Action

Tangles progresses at varying rates throughout the memoir. Action
refers to the way that the story progresses from one scene to the next, and
from one event to another. Tangles uses a wide range of speeds depending on the
event. The speed of the action relates closely to Sarah’s involvement with the
event.

## Slow-Progression

Major events in Sarah’s life progress very slowly in the
memoir, taking several pages to depict hours and days in the event. Examples
include pages 20 to 26 – a family get together is examined from the airport to
the dinner table, deep moments of reflection and emotional discussions are detailed
in full, culminating in the first time that Mariam admits she believes she has
Alzheimer’s; 27 to 37 – Rob’s sabbatical to Mexico and several key moments are
explicitly detailed, including road trips, intimate moments with Donimo, a car
accident with a stray dog, flying back to the Canada, and the final trip to the
doctor; 48 to 71 – This section covers a 6-week span when Rob left to Mexico to
teach and take a vacation. Sarah experiences the worst of the disease, and
during this time she bathes, clothes, feeds, and entertains Mariam with the
help of Debbie; and 116 to 127 – followed the move to the nursing home, and
subsequent death of Mariam.

In these moments, Sarah is with her mother and every detail
is covered during the journey. These events make up the bulk of the memoir
reflection, and help define the character progression.

## Fast-Progression

Crucial story-foundations are briefly covered during the
memoir. These sections may include Sarah, such as a childhood memory, but most
do not. Many of these sections are only 2 or 3 pages in length, but span years
and even decades, helping bring new characters into the story, or provide a
perspective on past events.

Examples include pages 10 to 11 – explaining Sarah’s
nightmares and how her mother would frequently help her go back to sleep; 12 to
15 – revealing a lifetime of Mariam’s relationships to her sisters, and their
parents; 38 to 39 – chronicling Sarah and Hannah’s upbringing, including
storytelling, treasured moments, and family dynamic; 74 to 75 – Hannah’s
wedding; and 114 – Hannah’s new baby.

These scenes and pages make up important back-story
elements, but deviate from the memoir focus. In many cases, the audience can
piece together the missing elements with the available memoir information.

## Disconnected Scene Placement

Some scenes in Tangles progress across the page in varying
frame sizes. The author does this in an effort to add dynamic flow to the
memoir. A large frame will be placed next to several tiny frames, meaning there
is no ‘correct’ transition, and the audience can choose the direction of scene
flow.

Examples include pages 12 – the death of Beatrice and Joe
(Mariam’s parents) can be read many ways, but the outcome is always the same;
15 – Mariam and Rob moved several times, meaning Sarah recalls several distinct
moments in her childhood and the audience can develop these in any direction;
100 to 101 – moving Mariam to the first floor of the house so that she has more
mobility; and 125 – reflecting about the funeral and saying Kaddish every
night.

In these scenes, the ordering of the events doesn’t matter,
more importantly however, the ordering may not be easily recalled by the
author, meaning that those events did occur, and they may have occurred in the
way the scenes were laid out, but the scenes could be read in a different
left-to-right loop, and the information would still reach the audience in the same
way it reached the author – fragmented and slightly disconnected.

## References

Leavitt, S. (2010).
*Tangles.* Calgary: Freehand Books.

Shaw, A. (2011,
July 6). *An Introduction to Graphic Novels: Sequences*. Retrieved from
CloudSpace:
http://www.cloudscapecomics.com/2011/07/06/an-introduction-to-graphic-novels-sequences/