Character Identity - American Splendor

Below is an excerpt from the script of American Splendor. This scene is one of my favorites that deals with charater identity in a very unique way:


A SURREAL DREAM SEQUENCE

(We are now in a large, empty room similar to a blank comic
book panel.
A healthy, fully dressed Harvey appears in the corner of the
frame. He is very far away, barely recognizable. We slowly
dolly towards him as he delivers a formal soliloquy to the
camera):

HARVEY

My name is Harvey Pekar. It’s an
unusual name -- Harvey Pekar...

(As Harvey speaks, one-dimensional comic book images from his
life pass over the screen once again. This time in front of
him, behind him, everywhere. We dolly in towards him.)

HARVEY (cont’d)

1960 was the year I got my first
apartment and my first telephone
book. Imagine my surprise when I
looked up my name and saw that, in
addition to me, another Harvey
Pekar was listed!

(Images of Harvey’s childhood float by, followed by his young
adult years.)

HARVEY (cont’d)

I was listed as Harvey L. Pekar...
My middle name is Lawrence... He
was listed as Harvey Pekar -- no
middle initial... Therefore, his
was a purer listing.

(We see Harvey age in the images: he’s hanging on the street
corner with friends, collecting records, hanging with Crumb.)

HARVEY (cont’d)

Then, in the seventies, I noticed
that a third Harvey Pekar was
listed in the phone book! This
filled me with curiosity.


HARVEY(cont'd)

How could there be three people
with such an unusual name in the
world, let alone in one city?!

(Now, numerous images of Harvey’s many years at the V.A.
Hospital float by: Harvey filing, Harvey arguing with his
boss, Harvey and Toby, etc.)

HARVEY (cont’d)

Then one day, a person I worked
with expressed her sympathy to me
concerning what she thought was the
death of my father. She pointed
out an obituary notice in the
newspaper for a man named Harvey
Pekar. One of his sons was named
Harvey. These were the other
Harvey Pekars.

(The comic images fade out. Harvey is once again alone in the
empty room.)

HARVEY (cont’d)

Six months later, Harvey Pekar Jr.
died. Although I’d met neither
man, I was filled with sadness.
“What were they like,” I thought.
It seemed that our lives had been
linked in some indefinable way.

(We slowly move in on his face. Extremely close. As close as
the camera can get.)

HARVEY (cont’d)

But the story does not end there.
For two years later another Harvey
Pekar appeared in the directory.
What kind of people are these?
Where do they come from, what do
they do? What’s in a name?

END DREAM SEQUENCE