3. Is Humor an Effective Way to Cope With Life’s Hardest Moments?

[smkelly]

Bud uses humor to get through difficult conversations and situations, as well as sometimes using it as a method of deflection. This novel as a whole also deals with difficult topics using humor.

Do you believe that using humor is an effective way to deal with difficulty?

[JudyT]

It definitely can be. Humor can help you to process hard moments healthfully or, as mentioned, can be used to deflect tension, which is not necessarily unhealthy. Deflecting tension can be a very healthy thing to do as it can ease the stress of a situation. It’s only unhealthy if you avoid dealing with hard situations entirely, but a little deflection doesn’t hurt! One of my favorite instances of Bud’s humor when used to ease tension was when he was asked if his divorce was his idea and he said that it was absolutely his idea—as soon as he found out his wife was sleeping with someone else, he had the idea to divorce her! Lol!