Blankets - Significance of Title

The significance of the title "Blankets" is found in the recurring motif of a blanket found throughout the memoir. The first instance of this motif is at the beginning of the memoir where we are introduced to Craig and Phil. Craig and Phil are forced to share a bed together, and because of this, they fight over the blankets on the bed.

The next instance of the blanket motif is found when Raina gives Craig the gift of a quilt she made when he comes to visit her. This quilt is perhaps the primary reason for the title being Blankets, as it is related for every subsequent significant in the memoir. The first time Craig and Raina share a bed together, they wrap themselves in the quilt. Craig and Raina also spend every night talking while wrapping the quilt around themselves. The quilt is also present when Craig and Raina become intimate with one another. After Craig returns home, he begins tucking the quilt into bed beside him.

There are also several smaller instances that use the motif of blankets throughout the story. In a flashback scene, we also see that Craig and Phil used the blankets they shared as a way to find comfort from the storm. After they grow up, Craig and Phil are given their own beds, however they find that in the Winter, they feel cold when separated, so they return to sharing both the blankets and a bed to keep warm. There is also an instance where Craig admires Raina, and in a prayer states "Thank you for the rhythm of her movements, curling, sprawling, her contours like waves around the blankets." At the end of the memoir, during his adult years, Craig also finds the quilt in his attic.

It is because of the presence of some form of blanket at all the moments Craig Thompson chose to include in this memoir, that the title was decided to be Blankets. For Craig, the blankets appear to provide some form of security, and it's clear that for him, they are very important objects in the story of his life.

Page 11-12 (fighting brothers)
Page 181-182 (Gift of blanket.
Page 307 (Share a bed with quilt)
Page 310 (Prayer mentioning blankets)
Page 410 (Storm)
Page 458 (Cold when separated)
Page 502 ( Tucking the quilt in)
Page 565 (Refinding the quilt)