The Rhetoric of Self-Perception and Change in Adventure Time’s “Abstract”

Publication Date

2026

College

College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

Department

Communication Studies, Department of

Student Level

Undergraduate

Faculty Mentor

Michelle Shaw

Metadata/Fulltext

Fulltext

Presentation Type

Talk/Oral

Summary

For my rhetorical analysis, the artifact I have chosen is a scene from season 9, episode 10 of the Adventure Time series, titled “Abstract”. The scene depicts a protagonist throughout the series, Jake the dog, coming to rescue his brother, Jermaine, who he believes is in trouble due to a shift in his typical art style. During the rescue attempt, Jake is also going through a big physical and emotional change himself, which he is in denial about. He learned that his brother was not in trouble and had just changed styles because it felt right, and was taught the importance of accepting change as part of who you are and not something to be afraid of. To analyze this scene, I have chosen the lens of narrative criticism. I have chosen narrative criticism because it helps to unpack and analyze all the layers of what comprises a narrative to uncover the message of the scene and how that message is delivered, which is helpful for a more complex scene like the one I have chosen. The question I aim to answer with this lens is about the significance of Jake's monstrous physical appearance and why he changes back to his typical appearance at the end of the scene. I plan to make the argument that Jake’s appearance at the beginning of the scene signifies his inability to recognize himself after going through substantial emotional changes throughout the series, no longer the young and carefree version of himself that he once was. This is represented through literally viewing himself as a monster, which manifests in his physical form. This ties into why he transforms back to his original appearance at the end of the scene. After he has learned to accept these changes as a part of himself, he no longer views himself as a monster, leading to his return to normal appearance. I expect to find context within the characters, plot, audience, and themes covered under the lens of narrative criticism that supports my argument for the significance of this transformation. This argument is important rhetorically because, on the surface, it might look like a silly cartoon about two dog brothers, but in reality, there are themes of self-acceptance and self-love meant to be beneficial towards the audience by showing them they are not alone in being scared of change, but change is nothing to be afraid of.

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