46 pages • 1-hour read
Big Dumb Eyes: Stories from a Simpler Mind
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Chapters 21-25Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 21 Summary: “The Bet”
When Laura was pregnant, she made a bet with Bargatze’s mom about whether Bargatze would cut Harper’s umbilical cord when she’s born. Laura thought Bargatze was too squeamish, but his mom believed he could do it. Bargatze has always been repulsed by things related to the human body, which he jokingly attributes to his mother coddling him when he was young. Bargatze’s mom, on the other hand, loves the television show ER despite its goriness. Bargatze’s favorite show is Seinfeld, and even that can be too graphic for him. He makes one exception to this aversion, which is UFC.
Laura is not squeamish, so when she told Bargatze that she was going into labor, she was confident and prepared. Bargatze was terrified. Harper’s birth was an emotional moment, so it’s somewhat of a hazy memory for Bargatze. He cried (out of joy) the entire time, and all he thought about is how beautiful his daughter is. When the doctor handed him the scissors, he cut the umbilical cord easily, without a second thought. Bargatze’s mom won the bet, and Bargatze writes, “When my mom found out I did it, she just smiled and said, ‘I told you, I know my son.’” (168).
Chapter 22 Summary: “Random Food Thing 4: My Parents Waited in Line Three Hours for Whataburger”
A new Whataburger opens in Old Hickory, and on its opening day, the line is so long that it takes hours to order. Bargatze’s parents figure they might as well wait in line, as they have nothing else to do that day. Bargatze writes, “It doesn’t take much for folks down South to get excited” (168). The line is so long that the entrance of a medical building next door has to close. The Burger King across the street sits empty. Bargatze’s dad gets so annoyed with the wait that he starts yelling, convinced that other customers are cutting the line. When they finally get their food, they decide that Burger King is better. The only time they ever go back is to send Bargatze a picture of the road where they waited in line for three hours, “Proving they still have nothing better to do” (172).
Chapter 23 Summary: “I Am Definitely Not Shopping Right Now”
Bargatze is walking around a mall with Laura, which Laura thinks means they are shopping. Bargatze believes that it doesn’t count as shopping since he is not buying anything. They argue about the definition of shopping as they walk: Laura thinks that if she looks at clothes and tries them on, then that is shopping. Bargatze is adamant that it is not shopping until she actually purchases something. He argues that if he goes to the zoo, he is not shopping for animals unless he buys one—even if the animals are for sale.
Chapter 24 Summary: “This Is Totally Our Year”
Bargatze is a fan of Vanderbilt football, and he believes that “Vandy” is going to win this year—in whichever year it may be that the reader is reading this chapter. People tend to assume that Bargatze attended Vanderbilt, but it is a prestigious university and, as Bargatze writes, he is “horrible at school, and pretty much the entire world knows it” (179). Despite this, Vanderbilt accepts Bargatze as one of their own. They once invited him to give a talk to the football team.
Bargatze loves the team because Vanderbilt is close to where he grew up, and his dad used to take him to the games. His mother worked in the ticket office for a time. Bargatze notes that Derek—“because he’s a bad person” (181)—at one point rooted for Vandy’s rival team, Tennessee. Eventually, though, Derek became a Vandy supporter like them. Bargatze says that people in the South take their team allegiances more seriously than most. Vandy is a poor team, but Bargatze enjoys “rooting for the underdog” (181). He thinks it builds character, even though it’s not fun.
Bargatze and Laura got married on October 13, 2006, which was a Friday. They did this because it is an inexpensive day to get married, and also because Vanderbilt had a major game the following day. Vandy won that game, which was miraculous because they played a much better team. Bargatze and Laura consider their marriage very lucky, which they credit to these circumstances. A different year, Vanderbilt won a big game on the same night that Bargatze hosted SNL for the second time. He considers this another stroke of luck. The only A grade Bargatze ever received in a college course was for a presentation he gave about Vanderbilt football.
Chapter 25 Summary: “Take Another Breath. You’re Welcome.”
[This chapter is composed of blank pages.]
Chapters 21-25 Analysis
The good-natured dispute about whether Bargatze can cut his daughter’s umbilical cord helps to characterize Bargatze’s family’s playful nature and shows The Importance of Strong Family Bonds. It especially shows how Bargatze’s mother has faith in her children. Bargatze himself doubts whether he can remain composed enough during Harper’s birth to be able to cut the umbilical cord, as he is so squeamish, but when the time comes, Bargatze is doesn’t even think about it because he is overcome with emotion over his child’s birth.
“Random Food Thing 4: My Parents Waited in Line 3 Hours for Whataburger” is another example of food as a recurring motif used to characterize Bargatze’s family and background. The description Bargatze provides of his parents waiting for hours at the brand-new Whataburger—just because they have nothing better to do that day—paints a picture of Old Hickory, Tennessee, as a small, sleepy town. The author has a positive view of this aspect of his hometown. Anecdotes like this one show how Bargatze’s small-town Southern upbringing granted him the power of Finding Humor and Joy in Simplicity. There is so little entertainment in Old Hickory that its residents have no other choice than to take pleasure in whatever novelty they can find.
This chapter also emphasizes food as a motif. Whataburger is the type of fast-food chain restaurant that the South is known for, and food is a major aspect of Taking Pride in Southern Culture Despite Its Stereotypes. Bargatze and his family appreciate how these fast-food restaurants are a staple of their region. In Bargatze’s view, the fact that the town is so quiet that the new Whataburger is a major event just adds to Old Hickory’s charm.
Chapter 25 is the second chapter in Big Dumb Eyes that is composed of blank pages. In the memoir’s introduction, Bargatze tells readers that there will be some sections like this to “help you keep your head above water” (4). This is yet another example of the author’s dry, self-deprecating humor. He frequently repeats his own view of himself as “dumb,” and often reiterates that he doesn’t enjoy reading himself. Bargatze’s idea is that since he would appreciate it if books contained blank pages, to allow a mental reprieve from reading, then his readers will appreciate it, too. Bargatze’s insistence on his own mental dullness is exaggerated for comedic effect—it’s clear from his writing and success that the author is not truly unintelligent. The blank pages serve as a visual representation to further exaggerated this running joke.
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