Black Swan Green’s Jason Taylor is
the type of person I’d like to be friends with. He has a good moral compass. Moreover,
he’s street smart, witty, and caring.
Back when he had the chance to
raise his social status by joining the spooks, he still decided to give that
security up and go back for Dean Moran thinking, “If I’d fallen through Mr. Blake’s greenhouse and not Moran, Moran
wouldn’t be abandoning me to that psycho” (140). The benefits of having a tough
group of boys to back you up is extremely enticing, but Jason still feels he
should go back to his (socially low) friend Moran. This show of loyalty on
Jason’s part is heart-warming. Wouldn’t you want a friend who’d give up their
own social-safety just to make sure you’re okay?
Throughout the entire chapter of “Maggot,”
he knows that the bullies just want a fun reaction from him. One example was
when people put stickers with the word “maggot” all over his jacket, Jason
Taylor knew what they wanted to see was him, in tears, running from the
cafeteria (205). He knows himself that he cares too much about fitting in. Taylor
isn’t a smarmy bastard like Neal Brose or Hugo, but he isn’t a coward either.
When Ross Wilcox confronted him outside, Taylor shot back “your breath smells
really bad, Ross” (215).
At the fair, when Ant Little and
Darren Croome walk up and tease them about going to the fair with Dean Moran’s
little sister, Jason doesn’t back down: “Yeah. We are. What the fuck is it to you?” (245). Unlike before
(e.g. tying a string to the doorknob), he’s badass for the right reasons:
standing up for himself and his friend Moran. He gained a lot of
self-confidence throughout the book, but doesn’t lose his morals. He could’ve stolen the wallet, and he could’ve kept quiet about the whole
bullying situation. However, Jason cares too much. While he might find it as a
flaw, I think it’s one the many strengths that make him such a lovable
character.
Since I'm reading Black Swan Green and have access to all of Jason's inner monologues and secrets, I've always sympathized with him and wanted to be friends with him. However, if I were placed in the world of Black Swan Green I'm not sure if I would react the same way. At the beginning of Black Swan Green, Jason seems hyperaware of the social hierarchy and was a bystander to bullying as long as he wasn't the one bullied. He called Dean "Moron" when the other kids were around as well. However, by the end of the story, I think I would've have liked Dean more. He really grew and decided that he wouldn't let his bullies define him and he would stand up for himself and his real friends.
ReplyDeleteRoss's bullying may have taught Jason the value of his core friend group. When he was being bullied, I'm sure he hoped a friend would back him up. With that, Jason became closer to Dean and Holly as he recognized the value they bring to him. The "badass" Jason isn't uncaring; he only cares about what his friends think and doesn't give a toss about anyone else.
ReplyDeleteGood point. Honestly, the Jason we see at the very beginning of the book isn't just very timid; he's kind of boring. He obsesses over social hierarchy and being perfectly cookie-cutter, and that's a very teen thing to do but it doesn't make him a fun person. I loved seeing him start to come in to his own by the end.
ReplyDeleteI really loved watching Jason mature throughout Black Swan Green, going from being hyperaware of the social hierarchies to really not caring what people think of him. You can see this in how he goes from calling Dean "moron" to calling him his "best mate". It's hard to imagine first chapter Jason ever having the confidence to talk back to one of the "hairy barbarians", let alone smash their calculator into pieces.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree that I like the change Jason has taken to become more of a badass, especially since he does it in a good way. He is more confident in himself and his morals; he is able to be kind towards people he cares about like Dean, and be a badass towards those he doesn't such as Ross and Neal.
ReplyDeleteI think it's really telling how willing Jason is to give up the power available to him through the Spooks in order to save Dean. When we see Jason's first days with the Spooks, he really enjoys being cool and feels like he belongs to some degree. I would consider that sacrifice to be a great character trait.
ReplyDeleteThe scene in which he doesn't give a toss to the second-year while in detention for breaking the calculator is another really telling scene of Jason's change of attitude toward the social realm he lives in. As readers we were really able to see his self discovery of his moral compass, deciding what he should and will really value in his life -- the people that value him back, like Dean Moran. I reread a few parts of chapter one, where he calls him Moron, and the stark contrasts make me proud of who Jason has become.
ReplyDeleteYeah Jason definitely got more confident, and sometimes confidence can make all the difference especially with bullies. I agree that jason is a very empathetic person which allows him to care about other people and their pain. I struggle to define what "good" really means, especially when it comes to a person.
ReplyDelete