Black Swan Green
Looking back on this book that we've all finished, I can say that there is a very specific scene that hung in my mind long after we had finished reading, and that's the scene with the wallet. One question kept showing up like John Quiñones in a midwestern café; what would you do?
When we first read it, I think we all had a similar reaction; okay fine he gave the wallet back and that's fair enough, but maybe we'd like to see some cliché justice done here, especially since the opportunity was so perfect. I thought about it afterwards and while I still agree with that, I'm not sure that Jason being Jason had any other choice in that moment.
We know that Jason isn't a bad kid. I mean that in every possible sense. I think he's generally well behaved, I think he has a working moral compass, I think he has a lot of depth as an individual. While the bullying (I hesitate to even call it bullying that stuff seemed like abuse to me) was truly relentless, I feel he would have set it aside and almost forgotten it (?) in the face of seeing someone so much in distress. I may have read him wrong but he just seems like that kind of person to me. It doesn't seem like character development either, I feel he would have done just the same in the beginning. I think he's someone who's very guilt prone and the knowledge that he was responsible would have eaten away at him. Again, he just seems like an upright and kind person to me, even if he is just a kid. Even if his initial instinct is to keep it, I don't think that necessarily counters the part of his character that gave back the wallet when he found out it would cause Russ a lot more trouble than any other lost wallet would. For the record I'm not sure if keeping the wallet once he knew the kind of trouble Russ would get into was that immoral either, that could be read either way.
Back to the original question regarding what I would do in a similar situation, I have to say I haven't the slightest clue, It isn't a situation I've ever been in and it's virtually impossible to gage without the lived experience. Generally speaking however, I think I would have done something similar to Jason, if just for the fact that it's difficult to see people suffer and knowing that it's because of you.
I think you're absolutely right that if Jason had held on to the wallet, and Ross's dad would have beat him as a kind of "outsourcing" of Jason fighting back against his bully, it would have made Jason feel even worse than he feels in the "Disco" chapter. The class as a whole was generally willing to let Jason off the hook for his sense of responsibility for the motorcycle accident--and he does acknowledge that a number of people ultimately share the blame. But he insists that he is a key player in the chain of events, and his conscience continues to bother him in the second "January Man." Imagine how much worse he would feel if Ross had come to school on Monday with a black eye and other wounds, and still NO ONE knew that Jason had anything to do with it. Holding onto the wallet would feel like power--"I made it happen!"--but once the initial glow wears off, Jason would torture himself with guilt. And I have to say, I admire him for his strong moral intelligence, even if I have to admit that my own cowardly 13-y.o. self might have held on to the wallet, spent all the money, and never thought twice about it. (But then, maybe I would have thought about it and been bothered, but I'm pretty sure it wouldn't have occurred to me to take responsibility until after the fact--Jason thinks through the chain of consequences at the time, and it informs his decision to do the right thing.)
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, I laughed when I saw you mentioned John Quiñones! Also, I think that's a tricky question. In all honesty Ross is a total jerk. I mean I wouldn't call him inherently evil, I'm sure there are reasons why he is so jerky, but those reasons do. not justify his behavior. Especially if I was that age, and Ross was win my class and not a character on a page, I would find it harder to sympathize with him. I would definitely have the urge to take the wallet out of anger. If I was as young/naive/angry as Jason, I might have even taken a dollar or two lol. But anyways, I think I would give it back in the end, especially after hearing the consequences my actions would have. I think it was very mature of Jason to return the wallet without expecting anything. This moment reflected growth in his character.
ReplyDeleteHaha John Quiñones! You're right-- Jason is definitely the type of person that's willing to give up something if it means helping someone else in any sort of way. His selflessness coupled with his overthinking would've probably led to something disastrous if he had kept the wallet, so it makes sense that he gave it back to Ross in the end. If I was in Jason's situation and had just been treated the way he did, I agree with Ariana that I would probably steal a bit of money then return the wallet (haha). Great blog post!
ReplyDeleteI agree that Jason is a good hearted kid and that he would probably return the wallet in the beginning of the book too. However, I do think there is some personal growth that can be seen here, especially in the way that he returns the wallet. In the beginning he would probably try to avoid handing it directly to Ross because he would be scared of what Ross would do to him, or he would return in hopes that Ross would like him better and accept him more in the social hierarchy. However, in this moment, Jason doesn't care about acceptance, social hierarchy, or what Ross would potentially do to him. Ross also doesn't give him any sort of thank you, and Jason didn't even care. Jason hands it directly back to Ross without thinking about any of the consequences that might occur.
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting how you don't view Jason's incident with the wallet as character development, but rather almost as a manifestation of his innate character, and I agree with that to some extent, although I don't know how much Jason himself knows about his character (if that makes any sense). That is, I don't know if Jason sees himself as kind, or just a normal kid, and whether giving the wallet back to Ross is something that Jason fully understands the impact of on himself.
ReplyDeleteI definitely think that Jason is a kind kid. I’m not sure if he’s fully aware of his good character; I think he more just feels that it’s the right thing to do to return the wallet and that anyone would do it. When I read the book, I really wanted Jason to return the wallet, and I think there was no question that he was going to. In my opinion, Jason did have some character development because, as you said, maybe at the beginning of the book he would have just set it aside and forgot about it. His decisive decision is what shows his growth for me.
ReplyDeleteI agree, Jason's basically just too good of a person to keep the wallet. The morality of the situation is gray but his reaction isn't, it's overwhelmingly good
ReplyDeleteI laughed out loud at "John Quinones in a midwestern cafe." I think that a lot of people tend to judge characters in books or movies etc for their decisions, but I'm not sure that the viewers would be able to make the same choices. Although the situation itself is a moral dilemma, I think I already knew what Jason would end up doing, and that he wouldn't enjoy watching anyone suffer- even Ross.
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