Difference between revisions of "572: Together"

Explain xkcd: It's 'cause you're dumb.
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==Explanation==
 
==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Edit for tone, style, speculations, explanation also dangerously enters into a mere description of the panels at times, the place for that is the transcript not the explanation}}
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[[Cueball]] and [[Megan]] run away from two others (who look like Cueball and Megan as well) standing next to a box in an open field of grass. Together, Cueball and Megan become romantic, get married and retire in old age to a porch swing. Without a word, old Cueball leaves old Megan and returns to the same location shown in the first panel, as indicated by the same two people, now older and still standing beside the box. Old Cueball picks up a sheet of paper and checks off "HAPPINESS" from a list entitled "SCAVENGER HUNT," where the other items include INDIAN-HEAD PENNY, SNAKE SKIN, FOUR-LEAF CLOVER and SHARK TOOTH.
[[Cueball]] and [[Megan]] run away from two others (who look like Cueball and Megan as well) standing next to a box in an open field of grass. Together, Cueball and Megan become romantic, get marriage and retire in old age to a porch swing. without a word, old Cueball leaves old Megan returns to the same location shown in the first panel, as indicated by the same two people, now older and still standing beside the box. Old Cueball picks up a sheet of paper and checks off "HAPPINESS" from a list entitled "SCAVENGER HUNT," where the other items include INDIAN-HEAD PENNY, SNAKE SKIN, FOUR-LEAF CLOVER and SHARK TOOTH.
 
  
 
So finding happiness was just one item in what is presumably the longest-running {{w|scavenger hunt}} of all-time, considering Cueball grew significantly old during the hunt (the duration is as much as 70 years, since Cueball is having to use a cane). The comic ends with one of the three people asking, "What's next?"
 
So finding happiness was just one item in what is presumably the longest-running {{w|scavenger hunt}} of all-time, considering Cueball grew significantly old during the hunt (the duration is as much as 70 years, since Cueball is having to use a cane). The comic ends with one of the three people asking, "What's next?"
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The title of the comic is probably a reference to the saying that you find happiness ''together'' with your loved one. Cueball and Megan could have taken many different paths to find happiness, together or separate, but they chose togetherness as a way to find happiness, which is a common theme in love stories. But happiness is not something a person finds, it is an experience, hence the need to accumulate enough experiences to determine beyond doubt that happiness was truly found.
 
The title of the comic is probably a reference to the saying that you find happiness ''together'' with your loved one. Cueball and Megan could have taken many different paths to find happiness, together or separate, but they chose togetherness as a way to find happiness, which is a common theme in love stories. But happiness is not something a person finds, it is an experience, hence the need to accumulate enough experiences to determine beyond doubt that happiness was truly found.
  
The title text indicates that after all this time, the players may abandon the game due to being bored with it, which is another genius punchline. The treehouse reference in the title text is another example of a common childhood activity. Naturally, the intended mental image is a bunch of old men and women building a treehouse and playing in it like six year olds is another punchline. It is also typical for children to tire of a game before it is finished. Except here, Cueball spent nearly a lifetime on just one part of this game! The idea of adults having a fort in the woods was also mentioned, rather darkly, in the title text of [[219: Blanket Fort]].
+
The title text indicates that after all this time, the players may abandon the game due to being bored with it, which is another genius punchline. The treehouse reference in the title text is another example of a common childhood activity. Naturally, the intended mental image of a bunch of old men and women building a treehouse and playing in it like six year olds is another punchline. It is also typical for children to tire of a game before it is finished. Except here, Cueball spent nearly a lifetime on just one part of this game! The idea of adults having a fort in the woods was also mentioned, rather darkly, in the title text of [[219: Blanket Fort]].
  
Three of the old people looks very similar to three of those standing in line in [[586: Mission to Culture]].
+
Three of the old people looks very similar to three of those standing in line in [[586: Mission to Culture]]. And much later in [[1910: Sky Spotters]] the two birdwatchers looks very much like the old version of Cueball and Megan.
  
 
==Speculation==
 
==Speculation==
  
Why Cueball waited until old age to confirm that he and Megan had found happiness? Two possible explanations: 1) he forgot they were playing a game (Megan may have forgotten or simply didn't connect Cueball's leaving her with the game) or 2) Cueball wanted to be certain that he had found happiness and not just some illusory sensation of happiness. Often, happiness is situational and temporal, requiring a statistically sufficient population of experiences before drawing a meaningful conclusion -- and even then with a probability for error. Knowing Cueball's penchant for math and science, the latter is a more likely explanation. This observation into a true characteristic of happiness is the genius of this comic.
+
Why did Cueball wait until old age to confirm that he and Megan had found happiness? Two possible explanations: 1) he forgot they were playing a game (Megan may have forgotten or simply didn't connect Cueball's leaving her with the game) or 2) Cueball wanted to be certain that he had found happiness and not just some illusory sensation of happiness. Often, happiness is situational and temporal, requiring a statistically sufficient population of experiences before drawing a meaningful conclusion -- and even then with a probability for error. Knowing Cueball's penchant for math and science, the latter is a more likely explanation. This observation into a true characteristic of happiness is the genius of this comic.
  
 
The reader may wonder why the second pair of players didn't simply proceed to find the next items. One explanation is that this may be a tag-team scavenger hunt, where each item is found in the order listed and by alternating teams. So the other two people will now have the task of finding a four leaf clover somewhere.
 
The reader may wonder why the second pair of players didn't simply proceed to find the next items. One explanation is that this may be a tag-team scavenger hunt, where each item is found in the order listed and by alternating teams. So the other two people will now have the task of finding a four leaf clover somewhere.

Revision as of 22:11, 2 November 2017

Together
This scavenger hunt is getting boring. Let's go work on the treehouse!
Title text: This scavenger hunt is getting boring. Let's go work on the treehouse!

Explanation

Cueball and Megan run away from two others (who look like Cueball and Megan as well) standing next to a box in an open field of grass. Together, Cueball and Megan become romantic, get married and retire in old age to a porch swing. Without a word, old Cueball leaves old Megan and returns to the same location shown in the first panel, as indicated by the same two people, now older and still standing beside the box. Old Cueball picks up a sheet of paper and checks off "HAPPINESS" from a list entitled "SCAVENGER HUNT," where the other items include INDIAN-HEAD PENNY, SNAKE SKIN, FOUR-LEAF CLOVER and SHARK TOOTH.

So finding happiness was just one item in what is presumably the longest-running scavenger hunt of all-time, considering Cueball grew significantly old during the hunt (the duration is as much as 70 years, since Cueball is having to use a cane). The comic ends with one of the three people asking, "What's next?"

The list indicates this is a hunt for somewhat rare items. The US Indian Head cent (penny) was produced from 1859 to 1909, making it somewhat rare. A four leaf clover is a rare variation of the common three-leaf clover. A shark tooth is not easy to obtain, especially from a live shark, unless you live near a beach with souvenir shops and even then you have to question whether the tooth really is from a shark and not some other animal. Like the shark tooth, the snake skin is a little easier to find but still challenging unless you live in the southwest United States. Even so, you have to find a snake and skin it or at least find a snake skin that has been shed by the animal while molting, but that might not qualify depending upon the requirements for "snake skin" since this is just the dead outer layer of the snake's skin.

The title of the comic is probably a reference to the saying that you find happiness together with your loved one. Cueball and Megan could have taken many different paths to find happiness, together or separate, but they chose togetherness as a way to find happiness, which is a common theme in love stories. But happiness is not something a person finds, it is an experience, hence the need to accumulate enough experiences to determine beyond doubt that happiness was truly found.

The title text indicates that after all this time, the players may abandon the game due to being bored with it, which is another genius punchline. The treehouse reference in the title text is another example of a common childhood activity. Naturally, the intended mental image of a bunch of old men and women building a treehouse and playing in it like six year olds is another punchline. It is also typical for children to tire of a game before it is finished. Except here, Cueball spent nearly a lifetime on just one part of this game! The idea of adults having a fort in the woods was also mentioned, rather darkly, in the title text of 219: Blanket Fort.

Three of the old people looks very similar to three of those standing in line in 586: Mission to Culture. And much later in 1910: Sky Spotters the two birdwatchers looks very much like the old version of Cueball and Megan.

Speculation

Why did Cueball wait until old age to confirm that he and Megan had found happiness? Two possible explanations: 1) he forgot they were playing a game (Megan may have forgotten or simply didn't connect Cueball's leaving her with the game) or 2) Cueball wanted to be certain that he had found happiness and not just some illusory sensation of happiness. Often, happiness is situational and temporal, requiring a statistically sufficient population of experiences before drawing a meaningful conclusion -- and even then with a probability for error. Knowing Cueball's penchant for math and science, the latter is a more likely explanation. This observation into a true characteristic of happiness is the genius of this comic.

The reader may wonder why the second pair of players didn't simply proceed to find the next items. One explanation is that this may be a tag-team scavenger hunt, where each item is found in the order listed and by alternating teams. So the other two people will now have the task of finding a four leaf clover somewhere.

One explanation for old Cueball's sailor cap is to indicate a cherished memory of them being together in the rowboat during their early courtship.

The reader may wonder why Cueball didn't invite Megan to share in the triumph of checking off the item, since they are shown together in the initial frame. One explanation is to create a plot twist and build suspense, invoking questions as to where Cueball was going, as well as propelling the action into the following scene. This may be unsatisfying because the reader must assume that Megan was in on the game from the beginning and therefore would be aware of the hunt, and if they were so much in love for so long, why wouldn't Cueball want to share the triumph with her of checking off this rare item from the list? It leaves a confusion that may never be cleared up and is just one of those unfortunate sacrifices to the art of storytelling. A better setup might have been to start with only Cueball and his friends, Megan is not involved in the game (although the reader would have to assume that Cueball met Megan somewhere, somehow). Then Cueball courted Megan, married her and grew old with her in happiness, then leaves her to return to his friend and the game -- this would have made more sense and been just as poignant. Leaving old Megan on the porch wondering, "What's happening, did I do something wrong, is my husband okay?" -- it seems rude for Cueball to just leave her without explanation and not fitting in with the premise of being happy together. Maybe Megan long ago gave up on the game and doesn't care about it anymore and Cueball never gave up on it, but this is just speculation.

Transcript

[Cueball and Megan are running in a field, holding hands. They are running away from another pair which also looks like Cueball and Megan. This pair stand in the background, next to a small box. There may be something lying on top of the box, but it is difficult to see clearly. The sun is shining above them.]
[Cueball and Megan are in a boat on a lake, very romantic. Cueball is speaking to Megan, illustrated with a heart.]
Cueball: ♡
[Cueball and Megan sit together on a bench on a beach, watching the sunset.]
[Cueball and Megan stand in front of an altar under a wedding arch, with confetti falling around them. He is wearing a butterfly and she a veil.]
[Cueball and Megan, now old and wrinkled, sit together holding hands on their porch at the top of a small stair outside their house. He has a sailor cap on and Megan now wears her hair in a bun. Although the woman looks like Hairbun, and the old man is wearing a sailor cap, we can assume this is still Megan and Cueball given the juxtaposition of the preceding panel.]
[The same setting is depicted but seen from the side of the house. Cueball begins walking away from Megan using his cane. He has descended from the stair. Finally Megan speaks, and unusually there is a speech bubble, with an extra smaller bubble hanging on to it for the second sentence.]
Megan: Dear? Where are you-
Megan: Come back!
[Cueball approaches an old couple, presumably the kids from the first panel now turned old. They seem tired looking down all the time. The man only has hair around his neck and also a cane. The woman has long thinning hair. The box from the first panel is between Cueball and the other two. On top of it lies a piece of paper]
[Same picture except that Cueball is now standing still and has picked up the paper from the box and writes on it with a pen. Again there is a speak bubble.]
Cueball: Okay,
[The paper is shown. It is a scavenger hunt list with at least six items. The three first items have been checked off. The last item is blocked by the speech bubble, but can be seen to be there from the check box.]
Scavenger hunt:
☒ Indian-head penny
☒ Snake skin
☒ Happiness
☐ Four-leaf clover
☐ Shark tooth
Cueball (off-panel): What's next?


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Discussion

Definitely one of the sweetest xkcd strips ever. Alpha (talk) 07:30, 1 March 2013 (UTC)

Or one of the most sad - as he just maried for a game and left when he was finished with his project... Kynde (talk) 00:41, 7 April 2014 (UTC)
I always thought it was a metaphor for death instead of him actually literally leaving, especially because the way it ended. "What next?" just seems like an optimistic way to view the end. Sonicstormwind (talk) 23:03, 15 September 2019 (UTC)

U Could "building a treehouse" refer to an adult activity that is frequently postponed and possibly never finished, like items in a to do list? 108.162.212.196 17:34, 1 January 2014 (UTC)

No, those are shark teeth. I used Google News BEFORE it was clickbait (talk) 04:04, 30 January 2015 (UTC)

I feel maybe the wife was concerned that he was wandering off, and wants him to come back. 108.162.241.166 19:17, 24 July 2015 (UTC)

I think the entire speculation section was way off as it assumes Megan was in on the game, which there is no indication of (actually negative since she is not going back with him). I have added this point to the main explanation and removed that section completely. --Kynde (talk) 08:51, 9 October 2019 (UTC)

I completely agree that Megan wasn't in the on the game, but i wonder if you've over - corrected here. Marriage is something many people do when looking for happiness and folks generally don't describe that as exploitative. And arguably he happiness wouldn't be authentic if he told Megan his search for happiness was part of real scavenger hunt with people to verify your achievements (one could argue that living a somewhat traditional life is akin to a scavenger hunt: complete schooling, get a career, get married, own property, have kids, etc.)

And it's not at all clear that he doesn't come back ever. Just that he leaves for a moment without telling her why. After you find an arrowhead penny, you keep the penny.

Your interpretation is possible, but it's one of many possible interpretations108.162.242.20 09:30, 9 October 2021 (UTC)

I think this is the only strip (to my knowledge) which uses crinkly, crumbly line drawing to (presumably) indicate old age, despite the fact that there are surely other old people in other strips. I think maybe the explanation should say something about that? 162.158.159.43 11:43, 20 August 2022 (UTC)

Page got hijacked, can someone revert the image?