“Vacation ‘58” by John Hughes: Quite Possibly the Worst Vacation…Ever

When I first picked up The 50 Funniest American Writers by Andy Borowitz, I was expecting to shake with laughter at the turn of each page.  However, when I read the stories by Thurber and Henry, this was not the case. While these accounts were somewhat comical, I found them minimally entertaining, and I felt as if reading this book would be similar to reading Morreall’s book; it would be dull, and it would go over my head.

To my surprise, each story I have read thereafter has given me appreciation for the book and for its authors.  I think one of the reasons that I am starting to like this collection is because the stories are more relatable to my life.  While Morreall gave some applicable examples in his book, the various authors in Borowitz’s book use humor to highlight certain humor experiences that I can relate to in one way or another.

For instance, I just read “Vacation ‘58” by John Hughes.  This story is about a boy and his family and their cross-country journey to Disneyland.  First, I am from California, and I live about 30 minutes away from Disneyland, so I understand their excitement over wanting to experience the magic that is Disneyland.  Second, my family and I have spent countless (and I think that’s a good thing) hours in the car together – many of those during our family vacations.  Most importantly, something – whether big or small – goes wrong on our vacations together… Every.  Single.  Time.  Although my vacations were never as tragic as the Griswold’s vacation was, I empathize with their feelings of failure.

We’ve talked about the concept of a cognitive shift many times in class, and I want to bring it up again.  Hughes presents many cognitive shifts in his story.  His first line reflects his unconventional narrative and how the actions of his characters are not something that the reader would normally expect.

An example of this is how the father acts during the high-speed pursuit.  Hughes depicts Clark Griswold as a careful and reserved family man at the beginning of the story.  However, Clark’s character begins to break down as the car and as the vacation do; Hughes does a great job of juxtaposing these concepts.  Clark started off as a man who freaked out over a small scratch to an animal who blatantly breaks the law.  As the story progresses, so does Clark’s condition.  This is evident in his insensitivity and apathy towards the death of Aunt Edythe…and for this, I am at a loss of words (I am too repulsed).

Another thing that strikes me as comical is that just when you think it can’t get any worse, it does!  This poor, poor family!  I think one reason people can enjoy this is through the idea of humor as making one feel superior; it’s funny because it’s not them.  Nevertheless, each successive event made me feel more and more uncomfortable.  Honestly, there were points in the story that I started getting anxiety because I kept thinking, What if that happened to me?!

In contrast, I think it is important to note, though, that because the trip becomes more ridiculous with each passing minute, it may be easier for the reader to detach himself/herself from the situation.  Obviously, my dad would never buy a revolver and shoot Walt Disney in the thigh (I mean, he’s already dead…).  Furthermore, he would never run from the law, especially in this day in age (I kept waiting for the Griswolds to get caught!).  Lastly, if my dad were to be charged with multiple offences, I would NOT take a flight home with my family and forget about my dear ‘ole dad!

This story taken as a whole is one giant cognitive shift.  It starts off with a content, peaceful family getting ready for their vacation to the “Happiest Place on Earth”, and it ends in complete and utter disaster.