Restart

Perhaps Korman’s most interesting motif, which appears in various forms throughout the book, is the blank slate. This mirrors what happens to the main character, whose memory is wiped clean. It is the famous la tabula rasa, the blank-slate personality upon which anything can be written as a person recreates himself or herself.

When Chase first sees himself, he sees a stranger, someone he does not recognize. Only, Korman does not describe him nor the appearance of anyone else. He intentionally allows the reader to fill in the blanks about each character. By using different narrators, with no sole authoritative narrator, Korman avoids making any editorial judgments about the story or its characters. Using this technique, Korman allows the reader to participate in Chase’s experience, enabling them to envision these characters and their prejudices about them as they turn each page.

While Chase tries to understand his past and determine his future, his new friends, old friends, parents, and enemies are busy trying to tell him who he was and is. Aaron and Bear are intent on fighting, if necessary, to restore the version of Chase with whom they are comfortable. Meanwhile, Brendan works to convince the video club that Chase is now a saint, and Shoshanna sneers that he is a demon.