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(1) In Adrian Tomine's short comic book story "Unfaded," the patches of lighter paint on the wall in the protagonist's grandfather's private room are striking symbols of enduring, vivid memories.
(2) When the protagonist enters his grandfather's old private room, he observes the walls, which are marked by patches of “[u]nfaded” paint, marks left behind after pictures were removed (78).
(3i) The patches of lighter paint symbolize the protagonist’s enduring memories of his past relationship with Carrie.
(3ii) Both the patches and the protagonist's memories are reminders of the past that refuse to fade away.
(3iii) Just as the patches, contrasting with the surrounding faded areas, are enduring, unfading reminders of the old pictures in his grandfather’s bedroom, the protagonist’s memories of his past relationship with Carrie endure and haunt him, refusing to fade, as shown in his current lack of “motivation” following the breakup (76).
(3iv) By representing the protagonist's memories as patches of unfaded paint, clearly visible against a faded wall, the author helps us perceive more palpably the protagonist's inner struggle to move past his memories, which to him are as present and visible as marks on the wall that resist erasure no matter how much time passes.
(3v) Tomine uses this symbol to speak of how memories, whether sweet or painful, can cling to the recesses of our minds, much like the patches on the wall. The symbolic patches serve as a reminder that the past, with its joy and sorrow, remains a part of us, forever influencing our present.
