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One of my fondest memories of my childhood is my dad reading me the comic Calvin and Hobbes. The tattered collections of the comic strip remain in my room today, and probably always will. Bill Watterson’s Calvin and Hobbes follows six-year-old Calvin and his best friend, a stuffed toy tiger, Hobbes. The comic’s emotional and philosophical depths were mostly lost on me as a child. I adored the pair’s comedic antics, but its complexities have only now begun to strike me as the adult world becomes increasingly daunting. Watterson allowed the strips to reach a meaningful conclusion in 1995. However, in our contemporary era characterised by a fear for the future, the lessons that Calvin and Hobbes imparts have never been more relevant. It is my hope that other people might find some solace, or even just laughs, from Calvin, Hobbes, and their comedic but meaningful adventures.
Lesson One: To Love and Appreciate Nature
Sometimes the most special part of our world is the beauty of nature. However, climate change is wreaking havoc on the world’s ecosystems, and governments seem to show little interest in rectifying the issue. Despite the chaos that surrounds us, it is when we make the choice to be kind, and to take pleasure in nature, that we are able to appreciate life. Calvin appreciating a butterfly flying freely instead of being caged is a small, yet meaningful moment. After all, Hobbes was right in saying that humanity would put rainbows in zoos if it were possible. This moment forces us to confront ourselves and realise that the choices we make have an impact. Nature, ultimately, deserves to exist and roam free.
Lesson Two: The Power of Friendship
While Calvin and Hobbes is often characterised by its philosophical discussions, perhaps the most special and fundamental aspect of the comic is the relationship between two best friends. The strip is bittersweet, as Hobbes is not actually a real tiger, but is instead a toy. It points to Calvin’s possible isolation from the world and other people. But whether or not Hobbes is ‘real’, the love that they share for each other most definitely is. Calvin and Hobbes captures the love and friendship that makes life meaningful, and reminds us of how special the people we care about truly are. After all, sometimes we just want to read something that makes us feel happy. There is such a thing as too much doom and gloom.
Lesson Three: The Scariness of Adulthood
Whilst Calvin’s parents are often hassling Calvin to do his homework, they also capture the strains of adulthood that their son is as yet unable to grasp. Watterson conveys to us a very relatable experience: the fear of growing up and navigating uncertainty. To a child, adults seem to be all-knowing. Reaching adulthood with this mindset becomes terrifying, as we realise that this is untrue. Calvin’s father’s reflection on being an adult conveys how adulthood is not a magical, all-knowing state. Instead, it is the same fear and uncertainty of youth, but perhaps with more stress and less magic. Calvin and Hobbes is special in that it makes us feel less alone. The inability to understand such a complex world becomes more comforting once you know that it is a shared experience.
Lesson Four: What is Life, Really?
The battle to understand our significance is enough to send anyone into an existential crisis. It puzzles philosophers, scientists, and everyday folk alike. However, Calvin and Hobbes makes us comfortable with the nature of existence. Looking at the stars makes us appreciate how unimportant our actions truly are. But it’s not a nihilistic outlook. If anything, it’s the opposite. Perhaps our insignificance allows for us to appreciate what makes us happy without worrying about whether it will make a difference. Calvin is young to be dealing with these philosophies, and his reference to ‘other’ people makes it clear he is not applying these ideas to himself. However, we can take these lessons and apply them to ourselves. And maybe, just maybe, decide to stare at the stars a little bit more.
Written by Matilda Davies
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