54 pages • 1 hour read
Jonathan EvisonLawn Boy
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2018A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Symbols & Motifs
Images of Gender Nonconformity and Androgyny
Several androgynous images symbolize Mike’s struggle to understand his sexuality. The most prominent of these is the topiary “merman” that Mike carves out of a shrub:
[M]y masterpiece, liberated from the shapeless clusterfuck of Japanese holly behind the shed, was originally supposed to be a mermaid, in homage to the Little Mermaid. But ultimately, the shrub refused to submit to my artistic vision. One pesky limb in particular thwarted my efforts—one very proud and protruding limb. It was a teachable moment, really. I learned that sometimes it’s better to give in to the thing itself than to fight it. Which is to say, my masterpiece ended up being a merman with an erection (32).
The merman seems to represent the masculine and feminine parts of Mike’s personality. Mike’s character includes some very stereotypically masculine qualities. He enjoys playing fantasy football with his friend Nick, and he responds in a stereotypically masculine manner when employers try to take advantage of him, cursing at them and telling them where to go. His more stereotypically feminine traits come through in his love of topiary art and books.
The story includes other images of gender-blurring or androgyny. For example, Mike’s friend Nick describes Remy, a young woman Mike wants to date, as having “Man Hands.” According to Nick, Amy, a checker at Rite Aid, “looked like Matt Damon” (15). At a restaurant, Mike reveals his confusion about the gender of the manager: “The guy’s voice threw me. Turns out he was a she, at least I think, just kind of butch” (21).
Hair
Throughout the story, Jonathan Evison shows class distinctions though people’s hair. At the beginning of the novel, Mike describes himself as a child as having “greasy bangs plastered to my forehead” (12). This image is consistent with Evison’s depiction of lower-class people as having messy, unkept hair, while the wealthy characters have perfect hairdos. For example, the real estate tycoon Goble “always looked fresh [...] His hair was never mussed—even though he drove a convertible” (182). When Mike encounters the wealthy Mr. Piggot outside his McMansion, hair is again a status symbol: “I turned to find a silver-haired fox about sixty, in wire-rimmed glasses, pink chinos, and a baby-blue polo shirt. His hair was perfect: thick as hell, powder white” (201).
Hair also symbolizes rebellion in the story. For example, Andrew’s hair signifies his nonconformity: “Having recently undergone some misguided attempt at subjugation, his hair remained suppressed for the moment, though it was beginning to show signs of imminent revolt in the back” (276). This image highlights the rebel persona of Andrew, who organizes protest events for various causes.
Books and Reading
Mike’s favorite hobby is reading. Books play a key role both in Mike’s search for a successful identity and as a refuge when he is feeling down. Early in the novel, Mike describes his reading habits: “I read at least two books a week, sometimes as many as four. Call it self-improvement. You see, old Mike Muñoz would like to figure out who the hell he actually is, what he’d actually like to do with his life” (6).
Mike usually chooses books with underdog characters who are fighting against big, powerful forces of greed or oppression, as he personally relates to their struggles. One novel that he mentions more than once is Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle, a story about the cruel, exploitative conditions of Chicago meatpacking workers in the early 20th century: “Poor Jurgis couldn’t get a break. It was one indignity after another, and they were all more or less familiar. Poverty. Injustice. The Man. Hell, take away all the funny names and it could’ve been my life” (64).
Mike also chooses books that reflect his mood. For example, after being fired from a landscaping job for refusing to pick up dog poop for a client, Mike visits the library. When Andrew asks him what he is looking for, Mike replies, “Something angry. […] I like the last one you gave me—The Octopus. It made me want to put a brick through a window” (48).
