40 pages • 1 hour read
Invisible Emmie
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Symbols & Motifs
Drawing
Drawing is more than Emmie’s favorite hobby—it is her way of coping with the anxieties of daily life, and it’s the thing that makes her stand out. When Emmie describes her ability to draw, there is uncharacteristic pride in her voice: “I’m also really good at it. I’m not great at other things (like sports), but art makes me feel like there’s something I can do that not a lot of others can” (12). She stands in front of the “Wall of Emmie Art” inside her home and points to the shoebox of her siblings’ drawings (12). Emmie sees drawing as what defines her.
Since drawing is so important to Emmie, the use of the graphic novel format for her story is apt. The drawings throughout the novel are presumed to be Emmie’s as she goes through her day, doodling during class. Emmie notes how drawing helps her concentrate, and she includes an illustration of the teacher’s words floating into her head as she draws intently on her paper. Emmie’s drawings are simple but expressive. For example, when Emmie feels silent, she has no mouth, and when she feels angry, her eyes bulge out of her head. She also uses humor, drawing her teacher standing in Hawaiian beach clothes and sweating or drawing herself as a puddle of slime with eyes. Emmie’s drawings include more negative space than is typical of a graphic novel, and she explains that this is because the blank spaces are what define her personality. When Emmie draws her images of Katie, the panels are full and colorful, as if that is the life Emmie hopes for but does not know how to obtain. In the end, she decides to let go of Katie and just be herself.
The Love Poem
The love poem that Emmie writes is a symbol of her invisibility and anxiety, as well as her desire to become close with others. Emmie and her best friend, Brianna, write love poems for fun at lunch, and Emmie’s poem is to her crush, Tyler Ross. Brianna reads it and comments on how it’s “kinda beautiful.” The compliment embarrasses Emmie, but Brianna encourages her to give the poem to Tyler. Emmie can’t imagine doing so, but the poem makes its way to Tyler anyway when she accidentally drops it and Joe Lungo picks it up. Joe reads the poem aloud to their peers, humiliating Emmie into silence, and later passes the poem to Tyler. There is an illustration of Tyler reading the poem but not laughing, and Emmie begins to wonder if he actually likes it. After hours of being mocked by Joe and his buddies, Emmie has had enough, and her embarrassment turns to anger. She yells, “STOP IT, JOE!” (153), defending herself for the first time. While Joe’s discovery of her love poem initially seems to increase her social isolation and “outcast” status, it ultimately acts as the catalyst for her character growth, showing her how strong she is and giving her the courage to form new relationships.
Emmie’s Knotted Stomach
Emmie’s knotted stomach is a symbol of her anxiety and fear of speaking up. She begins each school day with a tense stomach: “Whenever I walk into school, I start feeling the knots. That’s when my stomach gets all tight, and I have to take exactly ten deep breaths to unsqueeze everything” (23). Emmie’s anxiety prevents her from enjoying school, making new friends, or Standing Up to Bullies. It is a major setback that Emmie must learn to overcome. Emmie describes the small victories involved in feeling her stomach ease up as the day goes on because it means she has made some progress, however minute it may be. She draws a picture of a scribbly, knotted-up stomach and an “almost normalish” stomach to visually capture her experience. However, Joe’s discovery of her love poem plunges her back into anxiety. As the stressful day goes on, Emmie’s frustration rises and her anxiety gives way to a new emotion, anger. She reaches a breaking point and finally releases the tension she’s been holding inside, standing up to Joe.
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