The Code Language of Craig Gilner

On occasion, everybody has used some sort of code language in their life. For my sister and I, code was impliented at a young age to avoid eating vegetables and get them safely into the dog's awaiting mouth every night. Unfortunately, code lasted about 2 weeks, because, aparently, the words green and puppy came up at dinner a little too much and therefore would not remain secret (even though they were horribly easy to decode anyways). 

For Craig Gilner, code words are a little more serious than just avoiding eating his greens at dinner. No, for Craig, code words are essential for depicting his life to the multiple doctors, therapists, and psychologists he sees. You see, Craig suffers from depression which causes him to sleep all the time, not want to eat, and have negative, suicidal thoughts float through all of his tangled thoughts.

Note: When I read this book, seeing as though the author, Ned Vizzini, suffered from depression, it makes it all seem scary real. Yes, teenagers do go through this a lot, and by no means should anybody judge them. I could never even imagine myself going through this type of illness and Craig and the thousands of others should never have to go through it either. From the book, it is described as a constant struggle that takes all energy and more to fight back with.

Here are a list of the words that Craig uses to desribe his depression:

1) Tentacles- a term used to describe the difficulties in his life. The author writes, "Tentacles is my term-the Tentacles are the evil tasks that invade my life. Like, for example, my American History class last week..." (Vizzini, 14). Tentacles are not neccesarily the cause of Craig's depression, but the things in life that make it difficult for him.

2) Anchors- though Craig is going through a lot of negativity, there are good points in his life, which he cherishes and hopes for everyday. Craig describes them as, "The opposite of Tentacles are the Anchors. The Anchors are things that occupy my mind and make me feel good temporarly. Riding my bike is an Anchor. Doing flash cards is an Anchor. Watching people play video games is an Anchor. The answers are simplw and sequential. There aren't any decisions. There aren't any Tentacles" (Vizzini, 15). It seems as though Criag is dealing with depression because he doesn't like making decisions, which probably stress him out. However, Anchors don't solve his depression, they only distract him from it.

3) The Shift- the moment when Craig will be released from his depression and can go about his life as if it never happened. Basically, it is the moment where his depression will melt away, and the doctors will proclaim that he has been cured. Vizzini writes, "I'm waiting for her to say 'Craig, what you need to do is X' and for the Shift to occur. I want there to be a Shift so bad. I want to feel my brain slide backk into the slot it was meant to be in, rest there the way it did before the fallof last year, back when I was younf, and witty, and my teachers said I had incredible promis, and I spoke up in class..." (Vizzini, 17). Anybody who is depressed doesn't want to be that way, but it is difficult for them to get out of it.

Though not everybody uses code for the same reasons, it does play a large role in Craig's life. No, it may not be something you take seriously, but I assure you that for Craig, and probably lots of others, it is extremely important. So readers, what do you think about this post? It is kind of broken up and choppy, but I am sure that it all relates in some way.

Thanks for reading!