Big Dumb Eyes: Stories from a Simpler Mind

“This book is never trying to say anything even close to important.”

In the Introduction to his memoir, Bargatze asserts that the book never tries to hint at a deeper meaning below its surface level. This is an example of the author being an unreliable narrator—the memoir does indeed touch on meaningful topics. The trope is an example of Bargatze’s theme of Taking Pride in Southern Culture Despite Its Stereotypes. Bargatze plays into the stereotype of the unintelligent Southerner, even though that’s not the truth. He does not bend the truth to sway his readers’ opinions, but his narration is self-deprecating and sarcastic, so it cannot always be taken as truth.

“Like my friend P-P comes up in a few chapters, and I will always helpfully remind you that he’s called P-P.”

Bargatze promises to continuously remind readers of the origin of P-P’s nickname. Bargatze reiterates throughout the book that he is not a strong reader and tends to be forgetful when he reads. Reminding readers of P-P’s nickname is a courtesy to his readers based on the author’s own struggle. Over time, this becomes a running joke. Bargatze mentions P-P and his nickname’s origin story so many times that it becomes more about the continuity of the joke than about the courtesy.