Jason's Character Development

The development of Jason throughout Black Swan Green is one of my favorite character developments I have seen out of all the coming of age novels we’ve read. Jason's story line really fits the definition that comes to my mind when I think of coming of age. Throughout the novel Jason transitions from insecure and searching for validation to confident and care-free ( carefree as it applies to Jason wanting to be accepted by his peers). 

You can really see this when you compare Jason's attitudes and actions from the beginning of the novel to the end of the novel. For example, take a look at page five of Black Swan Green when Jason's mother ask him why he doesn't want to wear his black parka and he tells us (the reader) that he doesn’t want to wear it because it would give off the appearance that he is cocky, too full of himself, or as Jason phrases it “fancies himself as a hard knock”. Jason is worried about how he may be perceived by how he dresses so much that he avoids wearing certain things. This points to Jason's insecurity very early on in the novel.

Jason insecurity and need for validation also shows itself on page 7, “ But this morning any kid who denied loving British Bulldogs’d’ve looked a total ponce. Specially kids from up Kingfisher Meadows like me.” In this quote Jason is implying that he is worried that not him not playing British Bulldogs would make him look bad in the eyes of his peers. This proves the idea that Jason was searching for validation from his peers and looking for some kind of approval. 

Comparing this to the end of the novel Jason has made huge character developments. This is shown very well by Jason's actions in Disco when Jason breaks the calculator and exposes his bullies. By standing up to the people who Jason was previously trying to gain acceptance from Jason proved that he was no longer concerned about being validated by his peers which shows lots of character development. 

All in all I found Jason’s character development throughout the story very interesting and fascinating to watch and I hope you did too.


Comments

  1. Tessa !April 23, 2023 at 10:47 AM

    I agree that Jason is the literal definition of coming of age in Black Swan Green. We really see him grow up/mature through the story in the way he treats and thinks about the people and world around him. I think the end of the book leaves Jason in an interesting position; he's going to be in a brand new place with similar but different social norms/expectations. As readers we get to decide whether he brings everything he has learned with him.

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  2. NathanielApril 23, 2023 at 7:51 PM

    Jason really does mature over the course of events in Black Swan Green. He goes from worrying about what everyone else will think of him to simply not caring. He doesn't just learn to navigate his way through his life, he learns to take the reigns and let the consequences go to winds, like when he breaks Neal Bross's calculator in Disco. He's almost an entirely different character, yet he's arguably better than January Man (1) Jason.

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  3. HermogenesApril 23, 2023 at 8:36 PM

    Jason's eventual rejection of social pressures reflects one of the aspects of his growth that I admire the most. For a thirteen year old, the view of others is intimidating and maturing enough to realize that they don't matter says a lot about his personal development. I think that Jason standing up to the individuals who previously repressed him shows his courage in facing all that he has suffered thus far and signifies that he is a very different person than who he was previously.

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  4. Grace W-KApril 23, 2023 at 9:09 PM

    I think Jason's coming-of-age story was also my favorite out of all the books we have read so far :) His was the most satisfying, especially because his transformation seems more "definitive" in a way compared to the others. Unlike Catcher in the Rye where we're not sure if Holden will indeed apply himself, or in Bell Jar, where Esther stills feels the bell jar suspended above her, it is clear in Black Swan Green that Jason has stood up for himself in a way that had not seemed as possible in the beginning.

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  5. TeoApril 23, 2023 at 10:31 PM

    Jason's coming-of-age was really great to follow and also came at a great time for him. I think with his improved ability to care less about what other people think about him, he has a good chance to be a lot more successful at whatever new school he will be attending. Great post.

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  6. ArjunApril 24, 2023 at 5:33 AM

    I agree a lot with your assessment that this was the best example of a coming-of-age story so far in this class. I think we got the most definitive answers about Jason's development, whereas Catcher in the Rye sort of made me worried since I didn't know if Holden would really change for the better after the events of the book.

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  7. Walter KraatzApril 24, 2023 at 11:22 AM

    The coming-of-age narrative in this novel has a much clearer end point than lots of the other books we've read in that he's started as a child in Black Swan Green and soon after the events in "disco" Jason moves away and wraps up the narrative.

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  8. Charlie HechlerMay 1, 2023 at 11:55 AM

    I completely agree that Jason had a very textbook coming of age through the novel. He improved in almost every way, and feels secure by the end of the novel. Compared to the other novels we have read this semester where the protagonists seem lost and their changes aren't necessarily clear to be for the better. Great post!

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