Hate That Cat

By the end of Hate That Cat, Jack realizes that his mother’s method of communication—signing words with her hands—possesses elements of artistry, just as the line between poetry and more ordinary, informative texts is blurred. These areas of overlap, between messages and art, illuminate the idea that any kind of communication can transcend mere information and become something special. Jack comes to see that the spark of the extraordinary can exist in even the most ordinary message.

As Jack uses poetry to try to understand his mother’s experience of the world and its sounds, he begins to think of her hands as creators of art rather than simply the way she interacts with others. He says, “I cannot explain / how my mother paints / words / with / her / hands / but / she / does” (73). Just as he tries to create art with spoken words and sounds, Jack realizes that his mother creates art with her hands: that they “paint words” together when they communicate. Thus, this isn’t something only his mother can do—rather, it is something they both can do. Just as auditory sounds can combine to produce certain artistic effects—through poetic devices like