Stuffing the Tiger

Well, we don't really get the resolution about Hobbes' "realness" that I was hoping for yesterday in this strip, I guess we'll just have to keep waiting. Once again, in this strip we see the dichotomy between Calvin's world and his Dad's world. *Quick side note, from now on I'm just going to refer to Calvin's father as Dad, because writing Calvin's Dad would get old very fast, and I don't feel like using the possessive perspective is always going to lend itself to the interpretation I aspire to do. Okay, resume*. Dad obviously has important things to be doing and doesn't want to be repeatedly bothered by Calvin's antics. However, after a few times looking over this strip, I wonder if the "Sheesh" in the third panel isn't a bit sarcastic. Maybe Dad isn't actually annoyed with Calvin, he's just basically doing a bit, pretending to be frustrated by Calvin's interruptions. Judging by Dad's attire, the time of day is probably evening on a workday, as Dad seems to be wearing a shirt and tie. So Dad may be in the middle of something, but he's certainly not pressed for time, right? He's home from a long day at work, probably doing bills, maybe he's not actually mad about the distraction, but is just sort of putting on a show for his son. 

It also strikes me how Calvin honestly desires his fathers' advice on the subject; he's coming to him for wisdom, and because he's uncertain on how to proceed. I find that really touching, and it makes me frustrated at Dad if his reaction wasn't some sort of charade, but actually genuine anger. Calvin's not trying to sabotage whatever Dad is working on, he's just trying to engage with his father. In the last panel, we see that Calvin also respects his Dad's authority on the matter of what to do with a tiger when you happen to catch one. Because, why wouldn't he? To a child, even a flippant and dismissive answer from an adult is still something that holds an incredible amount of weight and is tantamount to truth. Obviously, Calvin would never interpret stuffing in the way that his Dad meant, because to him Hobbes is a real, living creature, and even for a sometimes devilish kid, Calvin would never be so sinister as to think that his Dad meant for him to kill this living creature and taxidermy it. I think this miscommunication between Dad and Calvin is the beginning of the solidification between Calvin's view of the world, and other people's view of the world. We still haven't seen Hobbes through the eyes of anyone else except Calvin, but we're laying the groundwork for that already. 

I also find that its interesting to think about whether Mom *following same rules as Dad* and/or Dad walked into the kitchen later that night to find plates, cups, and cutlery strewn about the place, and tons of food missing from the refrigerator. Maybe Calvin ate it all, and stuffed himself? Or maybe that whole panel is just a product of his imagination, and he actually went straight up to his room after talking to his Dad. Or, maybe the tiger is real.