jason's childish narrative
Jason appears to be the youngest of the selected novels for this course, only age 13, where every other narrator is older-- Holden being 17ish, Ester in college, Allison a young adult though she depicts all stages of her life. And, he's discussing the events of the book almost directly after they happen (him writing poems that encapsulate the chapters the month after they happen). This keeps his childish voice (childish meaning quite literal child) very true to life.
The effect this has is to bring to life his character, and solidify the world we see him in. Jason entertains us with his imagination, from him playing in his dad's office chair once he enters his dad's office, to jumping down the stairs, covering 6ish steps in one grand leap. Yet, the boy is plagued with mature situations. He's bullied immensely by his friends for his stammer and "lame" social status, each day a trial to survive the day admist the bullies. Jason is a "newcomer" to the town, living in the new neighborhood, which only adds to the tension.
Jason's depiction as a child (well I guess to younger readers he might not come across as quite as much a child, but since we're all 16-18/full on adult english teacher he is a child). really emphasizes the horror of his day-to-day life. He is obsessed with how he can alter other's perception of him, going into a complex train of thought to come up with the optimal logistics of how he can come across as the coolest possible person. He edits his speech in his head before he speaks all to avoid a stammer, dresses in perfect accordance to not be bullied, and is precise about what nicknames to use and when. His life seems torturous, especially for such a young person, to navigate.
All in all, Mitchell creates a highly sympathetic character both from the lens of an older reader reading about a child's social turmoil and feeling his hurt, and with the perspective of those older readers relating to Jason's story through their own childhood. Jason's story is highly personal for many readers, and Black Swan Green being told through the narrative voice of such a young member of society creates the ultimate effect of sympathy.
I definitely agree that Jason seems a lot more childish than other narrators, but he's also gone through a lot. It's interesting how his childish narration contrasts with the very serious and heavy things happening around him. He tries to adapt and fit in, but he's just a kid and he doesn't fully know how to navigate the world yet. Great post!
ReplyDeleteI really agree with this post. One of the best parts of Black Swan Green is Jason's voice as a narrator. I really liked the choice of Mitchell to have Jason speak right after things were happening in real time, unlike Holden or Esther who are separated from the book's events by long periods of time.
ReplyDeleteI agree that Jason's younger voice seems to create more sympathetic/empathetic feeling from the reader's perspective. His coming-of-age transformation also seems to be more drastic compared to the other novels, and I wonder if maybe this is because of his young age. Like you pointed out, the other characters were older and farther away from adolescence, yet Jason is still at the beginning of his teenage saga, which is maybe why his story seems to have a more apparent change in the beginning of the novel vs the end. I really liked your post!
ReplyDeletePersonally, I found Jason to be the most entertaining narrator we have had so far. I think that he encapsulates the general essence of childhood really well. While the other narrators are around our age, Jason is a bit younger which adds a bit more charm than the others. In terms of coming-of-age, I think getting to see Jason grow from a very-immature boy to a less immature boy is a genuinely rewarding experience, even if he didn't have any revelations that we would expect from someone older coming-of-age. Nice post.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all I love the illustration of Jason (or a kid a lot younger than Jason!) checking out his dad's Millennium Falcon swivel chair! It's an apt image for Jason's most "childish" moment in the book (or among them), and also his most endearing. There's even a little sadness when, in "Bridle Path," he goes into his dad's office and just gives a quick spin on the chair, no Millennium Falcon. And he never mentions taking a "death-defying leap" down the final five stairs again. We see him "grow up" over the course of the book, and the developments are impressive--but we also see this childish enthusiasm and endearing nerdiness start to diminish as well.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you completely Mitchell does an amazing job of creating a sympathetic character through Jason at many points of the story I felt like I could empathize and sympathize with Jason his experiences seemed very brutal and watching him blossom throughout the story was amazing to watch because I felt like I could sympathize with him so much
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