GANC: Good Ol' Charlie Brown

My fondness for Peanuts began at an early age, probably with A Charlie Brown Christmas, then a growing interest in the comics section of the newspaper. However, I became a true and faithful adorer of the gang when my family acquired some of my dad's old Peanuts books. Even more than Calvin and Hobbes, another comic my family likes, Peanuts echoed of my dad's childhood, perhaps I read these at the same age he did as a kid. Over the years I have returned to these books when I want something quick to read before bed, or am stir crazy after a series of days stuck indoors. And each time I marvel more and have a deeper appreciation for Charles M. Schulz's art. Schulz created children characters during and about a time when some say the loss of American innocence began. Much like Calvin and Hobbes, Peanuts placed adult ideas, themes, questions and impasses in the minds words, and actions of kids.

Charlie Brown, the protagonist of the strip, is presented as someone who is faithful to his friends through thick and thin. He may be wishy-washy, but never does he fail Lucy, Linus, Peppermint Patty, Snoopy or the rest of the gang. He does not give up even though he constantly fails. For proof, look no further than him trying to kick that football, fly the kite, or win a baseball game. He is meek, self-conscious and unsure, which strikes a chord with people, making him instantly relateable. Among some of the characters, a highlight or two...

- Lucy has an ever-present desire for control and to be everyone's boss, whether they ask for said help and commentary or not. Charlie Brown and Schroeder are the two main focuses of her efforts.

- Linus has a need for security in the form of a blanket while being so secure in his beliefs, which makes him into one of the speakers of wisdom in the strip.

- Snoopy considers being a stereotypical dog below him which, along with his vivid imagination, leads him into adventures where he is a World War 1 flying ace, Joe Cool, a vulture, among other things.

Each person has their tiffs with others, likes and dislikes, but in the end they are friends who stick by one another, even if it means Lucy will always pull the football away before Charlie Brown kicks it and the baseball team rarely wins.

As for its influence in America, beyond what I touched on above, it established the way strips were printed in newspapers and was perhaps one of the first comics to have large success through merchandising and, as we all know, television specials. Some of the repeated phrases and key imagery from Peanuts has found its way into our lexicon. Charlie Brown's "Good grief." Mentioning "The Great Pumpkin" when speaking about someone with dogged persistence and belief in the face of logic and, perhaps, reality. The numerous dogs named Snoopy walking around these days. Snoopy as the mascot for MetLife. The Macy's Thanksgiving Day balloons of Charlie Brown chasing that football.

Charlie Brown and the rest of the characters are images now entwined with American culture. When watching football and a kicker misses the ball, Charlie Brown and Lucy are inevitably brought up as examples of failure. It is a testament to the strip and Schulz that 45 years after it debuted, A Charlie Brown Christmas is shown every Christmas season and people gather around to watch with family and friends. I know I will rearrange my schedule or tape it so I can be sure not to miss it. Heck, I own the soundtrack!

Charlie Brown is American as apple pie, a true icon of our nation and the American spirit of the everyman never giving up, despite the odds stacked against him. Good ol' Charlie Brown, how I love him.

Great American Novel Challenge Booklist:
July 2009: Absalom, Absalom! - William Faulkner, publ. 1936
August 2009: Lonesome Dove - Larry McMurtry, publ. 1985
September 2009: Moby Dick - Herman Melville, publ. 1851
October 2009: For Whom the Bell Tolls - Ernest Hemingway, publ. 1940
November 2009: Their Eyes Were Watching God - Zora Neale Hurston, publ. 1937
December 2009: The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath, publ. 1963
January 2010: Rabbit, Run - John Updike, publ. 1960
February 2010: East of Eden - John Steinbeck, publ. 1952
March 2010: The Age of Innocence - Edith Wharton, publ. 1920
April 2010: Giants in the Earth - Ole Edvart Rolvaag, publ. 1927
May 2010: The Heart is a Lonely Hunter - Carson McCullers, publ. 1940
June 2010: Short Stories - Edgar Allan Poe, publ. 1840s