Jason's Silence as a Strength
In Black Swan Green, David Mitchell's character, Jason, has a stammer, which makes everyday conversations stressful and sometimes a challenge. At the start of the book, it seems like it just holds him back, makes him bite his tongue. But the more you pay attention, the more you realize it makes him way more aware of everything around him.
Because of his stammer, Jason can’t just say whatever comes to mind. He has to think ahead and avoid certain words (by reading the dictionary), and sometimes stay quiet even when he has something to say. While other people talk without thinking, Jason is always thinking before every word. That makes him a lot more careful with language. Because he spends more time being quiet or taking the time to think ahead, he sees other people in a different light.
Since he doesn’t talk as much, he ends up watching more. He notices things other people don’t, like who has power in social situations, who gets ignored, and how people act differently depending on who they’re around. He understands how social groups work because he’s kind of on the outside looking in. And that gives him a clearer view than the people who are in the middle of it.
Another big thing is the difference between his inner voice and his outer voice. In his head, Jason is completely fluent. He knows exactly what he wants to say, and a lot of the time, he’s actually really thoughtful. But on the outside, he struggles to get those thoughts out. That gap makes him really aware of himself, which is why he is so insecure around people.
On top of that, Jason is constantly aware of embarrassment. Every time he speaks, there’s a risk of messing up and getting judged for it. Because of that, he reads situations really carefully. He’s always trying to figure out what could go wrong and how people might react.
Jason's stammer definitely makes things harder for him. But it also makes him more aware of language, of people, and of himself. And he notices a lot of things that most people would completely miss.
Jason's growth throughout the book wasn't just the big dramatic moments, but also the small moments, that he may have not seem present in, but was just paying attention.
Hi Emma! You give a lot of great examples of the ways that Jason's stutter, which he views strictly as a hindrance, can also be a strength. The fact that his stutter makes him read the dictionary, which, in turn, improves his poems, really stands out to me. Although he struggles to fully express himself verbally, he is able to more clearly and accurately articulate his thoughts on paper. Great blog!
ReplyDeleteHi emma! I think it's very interesting how you interpreted Jason's stammer as strength, especially since Jason will most likely claim it as one of his biggest weaknesses. Yet, I agree with you that all the drag stammer brings to Jason really prompts him to grow in all different directions. I think beyond all the technical skills he learned through trying to avoid stammer (like more vocab), he really learns to stand under pressure as grapple with difficult social predicaments. Overall, great blog!!
ReplyDeleteThis is a very insightful take on the implications of Jason's speech impediment. We talked a bit about how it serves to strengthen his mind in various ways--the mental dexterity to edit his sentences in real time, scanning for stammer-words and replacing them with synonyms that are neither too fancy OR too dumb-sounding, all without anyone noticing. But you're making an important connection to the ways in which his failure or inability to "keep up" in conversation actually makes him more thoughtful, reflective, and most of all *observant*. We might add that this observant quality makes him an excellent narrator: he seems more aware of the unspoken rules and hierarchies in the boy culture around Black Swan Green than Dean is, for example. We never see anyone else allude to the nickname thing, or to what "rank" different kids are. And I'd say we see Jason's observational skills on display in "Relatives," where he speaks very little at the table, but his narration is full of subtle and critical and astute observations of others. The self-editing that seems so unfortunate and even tragic at times ends up making him a better poet (where choosing words carefully matters a lot!), but you're pointing out that it also makes him a better narrator of fiction, too. And that role brings a kind of immediacy and truthfulness that, according to Eva, we don't necessarily see in his poetry.
ReplyDeleteHello Emma! Awesome blog!
ReplyDeleteI think it is really interesting how you frame Jason's stammer as a strength more than a weakness. Not only is he able to be more observant, thinking before he speaks, but he also is able to learn who he is with his stammer. I'm thinking specifically of the scene where he is talking to the older woman about how he stammers more when he feels the expectations of other people. Both his observance of others and his coming to know himself represent the growing and coming-of-age arch in the novel.
Hi Emma!
ReplyDeleteI think it is a really interesting idea to look at how Jason's stammer allows him to be more observant of social mechanics and aware of his own actions. I think its also interesting that his observantness allows him to to be a better narrator, and also a better poet, both which we kind of get to see and allow us to better enjoy this book. Great job!
Hi Emma! I completely agree with you. I think people need to start paying more attention to the social life around them. nice work!
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