I've checked the board and it seems no one's mentioned this...
OK, I'm not an American so maybe I simply failed to catch it or ignored something happening earlier, but...remember there's a scene after Harvey got cancer where he stepped back and forth in a comic background and kept saying things about other Harvey Pekars and the phone books...What did that mean? Anyone can help?
What made the universe made me.
It's been awhile since I've seen this movie, but it's probably a reference to this monologue, where Harvey discovers through a phone book that other people living in his city share his name:
My name is Harvey Pekar - that's an unusual name - Harvey Pekar. 1960 was the year I got my first apartment and my first phone book. Now imagine my surprise when I looked up my name and saw that in addition to me, another Harvey Pekar was listed. Now I was listed as "Harvey L. Pekar", my middle name is Lawrence, and he was listed as "Harvey Pekar" therefore his was a - was a pure listing. Then in the '70s, I noticed that a third Harvey Pekar was listed in the phone book, now this filled me with curiousity. How can there be three people with such an unusual name in the world, let alone in one city? Then one day, a person I work with, expressed her sympathy with me, concerning what she thought, was the death of my father, and she pointed out an obituary notice in the newspaper for a man named Harvey Pekar. And one of his sons was named Harvey. And these were the other Harvey Pekar's. And six months later, Harvey Pekar Jr. died. And although I've met neither man, I was filled with sadness, 'what were they like?', I thought, it seemed that our lives had been linked in some indefineable way. But the story does not end there, for two years later, another 'Harvey Pekar' appeared in the phone book. Who are these people? Where do they come from? What do they do? What's in a name? Who is "Harvey Pekar"?
Yes...I did mean the monologue, thanks for the clarification. Buttt....what on earth does it express? Is it that more and more people imitate him as he got more famous and he loathed it and simply threw a sarcasm on propaganda?
What made the universe made me.
No, like I said, he just discovers that other people living in his city share his name. Like if your name is "John Smith" and you find that there are 10 other "John Smiths" living in a big city. So they're just strangers that he's never met, and he just wonders about their lives, about who they are, what they might be like.
When he learns that the father of one of the other Harvey Pekars dies, he is filled with inexplicable sadness.
...an obituary notice in the newspaper for a man named Harvey Pekar. And one of his sons was named Harvey. And these were the other Harvey Pekar's. And six months later, Harvey Pekar Jr. died. And although I've met neither man, I was filled with sadness. 'what were they like?', I thought, it seemed that our lives had been linked in some indefineable way.So it's just a mental exercise. He's connected to these other men simply because they share the same name, and he's reminded of these other men's existence from time to time, like the obiturary in the paper.
That seems to be a reasonable explanation, especially for an artist who constantly looks for inspiration from daily life. I think I was too much stuck in the reason why there were so many persons with the same strange names, like he said, "How can there be three people with such an unusual name in the world, let alone in one city?"
Anyway, it's a good film. Thanks:)
What made the universe made me.
I think I was too much stuck in the reason why there were so many persons with the same strange names, like he said, "How can there be three people with such an unusual name in the world, let alone in one city?"It happens in America more than you might think. Families will often immigrate to the same city, and then over time, even just a few generations, families grow and break apart and lose contact with one another. I wouldn't be surprised if those other Pekars were somehow related, very distant cousins or some such, with no direct knowledge or memory of one another.
Oh really?! That sounds quite interesting to me, but I think that also begins to happen here --- people, even relatives, don't bother to contact each other anymore. However, it does give more chance to make new friends...
What made the universe made me.
I think this scene is just to give more insight into Harvey's personality - just to share that he is the type of guy to be inexplicably saddened by the other Pekar's death. Harvey is an inherently sad person in a lot of ways and this just punctuates that.
Good question, V, and one that occurred to me as well since what we might call
the 'name sequence' or the 'name scene' stands out like a sore thumb at the end
of the movie. So, let's review the facts.
First and most importantly, this is a work of art and therefore we can assume that
the artists (the writers: Harvey et. al.) had a point to the scene. It was not just
a throwaway, a case of 'Here's another oddball thing in the life of Harvey Pekar."
Secondly, as the character Harvey walks through the scene, it changes around him. This
is in keeping with the movie itself and Harvey in the movie. We see him (and those
connected to him) in various artistic guises, on film first of all, but also on TV, in
a play, in the comics chronicling his life. In each of those appearances, sometimes
it's Harvey himself, sometimes the actor playing him and sometimes a drawn image.
Thirdly, there is a line in his monologue which gives the game away: "What's in a name?"
The answer has already been provided for us: "A rose by any other name would smell as
sweet". There is the real thing and then there is the 'name of the rose'.
Fourthly, we ought not to be distracted by the 'name in the phonebook' problem. This
is Harvey's way (Harvey the person and Harvey the Character) of expressing the main
artistic issue which is: who am I and, be extension, who are you?
All of these points add up to the following. In this world, we appear in numerous
ways, not only to others but to ourselves as well. This is especially true in the
contemporary world where there are that many more media than in the past. So, in case
we missed that point, the name scene was added at the end of the movie to drive it
home. But instead of being preachy and academic about it, it was presented as an
artist should present it: tying the life of the character with the things that make
that character tick.
Wow, that was amazing, M... It's been a long time since I watched it and your detailed interpretation showed up... Must watch it again and carefully read ur words, thanks :)
What made the universe made me.