Role Models
Out of all the books we’ve read so far in this class, Black
Swan Green has seemed the most real to me. David Mitchell’s characters are all
so fully realized and help readers become immersed in the story, and Jason’s
down to earth tone and humble kindness make it very easy to empathize with him
and see the world from his eyes. I enjoyed watching him grow over the course of
the year, and he was the only main character we’ve read this semester that I
rooted for the whole time.
I love the way the book is structured throughout one year,
so that we get to look back on the beginning as Jason does and see how much he’s
grown. He really has, too: we see that the things he cares about has changed,
and he has gained lots of self confidence and an ability to stand up for
himself. In the last few chapters especially, you gradually stop feeling sorry
for Jason and start feeling proud of him.
Like we were talking about it class, I think a lot of Jason’s
growth has to do with his interactions with female characters and role models in
the book. His relationship with Julia is already a source of his information
about the wider world and his compassion for others, and the way their
relationship grows and deepens reflects how Jason’s attitudes about the world
have shifted. His relationship with his mother definitely changes as well, as
he accepts her as a person with her own dreams and life path separate from her
role in the family. His crushes on girls shape him heavily too, whether it’s
letting his hopes get crushed with Dawn Madden or developing a friendship as
well as a short relationship with Holly Deblin. And his mentor, Eva
Crommelynck, definitely impacts the way he thinks about writing as well as his
own truth. Throughout the book, Jason’s willingness to listen to female mentors
makes him a very sympathetic and strong person, and lets him have a coming of
age story to be proud of.
Jason's character growth is perhaps my favorite part of the entire book. I definitely agree that his positive development is heavily influenced by female role models. At the beginning, he definitely looks up to his father and all the boys at his school more than anything, but by the end he seems to be leaning towards his mother (and seeing his father more as weak), his sister, and Holly Deblin. He still does have male peers and male influences, but they don't follow the expectations of toxic masculinity nearly as much as the boys he idolized in the beginning did.
ReplyDeleteI agree this book is one of the ones that has felt the realest to me. I think partly because it is the book that is closes to the time that we live in now but also because Jason is some we can all relate to in one way. I think Jason is even more relatable then Holden because his story seems more real then Holden's. What kid runs away and live's in New York alone for a few days? Jason was able resonate with me in a way that the other characters in books we have read cant.
ReplyDeleteI also loved watching Jason grow and mature. His character felt really close to me, but I felt more like I was Julia, watching him grow from an older sister's perspective. I never felt I was him, but I knew what he was going through and I had things I wanted him to do and things that I thought he should have done differently out of worry for him. I love how he learned to trust more of the true friends around him and stopped defining himself as what the "cool" kids saw him as.
ReplyDeleteJason's character growth at the end is so exciting to watch because he is finally able to adopt an attitude of not caring and also get some confidence to stand up to the bullies at school. I agree that the female role models in Jason's life are very important. I think Jason is really lucky to have these female role models because they are able to show him how to be a good person and stand up for what he wants, something he does not see in his day to day life at school.
ReplyDeleteVery true. I think the way he's influenced by his mom is also notable- he watches her get crapped on by his dad for what seems like most of their marriage, and he seems to internalize that and think that that's what relationships are supposed to be like, hence why he pursues Dawn Madden who has no interest in him. Around the time when she puts her foot down is when he loses interest in Dawn too.
ReplyDeleteThe relationship with Julia, I think plays the strongest role. I really liked how their relationship developed over the course of the book and seeing them come together when their parents were fighting was great. Julia is able to put down so many people. I reading her comebacks. Really great book and I loved Jason from the beginning.
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