Black Swan Green
The Clash of Two Philosophies
In the beginning of the book, we see Julia as a primary antagonist for Jason, she is constantly making fun of him, calling him "Thing", not recognizing him as even a human being. However, we know that this is a mutual feeling with him calling her "my abortion of a sister". In a way, the way she constantly criticizes his interests and how he does things also reveals to him the truth behind the real world, obviously not everybody is going to be nice to you. Her relentlessness is what pushes him to hide a part of him that would be considered vulnerable which makes it easier for those around him to make him feel weak. However, these teachings would shift when Jason would meet Madame Crommelynck, seeing his poets as Eliot Bolivar, stating that while these poems were beautiful, they were in the perspective of a person who existed in a mask instead of the real person, that being Jason Taylor, not Eliot Bolivar. Julia's idea of shaping Jason was to make sure that he would be tough enough to be able to survive in the world, by acting quickly, such as when Julia called him out for eavesdropping on her call, he was forced to stay calm and think fast about his response to that he could effectively dispel his allegations. However, this mentality would be at the cost of him not being able to show the world who he truly is, forcing himself to be something that he's not, which causes life to feel dull for him. Meanwhile Crommelynck essentially tears down the wall that Julia had made for him, teaching him to own it, recognizing that his weaknesses are actually what makes him stronger, the stammer that he has may make those around him think that he's weak, Crommelynck believes that it's actually a gift in disguise. Given that he has to place value on the certain letters to lead to him having to stammer. But in the end, it also leaves me wondering, would Jason have been able to become as confident as he was in the end had Julia not laid that obstacle for him that he would eventually overcome?
Hi Elliot, what a blog you got there. As someone with a sister, this is a really common dynamic where we constantly "hate" on each other while also helping out and advise each other. I think that this novel depicts the relationship between Julia and Jason very well. To answer your question, I think that Julia played a key role in Jasons's coming of age but if she wasn't there the process would still happen. It would just take longer. Overall, great blog!
ReplyDeleteHi Elliot,
ReplyDeleteThis is a really interesting interpretation of Julia's earlier actions as tough love. I guess this would later re-contextualize the fact that when Jason eventually does come out of his shell, it is while Julia isn't there to protect him and encourage him to front/mask/etc. It is nevertheless bittersweet that both Mme Crommelynck and Julia leave Jason, but Julia still visits, and Mme Crommelynck sends him a card at christmas.
I also agree with your point about Jason's obstacles contributing to his character development, and I would say that more broadly Jason completes the process of coming out of his shell only once he has withstood the fires of bullying, knowing the worst it can get and facing it, instead of letting his abstract dread control him.
As a vaguely British affiliated person. do you think Jason seems appropriately British? I feel like the book is pretty British (slang, starts off as middle class family with housewife married to man who works in the London metropolitan area, strong opinions on Thatcher, nature you can just walk to) but it lacks soccer/football. There should be more people talking about Arsenal and Man United.
If my recollection is correct (I'm not going to thumb through the book right now looking for these references), Jason does wear a Liverpool jersey (Eva makes fun of him for all the sponsorship logos), and he notes that Dean's family have always supported Birmingham, even though they always lose. He also refers to the "footy field" that he passes on his walk in "Bridle Path," remembering fondly the endless games with kids of all ages and no one keeping score. (Also doesn't a socceer ball/football get kicked into Mr. Blake's yard, which is why they're so mad at him because he doesn't give it back?) There are some references to English football in this book, but maybe not as many as in actual England.
DeleteThe thing that seems most "British" when I read is the references to the strange varieties of soda available in the UK, with confusing names like "Irn-Bru." In _Sag Harbor_ I get most of the references to American fast food and TV dinners and movies and TV shows, but David Mitchell is constantly referring to snacks and food and drink items at dinner that sound like they're from another planet.
Hey Elliot, really interesting blog topic! While I do agree that Madame Crommelynck is placed in the book to get Jason to open up and accept himself, I think Julia's role is not as clear cut as "a primary antagonist for Jason." There certainly is a level of tension between Jason and Julia early on in the book (which is a common symptom of being siblings), but as the book progresses so does the relationship they share. I would argue that Julia takes up a role not contrary to that of Madame Crommelynck. For example, near the end of the book we see Julia encouraging "Eliot Bolivar" to continue writing poems, with the clear implication she knows that is Jason's alias. Generally, Julia becomes someone who isn't just a tough and annoying character, but one of Jason's best friend. Nice blog!
ReplyDeleteHi Elliot! I love that you also wrote about Julia's character, and talked on many points that I just didn't get to. I like the contrast that you note from start to finish, proposing the idea that Julia assisted in Jason's eventual coming-of-age.
ReplyDeleteHi Elliot. I think the sibling relationship between them is a classic older sister and younger brother one. I think she says some stuff just to pick on him, but doesn't really mean anything to upset him. I think Crommelynck becomes a mentor or at least someone Jason can reply on. Nice work!
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