Jason's Struggle with Identity
In Black Swan Green by David Mitchell, Jason Taylor struggles to find his identity while going through the battles of fitting into societal expectations. Throughout the novel, Jason hides important parts of himself that he wishes to embrace, in order to avoid getting bullied. His fear of standing out led him to create a standard, less-authentic version of himself only to be granted approval by others. Jason's experiences reveal how, sometimes, our identity does not only reflect who we are, but also how others expect us to be.
One crucial component of Jason's true identity is his passion for poetry, but it is kept hidden. He hides behind the name “Eliot Bolivar” because he is afraid of being judged or seen as “weird” by his peers. While he sees poetry as a pastime and a way to express the thoughts that he cannot say outloud, he separates this passion from his public life and does not feel confident enough to reveal that aspect of his personality. This divide shows how Jason is stuck between two versions of himself: who he actually is deep inside, and who he chooses to present to others. Before Jason's conversation with Madame Crommelynck, Jason had never really thought about the two worlds that he was caught up in. It is only when she confronts him directly that he begins to realize the mask he has been hiding behind. “So you want a double life. One Jason Taylor who seeks approval of hairy barbarians. Another Jason Taylor is Eliot Bolivar, who seeks approval from the literary world" (Mitchell 154).
Jason Taylor keeps private and away from the public eye traits about himself that he wishes to openly embrace, as well as aspects of his identity that he is concerned he would be judged for. We see him putting in lots of effort to avoid speaking so that he doesn't struggle with his stammer. He will do anything possible to avoid getting stuck on certain words, even if that means changing what he wants to say or remaining silent. “The only way to outfox Hangman is to think one sentence ahead, and if you see a stammer-word coming up, alter your sentence so you won't need to use it” (Mitchell 27). By constantly monitoring what he says and does, Jason is showing how much control others’ opinions have on him. His fear of others’ judgment is so deep it controls how he speaks and represents himself everyday.
Jason's journey in Black Swan Green shows how difficult it can be to balance our true identities with the pressure to fit in. Throughout the novel, he is constantly focused on how he is being perceived and how he can fabricate parts of himself to match what others expect. While he had his temporary satisfaction of being accepted and liked by others, he realizes in the end that this version of himself was shaped by other people's validation and not his authenticity. He is able to accept the parts of himself that he once wanted to hide, and he realizes that growth is not about finally earning the approval of others, but it is about no longer depending on people to understand who he truly is.
Hi Salma! I really liked how you connected Jason's stammer to the bigger idea of him controlling how he's perceived, because it shows how his fear of judgment isn't just about poetry but leaks into every smaller part of his daily life. I also agree that his growth at the end isn't about being accepted but about not needing that acceptance anymore. I think that's what really makes his arc feel so real since most people don't suddenly become confident, they just stop caring as much about what others think. Great post!
ReplyDeleteHi Salma, I like how you connect Jason's identity to the idea of performance, especially with Eliot Bolivar showing how he separates his "real" self from the one he shows others. The Madame Cromelynck quote is a strong moment because it makes the split feel impossible to ignore. I also think your point about the stammer is effective it shows how deeply other's judgment control even smallest actions. I do think Jason takes into account a lot of people's judgement which efefcts his life quite a lot but also leads to his growth and coming of age.
ReplyDeleteHi Salma! I like how you depicted Jason as living a double life, essentially, and performing for the public by like filtering himself in person. I think it appeals to how Jason treats poetry and his public speaking issues, and it shows that his issues are smaller than he shows. Anyway, amazing post!
ReplyDelete"Our identity does not only reflect who we are, but also how others expect us to be" nails down an important insight at the core of this novel, and I like the way you connect Jason's awareness of "expectations" to Eva's advice in addition to his desperation to be accepted among the crowd at school. She views his poetry ALSO as an attempt to put forth a not-entirely-truthful version of himself to the "literary world"--we typically see his silly pseudonym as an effort to conceal his true nature, to not be associated with these poems in the parish newsletter, but she points out that his ART is also "false" if he's hiding his actual self from the work. It's not that he needs to "impress" the literary world with his talents--he HAS impressed Eva, to the point where she believes his work can withstand this critical scrutiny. But she insists that he has to do more than impress people with his talents (whether at cherry-knocking or poetry)--he has to be true to himself, to no longer "hide behind" his false name.
ReplyDeleteHi Salma! I think the theme of Elliot Bolivar is definitely a symbol of Jason's self-consciousness and unwillingness to prioritize his own self-expression over social self-preservation. It didn't occur to me that the version of Jason that was Elliot Bolivar, as you so well pointed out, was also looking for validation, just from a different audience. As the book goes on, he not only loses interest in appealing to other guys at his school but also from the literary world from his poems (shown by him shifting to prose and writing things just to help process and move on from shocking experiences).
ReplyDeleteHello Salma, I like how your blog shows the struggles to find Jason Taylors identity while going through the battles of fitting into societal expectations. Jason keeps a crucial component of his identity, his passion for poetry, hidden because he does not want to be judged or seen as "weird" by his peers. Jason also constantly monitors what he says and does which shows his fear of other's judgement controlling how he speaks and represents himself.
ReplyDeleteHey Salma, great post! I think Jason's stammer in contrast with his poetry is the most clear example of his inner vs outer world. It was beautiful to see him begin to fuse the two throughout the expanse of the novel. Jason is so imaginative and eloquent, but he often chooses to stifle this side of himself in fear of committing a social crime of sorts. This story is a great example of someone not only coming of age in modern practice but truly growing into themselves and their talent.
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