Commentary on Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius.

"Minds are like parachutes - they only function when open." This quote by Thomas Dewar exemplifies Dave Eggers' autobiographical memoir A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius. Dave Eggers uses sentence structure, diction, and specific descriptions to illustrate and get his point across to the reader. He opens up to the reader in a way I have never experienced before in my literary encounters. Although he tends to digress and seem paranoid, I feel that this …

…ways. In both novels, the big brother tries to preserve the innocence of the younger sibling. In A.H.W.O.S.G., Dave tries to shield the real world from Toph's eyes and in The Catcher in the Rye Holden tries to erase the profanities written in the museum, so that his younger sister Phoebe is not subjected to it. I feel that Toph as mature, if not more mature, than Dave (page 115-116).