Tintin Forums

It strikes me that Tintin is rarely shown doing mundane, everyday things, such as eating or bathing. He is always on the go, solving this or chasing that. The exception perhaps is in Picaros at the beginning, where he is doing some sort of stretching.

My question is, did Herge intentionally develop the character in this way, to fit in with the Adventure format of the comic, and to keep the reader interested?

I think I've seen something like this discussed in one of the forums here. Tintin doing some everyday things might be interesting to see, I think, but it doesn't always fit in with the stories. Herge sometimes had to cut bits out of his work so that the stories could fit in 62 pages. I guess everyday things weren't relevent or funny enough. You don't see the other characters doing much of anything mundane either.

Even in other comics and cartoons, you don't see characters doing things like taking a bath if it doesn't contribute to the plot very much.
In Emerald, he does more everyday things like reading or going out for walks.

There is also Broken Ear, on the first page, when he can be seen doing morning exercises (which is more than I ever do) and taking a bath.

I for one would have to say that the books would have suffered, and I certainly wouldn’t have enjoyed them as much, if they included pages with Tintin at the launderette, standing in the queue at the post-office, or getting Snowy flea-powder!

I don’t think it’s a question of Hergé “developing the character this way” either, because just as NikkiRoux says, you don’t see the other characters do any such thing, nor would you find it in other characters by other authors either. Sherlock Holmes solving a crime is interesting; Sherlock Holmes insuring his flat, getting his shoes re-heeled or choosing curtains probably isn’t.

The scene in The Broken Ear which mct16 mentions works because it gives a moment of relative calm to contrast with the roller-coaster ride of the adventure and intrigue to follow; if it came in the middle of the book (“Hold the firinging squad, Tintin is doing his physical jerks!”), it’d just interrupt the flow of things.

An incident of Tintin eating also springs to my mind immediately. During his hike in the mountains in Destination Moon, Tintin stops to eat some sandwiches (and then runs into the bears, of course!) There, at least, he's doing something relatively mundane, except that he's in an interesting location, and it results in something unusual.

Yeah, but on the other hand the hike is simply a cover to find the spies so he is not so much as doing an everyday thing than crimefighting.

He does stop to eat, though! Usually, he skips that sort of thing to get to where the action is.

Would that concept also apply to "King Ottokar" where he has a meal in a restaurant - which he is forced to have in order to cover for the fact that he is following a suspect - and where he is issued a subtle warning to mind his own business.

He really can't do anything without running into adventure!

I beg to differ.
Very often, it is when Tintin is doing a mundane, ordinary task that something happens which sets him off on another adventure.
For instance, in Unicorn, Tintin is just browsing a flea market when he comes across the model ship.
Also, in Ottokar's Sceptre, he is merely strolling through the park when he comes across Professor Alembick's diary.
The beauty of Hergé's work is that he takes what is perfectly ordinary and simple, and draws it out into a complicated adventure.
I agree with cigars of the beeper on this score: "He really can't do anything without running into adventure!"