Post 4
In Black Swan Green, I find that the dismantling of Jason's expectations and preconceived notions truly reflect a coming-of-age process within him. As a result of these changes, we see that Jason reevaluates his priorities and relationships.
At the beginning of the story, we are told incessantly about Jason's obsession with the imagined pecking order that rules over the 13-year olds of Black Swan Green and we are well aware of this hierarchy's impact on him. With the social order, we are introduced to the only individual who seems to be friendly towards Jason: Dean. Within the social order, Dean is very much at the bottom to the point where even Jason calls him "Moron" instead of his real last name. However, this dynamic doesn't last as their friendship dynamic shifts through different situations which they experience together. Reflecting Jason's changing attitudes towards Dean, Jason's description of him is different at the beginning and the end of the story. Dean is first described as being "grinny-zitty" in comparison to the insightful and kind Dean that we see at the end of the story (Mitchell 4). Despite Jason's resentment of the social order and hierarchy, he internalizes it, calling Dean "Moron" in order to not lose face. Yet, I believe that he gains significantly more insight and sympathy towards Dean upon learning his family situation and experiencing how it feels to be constantly ridiculed and ignored after the incidents with the Spooks. When Jason truly experiences what it feels like to have everyone laugh at you and be exposed as the "stuttering kid", he sympathizes with Dean and his ignorance is fractured.
Another example in which Jason's perception is shattered is his view of the Lambs' wealth. Previously, Jason was viewed as the "posh" and "rich" kid in the town, but after dinner with the Lambs, he sees his parents writhe in the plain wealth gap between the two families. This contrast between Jason's previous expectation of wealth and a new shocking contrast demonstrates again the ignorance that Jason holds and the personal change that is undergone upon exposure to foreign topics and experiences.
As I was reading this post, I thought of an interesting thread having to do with cutlery and class issues in this novel: Jason notes with some cynicism how his mother always brings out the special cutlery and table settings (they have a "gravy boat") when the Lambs come to visit, with the implication that his family is putting on airs to impress or keep pace with the Lambs (which is futile, because Brian will still condescend and dismiss Michael's ignorance about wine, for example). Usually they just have regular cutlery, but when Jason visits Dean's house, he remarks on how scattered and crazy their cutlery drawer looks--no matched sets, a funky hodge-podge of different elements chaotically arranged. (Another comparison could be made between Jason's dart board and the Morans' makeshift ping-pong table using books as paddles.) But Jason's experience at the Morans' is eye-opening--they aren't as interested in these markers of class status as Jason's family is, and they also extend invitations to stay for dinner without making prior plans. Jason sees the contrasts, and in a minor epiphany, notes how much more FUN and chill and generally easygoing Dean's house is (now that his dad has stopped drinking). The funky/makehift/"junk drawer" kind of family turns out to be more genuine and wholesome than Jason's more rule-based middle-class affect.
ReplyDeleteOne way to frame his core epiphanies over the course of the novel might be to say that he learns that Dean is much cooler (more real, more genuine, more kind) than Hugo. And his home-family dynamics also sound a lot more fun!
Its interesting to think of the "bell jar" analogy where the narration is skewed based on Jason's perspective of the world. His comments and attitude towards different people definitely changes a lot throughout the book. I agree that Dean is one of the biggest examples of this. Great post!
ReplyDeleteHaving Dean around really helped Jason throughout the book. The only person that was truly always there, especially with his family being in and out of the story a lot with their whole situation. I think Dean really grounds Jason as a character, and I am glad to see that it helped him evolve throughout the book. Good post!
ReplyDeleteI like that you point out that Jason internalized the social hierarchy of his school, I definitely agree. The change in how he thinks about the world around him is a big part of his coming age as we see him start to ignore the rules that had been so important. I also like how you use the wealth gap between the Taylors and the cousins as an instance where his perception is altered because I hadn't really thought about that.
ReplyDeleteI definitely think that the narration reflects the way Jason perceives Dean and how that perception improves over the course of their friendship. Jason's newfound friendship with Dean is special because he understands and appreciates him for who he is, causing him to eventually overlook the fact that he is a "low social status" figure in their middle school. Additionally the two bond even more deeply once Jason starts to undergo at-home troubles similar to what Dean has been feeling at home. The relationship they share definitely gives Jason a new persective on life.
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