Image Study

Here I have posted a variety of images that connect to The Sportswriter, by Richard Ford. These images help reflect different aspects of the novel, and will help you get a better understanding of it in general.


Image #1

This image depicts an elegant coffin in a cemetery before the burial. It connects to The Sportswriter because Frank Bascombe has lost his son to a rare disease call Reye's Disease. This was tragic and almost catastrophic event in Bascombe's life for a variety of reasons. His son that died, Ralph, was his first son, and he cared about him very much. To make matters worse, Frank's wife (only referred to as X in the novel) divorces him shortly after the death of Ralph. This is a rather simple connection between the story and the image, but there is much more significance to it.

One of the first things that comes to your attention is the fact that the casket is purple. Purple is the color of royalty, which represents Bascombe's high regard for his son, Ralph. The array of the different colored flowers on top of the casket symbolize the many thoughts that are running through Bascombe's head. He is confused and doesn't know how to react to his son's death. The large open field represents the emptiness inside of Frank Bascombe. Without his son, Bascombe feels incomplete and fragmented inside. The mountains in the background represent the day that Frank Bascombe will rise up and become the man he was before his son died. The trees blocking the mountains, however, represent the troubles and the obstacles that Bascombe will have to overcome before he reaches the next stage in his life.

Image #2

This image shows a few sportswriters in the press box at a major league baseball game. One of the most noticeable features of the picture is the expression of the man in the white shirt's face. He does not have a depressed look on his face, but he does not seem to be overly enthusiastic about his job. This is similar to Frank Bascombe because he doesn't hate being a sportswriter; he just knows that he could have done better.



The most important part, however, about this image is the contrast between the man in the blue shirt and the white shirt. The man in the white shirt represents where Frank Bascombe is now. The man in the blue shirt represents where Frank Bascombe could be in his life right now. The fact that there is a shadow over the man in the blue shirt represents the uncertainty about the possibilities Frank Bascombe's life.

Image #3


This image is one of my favorites. It has a much more symbolic meaning to it than some of the other images. The interesting part about this image is that it doesn't pertain to just one specific event in Frank Bascombe's life. It pertains to his entire life in general, which makes it very deep and requires a lot of thinking to comprehend.



Frank Bascombe's life has been filled with ups and downs. We can imagine Frank Bascombe starting on the very right side of the image on the top of the cliff. He is a happily married man and everything seems to be going well for him. Suddenly, however, his life takes a turn for the worse. First, his son dies, and then his wife decides to divorce him. At this point Frank Bascombe has moved from the cliffs on the right side of the image to the valley in the middle of the image, where he endures a great amount of turmoil. The mountains on the left, however, represent the day when Bascombe will become greater than he ever was and finally overcome this depression.



The green grass in the forefront of the picture reassures us that there is always hope, now matter how difficult things are. The cloud in the sky appears to be some sort of eye. I believe that the purpose of this eye is to show that there is always someone to guide you, whether it be a parent, a friend, or some sort of higher being.


Image #4


This image has a rather symbolic meaning to it as well. This is a sign with success pointing to one direction and failure pointing to the other. The fact that success and failure are pointing in the opposite direction show the drastic difference between the two. I believe that you are either a success, or a failure. There is no gray area between the two, as shown in the image. The only person that can determine whether you are a success or a failure, however, is you.

Frank Bascombe is content with being a failed novelist turned sportswriter. He doesn't want to accept the fact that he is indeed a failure. He wants to continue thinking that he is where he needs to be in life and doesn't need to progress any further.

I believe that the only character that could have saved Bascombe was his current girlfriend, Vicki Arcenault. Bascombe loved her very deeply, and she should have been able to seen that Bascombe needed help.