Stitches is a story about blocked communication. David loses his ability to speak after having the tumor removed from his neck; his mom coughs and slams cabinet doors to express her anger; his dad chain-smokes and pounds a punching bag; his brother beats a drum set. The first time we see a real conversation, a real exchange of ideas, is when David finally goes to therapy and gets some straight talk from his psychiatrist. Only when his shrink praises his drawings does David begin to realize that art is its own language, and one that will save his life.
Questions About Language and Communication
- Why don't David's parents tell him that the removal of the tumor will cause him to lose his voice?
- Why can't anyone in his family just talk about what's bothering them?
- How does losing the ability to speak change David's social life?
Chew on This
In her classic book The Bell Jar, Sylvia Plath refers to a depressed person as being "as blank and stopped as a dead baby." The fetus in the jar in Stitches is as blank and stopped as the silent David; it's a visual representation of voicelessness.
Even if David maintained a physical voice, there would still be things he could say better through art.