Mean is a memoir by Myriam Gurba, it covers the experiences of the author growing up as a queer, mixed-race Chicana in a middle-class American environment. Gurba’s writing style is casual, though the subject and events of the book are serious in nature. Humor is a staple in this book, this humor is extremely telling regarding Burga’s attitude towards her experiences. The writer employs humor as a tool to break up the depressing subject of the book, and to distract the reader from Burga’s pain; or in some cases to mask certain details in her experiences.
Burga does not make a significant effort to tell humorous stories, the stories she tells leave natural places to insert a joke into the writing. The types of jokes in this book are tasteful for their respective situations, they do not overshadow the deeper implications and themes of the book but create a more accessible pathway for the reader to interpret what Burga is communicating. The joke is not the point; it is a tool to distract from negativity or mask details. Though humor can be used in this manner, it can also come across as callous, or making light of a situation that should be taken seriously. It is only due to the expert execution of this writing element by the author that she can tell her story in such a manner. “I breathed their asbestos; they flaked their cancer onto me. Besides the ceiling tiles, I was kept up by coffee, coffee became my closest friend that semester, coffee gave me everything I needed, coffee made my heartbeat faster and turned me into a speed reader, coffee turned me into a sweaty introvert (aesthetic boners).” Here, Burga is describing the decrepit, run-down, and dreary atmosphere of her first college dorm. She states that cancer is being flaked onto her, keeping her up at night. This is clearly not a pleasant experience she is telling of, yet she jokes about coffee in the next line. She says that coffee was her “best friend” and that it turned her into a “sweaty introvert.” These are intentionally humorous deliveries of these lines. The humor of this line immediately allows the reader to move on from the negative tone that is set by her dorm description. This could be taken as a hand-wave, or lessening of the previous subject manner, however, Burga writes so the extremely relatable coffee addiction joke becomes a natural transition into the next topic she would like to cover in her memoir. She tastefully integrates hyperbole about her feelings on coffee and the physiological effects it has on her in her description. This clever interweaving of humor into her writing allows Burga to tell her story in this way, providing a more engaging read as the humor is funny. By making the read more engaging the author encourages the reader to think more critically about what the real message is of her experiences. Not only does humor chop up the negativity of the text, but it also distracts the reader from the real pain that the author experiences over these memories, as well as an out for Burga to avoid discussing certain things she would rather leave untold. “If molestation is a circle, a circle of life, then isn’t the hand of every molester working through the hand of every other molester? It’s fair to say that Mr. Osman’s hand was working through Makali’s hand just like the Eucharist is no longer bread during mass it’s Jesus coming at you through a cracker (Bonnie).” Here, Burga is reflecting on Mr. Osman, the little league baseball coach of her junior high, who had been found guilty of molesting countless boys. One of Mr. Osman’s victims molested Burga during class, back in junior high, which caused her to reflect on how abuse is a cycle. This is an important idea regarding the nature of abuse and abusers, she says that the hand of one molester works through the hands of all other molesters. The author then interjects this by stating that it is like how the eucharist is “Jesus coming at you through a cracker”. Comparing the cycle of abuse where one molester’s hand “acts” through another to a cracker being Jesus is a very lighthearted approach. This lightheartedness deflects the reader from the pain that is likely being felt by Burga here while discussing such a grim matter. Burga’s humor creates a more engaging read for the reader while being a useful authorial tool for her to communicate her message.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
Do you think Burga’s use of humor to lighten the situation enhances her points, or is it detrimental?
What other aspects of Burga’s writing collaborate with her humor to enhance her message and light-hearted attitude?
CITATION:
Gurba, Myriam. “Pgs. 37-100.” Mean, Coffee House Press, La Vergne, 2017.
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