My Greatest Ambition

“My Greatest Ambition” explores the tension between passion and pragmatism. The adults in Nu’s life frequently discourage him from pursuing his dream of becoming a comic-strip artist. They tell him he will “grow out of it,” but he chooses to disregard such comments and pursue his goal regardless. For Nu, this choice to actively work toward his ambition sets him apart from his classmates, whom he condescendingly calls “dreamers.” In Nu’s words, his classmates…

Though Nu’s dream is powerful and drives him to create a comic strip, once he finishes his first full-length comic, he doesn’t “have the faintest idea what to do with it.” After reading it over and over again and determining it is, in fact, “Not too bad,” Nu puts his work in storage, placing it alongside his father’s hats on the top shelf of his closet. Nu is content with merely completing…