his life. But the last panel shows him looking out the window at nothing but white (it could be a cloud, I suppose). To me, it says that he can make his future anything he wants. He just needs to decide what it is he wants, starting with how he wants to view himself.
I think the ending was very appropriate considering what the story was about: the nature of being an imperfect person. The entire novel is about Ben's failure to do the right thing, and further failure to change in light of his shortcomings. A cookie-cutter resolution would feel false to the world set-up in the story, and more than that, would almost feel certainly patronizing to the reader. The hard fact of life is this: you've made mistakes, you will continue to mistakes, and often those mistakes will have little in the way of resolution or closure. You just move on, and make the best of the life that you have in light of the circumstances.
ReplyDeleteThe ending was reminiscent of the ending of the movie "American Graffiti." I may be the only one here that has seen that movie (George Lucas pre-Star Wars ... launched Ron Howard, Richard Dreyfus, and Harrison Ford's careers). Anyway, the endings are similar in that they end on an ambiguous note as the central character looks out the plane window in silence.
ReplyDeleteI feel for Ben as I think he struggles with depression. He was never happy in the graphic novel and suffers from constant thoughts of being inadequate. I'm not sure as to what level I am comfortable labeling his troubles to race. But he definitely has an inferiority complex.
I thought the ending was good. I didn't think it was anything extravagant but it was appropriate. Ben was unable to resolve his issues or shortcomings so by ending the novel with him being alone didn't surprise me and I felt as if it was appropriate. If we would have seen Ben change at the end, I feel as if the novel would have ended sour--I like more realistic endings rather than a "hallelujah" moment where the main character ends on a good note with the reader seeing little progress throughout the novel. I liked how Tomine ends the novel because since Ben couldn't handle his responsibilities, he ultimately was alone.
ReplyDeleteI think that Shortcomings ended very well. Ben is unable to overcome or accept his own shortcomings or those of others, and as such, his life is very much just hanging in the air. It also ends with him being alone, which I believe is poetic justice for the way Ben treated women and those around him. In retrospect, it seems obvious that the novel would end this way, without any resolution. Ben is very much so a static character, developing little as the novel goes on, and so the progression of the plot is static as well. I personally don't think that race plays too much into Ben's perceptions of his failures. I think that while he blames his heritage, it is merely a scapegoat, and not the actual underlying problem. He is quite the misanthrope, causing more misery because he cannot accept happiness for himself.
ReplyDeleteI think the ending is proper for story. How else would it end? Perhaps another writer would have sprung for an ending where Ben decides that what Miko said about him was true and he needed to change himself for the better. Instead he leaves New York still his negative self blaming everyone and everything but himself for what happened. His resistant to change and that’s what’s going to keep him in Oregon alone. It not only speaks for how resistant most people are to change but how some people are not willing to see their own faults so that it is impossible for them to change.
ReplyDeleteMiko’s shortcoming was allowing herself to remain in a relationship she was unhappy with simply because she felt bad for Ben. Rather than be honest with him she runs off to New York, dates another man, and doesn’t have the decency to at least call Ben to let him know they were through. She let him find out in a painful way and no matter how difficult Ben was in the two years together he deserved a better parting than that.
Alice’s shortcoming was similar to Ben’s in that she treated the girls she seduced as something to achieve then to dump without another word. She had done this so often and with so many women around her that it was hard for her to make any lasting relationships platonic or otherwise. Moving to New York she seemed to be considering changing her ways but it’s hard to say if she won’t hurt Meredith like she has with other girls in the past.
One stereotype that prevails among Asians is the idea that are academically inclined and most likely to be doctors, scientists, inventors, or some other prominent professional. Alice, Ben and Miko do not meet any of these expectations – something that Alice receives particular ridicule for from her parents. All of them would likely be viewed as failures within their own family and by societal standards.
I really like the ending. I felt that was pretty resolved considering all the changes that occur in the 108 pages, which was only a period of a few months. Miko and Ben are officially broken up. Alice has a blossoming relationship with Meredith. Ben if force to change whether he wants to or not. His job as the manager of the movie place is gone. His girlfriend and best friend are gone. He’s probably going to have to move out of his apartment because he can’t afford the rent by himself. By the ending however, I believe it is easy to see that Ben actually recognizes his shortcomings and plans to make some changes. We can already see the changes on page 107. He stops Alice from trash talking Miko, and he says, “Look…we all have our reasons” (107). I for one believe this changed outlook of Ben show a significant amount of change within the perimeters of the comic.
ReplyDeleteI think the ending was appropriate and sort of expected due to Ben's issues. His struggles and feeling of inadequacy or "shortcomings" throughout the novel left him alone which is how I almost think he likes it because then he doesn't have to feel so inferior all the time because he's not being measured by someone else but only himself. I agree with some of the other classmates who felt another ending would have felt false and forced.
ReplyDeleteI think the story actually left off very resolved for me, the fact that Ben is made to linger with the thoughts of his shortcomings is a true testament to change. Change is not immediate and one experience will not have a big enough impact for Ben to make a change in his life. I like to think that the panels with Ben looking out the window indicate that he is finally addressing the prejudices and shortcomings he has in his life.
ReplyDeleteI think Alice had very similar shortcomings to Ben. They both look at there hookups as these sexual conquests where the sole intent is to prove to themselves that they can in fact get what they want. The have no intent to actually like these people. I think Miko's downfall could be chalked up to the fact that it took her two years to dump Ben's ass. He is so able to nitpick her shortcomings when he cheated on her.