The Future of Jimmy Corrigan

The adventures- real or imagined- of Jimmy Corrigan make for an engaging and intense read. Jimmy endures a series of hardships, a lonely childhood, a terrible job, the task of caring for his elderly mother, and finally, reuniting with his father, who unexpectedly dies a day later. At the end of the novel, the reader is left with the impression that things may soon improve for Jimmy. However, that is not the pattern of Jimmy’s life, or of any of his predecessors. Just as things begin to get better for Jimmy they almost immediately become worse. While it seems that Jimmy’s life will go in a new direction, all signs point to the idea that this will not be the case. Jimmy’s life may, in fact, become worse, and he may endure much more tragedy and trauma.

The story begins with an overly positive self-description of Jimmy, who turns out to be anything but what he has written. The later recap in the novel does him more justice: “Jimmy Corrigan, the Smartest Kid on Earth, is an emotionally-impaired human castaway,” (21, issue 8). Jimmy lives life as a hermit; he hardly ever goes out and responds fearfully to everyone he meets. He especially has difficulty when dealing with women, whom he lusts after, but can hardly manage so much a “hello” to, as he stutters. He does call his mother once a day and becomes anxious if he is not able to call her, even though it is apparent his calls to her give him no pleasure. Jimmy never stands up to his mother; he is unable to finish his sentences and will often lie to her to calm her down. This is compared to all his other interactions with women: he is treated poorly by his co-worker Peggy, whom he secretly has feelings for; he is painfully rejected by his sister Amy, which leads to his final, awkward meeting with his new co-worker, Tammy. Not only does Jimmy not connect well to others, but he also has not learned to do so; therefore, his social skills are doomed to remain as they are.

The Corrigan family history is stained by a legacy of broken-hearted men who could never catch a break in the world. Jimmy’s great-grandfather’s wife dies giving birth; his grandfather James also loses his wife: “Dad’s mom- she got killed in a car accident in the 30’s I think” (46, issue 11). Amy informs Jimmy that her mother died of cancer. Adding insult to injury, none of these men make it far in life: Grandfather James is abandoned at the fair by his father, who was unable to make ends meet following the loss of a job. He, in turn, becomes the oldest miser of the town, looked upon as a spectacle by the people. Jimmy himself is chained to a cubicle daily. Throughout the series, the men in Jimmy’s life often fall for women with red hair. Jimmy’s new red-haired co-worker may be his future lover, but the past repeats itself over and over in his family, which implies that whomever Jimmy loves will meet a depressing end.

In addition to having tragic lives, none of the men in Jimmy’s family make good fathers. Grandfather James is abused physically and emotionally by his own father. He, in turn, becomes a poor father and later berates his son for the same flaw as well. “Y’know, maybe if you’d shown a little responsibility with your own child…” (6, issue 11). Jimmy’s father does the best he can with Jimmy upon meeting him as an adult, but Jimmy reacts awkwardly the same way he does with everyone, including his grandfather. Jimmy does not stand much of a chance of making a good father, should he ever have a son of his own.

One major flaw- upon which the story itself is based- is that Jimmy cannot seem to remain in reality for extended periods of time. He is in a situation for a moment, and then he has suddenly created a dream sequence in which something totally different is happening. This is what leads to him falling down the stairs, being hit by a truck, and ultimately, not having the sense to insist his father not go out into the storm. The fantasies also prevent him from finding a better job. He is so busy pretending that Peggy will love him that he doesn’t think to go out and actually try to find a woman who will, let alone work he actually enjoys. Jimmy’s dreams only exist to help him cope with his life, not improve it.

Independence is among the list of traits Jimmy needs but does not have. He is perfectly capable of taking care of himself, but he struggles to live his life in spite of what other people may think of him. He stutters because he is afraid he will say the wrong thing; he doesn’t make eye contact, and he so standoffish that he is oblivious to proper physical interactions between human beings. He translates any physical touch from women into romantic fantasy and is wary of embracing his own family members or even shaking Amy’s hand when he first meets her. Amy points out this flaw in a straightforward manner, as she seems to notice him in a way that no other character in the novel does, save for those in Jimmy’s fantasies. “Y’know, I’m not going to bite you, I’m just curious about you, y’know?” (46, issue11). When Jimmy finally crumbles into his confession, “I-I always mess everything up! I-I-I just want people to like me!” (39, issue 11) it’s no surprise; given all of the evidence of his life and the lives of the patriarchs who came before him, it is quite obvious that confidence is lacking because love is lacking- a lack that will not help him any further along in life.

The odds of Jimmy developing positive self-esteem and leading a better life are not in his favor. He is unable to communicate properly with others; he fantasizes often and comes from a line of men who repeatedly experience great misfortune in their lives. At this rate Jimmy will end up the same way the other men in his life have ended up: dead or miserable- and Jimmy is already miserable. His chances for happiness are constantly dashed because he fails to take the opportunities presented to him. When his father tries to show hospitality, he becomes suspicious of him, daydreaming that his father is a killer (28, issue 6). He avoids reality and he hardly ever gives others the benefit of the doubt. Jimmy is so worried about what others will think of him, that he doesn’t really concern himself with the fact that he doing some judging for his part as well. In order for Jimmy to live a different life, there would have to be drastic changes. Jimmy would have to come to grips with reality- of his family, the world around him, and eventually, of whom he really is.

Jimmy Corrigan must first learn to see himself as he really is. Much of the manner in which he views himself is based on his mother, or how women see him. He is wary of men, though he is one; he does not think himself worthy of being seen as so. Jimmy has to learn to encourage himself, even when others are tearing him down. He can be very optimistic, but rarely does he display it- or he shies away when it comes through. In order to change his life, Jimmy has to start with himself.

The next change Jimmy would need to make, regards his ability to communicate with other people. He can’t be constantly fearful or anxious about what he will do or say, nor of what others might do or say. He needs to learn to be friendly and to experience appropriate physical human interactions- not just ones from his imagination. Jimmy has proven that he can speak calmly and fluently as long as he is comfortable with the person he is speaking to. “I save all my magazines, just in case I have to look up something important…” (48, issue 11). He must learn to be thoughtful of others. He didn’t once think that maybe Amy had overreacted to their father’s death when she screamed at him. His first instinct was to run away; he wasn’t there to see her open the door tearily, saying, “I’m sorry” (75, issue 11). The story might have turned out a lot differently if he had been considerate and patient.

History often repeats itself if initial lessons aren’t learned. Jimmy has to investigate his past (which is thrown blatantly in his face during his visit) and confront the demons that have plagued the men before him. He has to determine to make a better life for his family. Jimmy will have to overcome his failures and forgive himself for his failures, something his father and grandfather couldn’t do. Upon unraveling the past, he will have to let it go. This, his grandfather did somewhat understand: “You can’t make up for a lost time!” (54, issue 11). These responsibilities would give Jimmy a sense of power, something he doesn’t display much of during the novel.

Finally, Jimmy has to learn how to relate to women in a way that doesn’t always sexualize them or emasculate him. He has to learn to find balance. The trauma that he has endured leans to one extreme- his passive reaction to life leans to the other. Jimmy must find the middle ground between the two. Instead of glancing nervously away from Tammy, he could try to actually engage in a conversation with her. He also might try smiling more, as he struggles to display his emotions well. Jimmy is rarely shown displaying anger, and the conclusion of the novel is the first of the deep sadness that Jimmy has carried all along but has finally expressed. If he doesn’t learn to speak out more or express his feelings appropriately, Jimmy will continue having a hard time seeing women.

The open-ended conclusion of the novel leads the reader to an interaction between Jimmy Corrigan and his new co-worker, Peggy. Jimmy appears to be behaving the same way he always does: anxious, with stuttering speech. Following this Jimmy may have the opportunity to become involved with Peggy, but doesn’t take it, or is unwittingly manipulated into it. This could lead to a relationship in which Jimmy feels obligated to marry Peggy, which may lead to them having a son much like Jimmy and his fathers before him. Peggy may die tragically, and even more tragically, Jimmy may come to have a similarly fragmented relationship with his son, much like the one he has with his own father. In a cruel twist of plot, Jimmy’s son would be just like him in character.

These are the options available to Jimmy if he doesn’t change. Because the changes Jimmy would need to make are so enormous, it can be argued that he will never make them at all. However, it is possible for Jimmy to make the changes, slowly over time. He could make an effort to talk more to Peggy and to others around him. He might stand up to his mother for once, or perhaps simply tell her the truth. He might then decide that he doesn’t like his job, so he may find a new one doing something he enjoys- perhaps his collecting skills lead him to find work as a bookkeeper or in a museum. He may even call Amy and apologize for running away; in doing so, Jimmy could reconnect with his remaining family on his father’s side.

Jimmy’s newfound attitude could lead him to stop drawing misfortune into his life. When he begins to show kindness to others, he will have it reflected back to him. Jimmy will also learn how to deal gracefully with the bad situations that do arise. He will become more comfortable with others, and thus make more friends and companions. Having completely altered his destiny, Jimmy could continue on to have a son who is nothing like the men in his family. There is a different reality awaiting Jimmy, in this version of the story.

Jimmy Corrigan is not the “smartest kid in the world.” He is a shy, middle-aged man who dreams of having a better life he never pursues. He is socially inept, emotionally unavailable, and intensely obsessed with how the world sees him. He is unable to make a relationship work with

women, including his mother, and he is depressed and alone. Jimmy Corrigan does not have to live this life, but it is clear that if he does not takes steps that are necessary to his development as a human being, his situation will never change, and he will be no better than his fathers. At the end of the novel, the reader is left believing that Jimmy will have a chance to make these changes. The mysterious conclusion leaves hope for the hopeless character that is Jimmy Corrigan.

Work Cited

Ware, Chris. Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid on Earth. New York: Pantheon, 2003.Print.