More Happy Than Not

“Right now he only has enough time to save one person from falling off a celestial tower into a dragon’s mouth, and he’s torn between his girlfriend and his best friend. There’s no doubt Superman would save Lois Lane, but I wonder if Batman would save Robin over his girlfriend of the week. (The Dark Knight gets around, man).” 

Art and creativity are a recurring motif in the novel, and Aaron uses art to work through thoughts and feelings he’s not yet ready or able to express. In this case his hero (later revealed to be based off of Collin) is confronted with a life-or-death choice between saving his best friend (symbolically his boyfriend) or his girlfriend (who is pregnant). Aaron devalues the relationship with the girlfriend by suggesting that it’s more superficial than the relationship Batman shares with Robin, his young male sidekick.

“He said he didn’t think about feelings when he was our age. Grandpa encouraged him to just have fun when he was ready, and to always make sure to wear a condom so he didn’t have to grow up too soon like some of his friends did. And he would’ve said you’re making him proud if you actually feel ready.”

Here we see Aaron seeking out his brother for the sex talk he missed from his father. The portion Eric remembers paints a damning picture of their father’s concept of masculinity: self-serving, self-motivated, and inherently sexual. It also suggests that a father might be made “proud” by a son’s readiness to have sex and frames it as an accomplishment, a valued milestone that reflects well on the father. It’s important to note that when Aaron’s father said he “didn’t think about feelings,” the implication is really that he didn’t think about the feelings of the women with whom he had sex, and that condoms were worn not to protect the woman from disease or pregnancy but to protect the man from responsibility.