The Relatability of Being an Outsider
One of the most formative experiences for Jason in Black Swan Green seems to be the conflict between the citizens of the town and the Romani people. Stuck in a position where he has ties to both sides, he develops a more mature understanding of the situation than any adult around him seems to have. What stands out to me is the theme of “othering” or alienating others, which Jason seems to grasp very quickly–maybe because he himself is treated as an outsider for much of the novel.
A constant fear of Jason’s in his own environment is that he will be considered an outcast for his stammer. That isolation is reminiscent of the town’s treatment of Romani people, and for that reason it seems to strike a chord in him. Because he is constantly judged, mistreated, and misunderstood for something he can’t control, he becomes more aware of how unfair it is to define a group by a single trait or a single thing they lack. In his stencil metaphor, Jason describes how groups define themselves not through their own values, but instead through excluding groups that are supposedly different. The Romani people and Jason’s stammer both play a part in structuring the communities that shun them: they are the stencil outline that defines everyone else’s shape. This realization helps him realize that alienation is less about any inherent distinctions between people and more about drawing superficial boundaries between “us” and “them.”
It is interesting to consider the complexity of Jason’s feelings on the matter, however. Is he expressing empathy for the Romani people and their alienation, or is he simply identifying a pattern between the town’s behavior and his bullies’ behavior? Though he does cite the stencil metaphor when listening to what the townspeople think of the Romani people, he also cites it when listening to the Romani people discuss townspeople. So, is his compassion and understanding simply rooted in a sense of common suffering, or are his feelings more complex?
Jason is able to stumble across a very astute observation about group identity and exclusion, and whether that’s because he comes from a unique and relatable standpoint or because he has an elevated sense of empathy (or both), it’s unsure. However, he does get across the fact that life and situations like this are very complicated, but at its core identity should be a matter of who you are, not who you aren’t. Now that I say it, it sounds pretty clichéd, but you get the idea.
Hi! I think that Jason did start thinking about this complexly, in part thanks to Julia in Rocks (and the ability to critically think). Also, I agree that his relating to the situation helped, and that his clear distaste for the social norms of bullying parallel with an implied distaste in the anti-romani sentiments.
ReplyDeleteDo you think that Julia might have influenced his thoughts on this? Do you think he would have thought the same were he not bullied?
ReplyDeleteGreat Blog, KRUTHI! I agree. Jason is an astute lad. The nuance of whether Jason sympathizes with the Romani people because of his bullying or simply sympathizes with both sides, as a listening role, is something that strikes my curiosity. He's certainly great at soaking up people's perspectives like a sponge. But he's also great at squeezing that water out, when he realizes it's actually spoiled milk. And he often doesn't tell us directly what he's thinking. So who knows?! Wondiferous job.
ReplyDeleteThere is definitely a distinct "both sides" kind of implication to Jason's stencil metaphor, underscored by his direct repetition of the language of the metaphor in both contexts. We might say that the majority bigotry displayed by the villagers is "worse" than the Romani perception that the villagers' habits are equally "gross," but I'd say the point is more that Jason is intuiting this tendency that people in general have to define themselves by an "out" group. ANYONE might look "gross" when held to the standards of another culture (we never think of keeping kitchen trash in the house as a barbaric habit until someone points it out, and then we're like, "yeah, that IS kind of gross now that I think about it!")--and you're right, I think, that Jason has some experience with these dynamics himself. Ross Wilcox is essentially using Jason as a "maggot stencil" in order to publicly define himself as "not-Maggot." Whatever cluster of bad qualities "Maggot" is intended to signify within this community, we can see Ross declaring himself "non-Maggot" in every way he can. It's depressingly easy to come up with analogous examples in the annals of youth culture and bullying. I would cite Holly Deblin's excellently framed advice about whom Jason allows to define him in these same terms: when she reminds him he's "not a maggot," she's helping him see that by assuming this identity himself, he is allowing them to define him by what they are not, to use "Maggotness" as a "stencil" to outline their own shape. And somehow, that ends up making Jason more and more resemble the "maggot" they insist they are not.
ReplyDeleteHi Kruthi, I thought this was a fascinating take! I hadn't thought about Jason perhaps sympathizing with the Romani due to a shared "outsider status" before, however that's a reasonable interpretation. In addition, I feel like Jason is particularly astute when it comes to identifying social patterns throughout various aspects of his life such as the dynamics between his classmates, his father's deference to his uncle, and this chapter with the Romani people. Overall great blog!
ReplyDeleteHi Kruthi! You make a very good point that his own outsider status in town makes him relate more quickly to the Romani people, who are also outsiders. I think part of the reason he is able to think about the stencil metaphor for both groups is because he is an outsider in both groups---a social outcast in town and a townsperson, a spy, among Romani people. It's a lot easier to have a critical eye on something when you aren't part of the group you're criticizing---which in a way, is kind of the very thing he criticizes with his stencil metaphor. I also think the conflict between his parents in their views on Romani people helps him think about them from a more neutral standpoint. He seems to be thinking somewhat more critically about his father's decisions and viewpoints, as this point is after his dad's bootlicking in "Souvenirs." With his parents disagreeing, he might be more open to different perspectives.
ReplyDeleteHi Kruthi! As a fellow outsider loner loser geek nerd myself, I thought it was interesting the way Holden reacted to the Romani people. He didn't seem to particularly fit in with either them or the townspeople, but talking to the Romani people made him realize the bias that both groups had. However, I also think that he slightly misrepresented the issue by centering it as a "both sides are equally as guilty" argument, when the Romani people are obviously retaliating to oppression as well when they talk about the townspeople. Great blog!
ReplyDeleteHi Kruthi! I agree with you. Jason not only relates to the Romani people, but he understands how groups exclude others to define themselves. Great work!
ReplyDeleteHi Kruthi!
ReplyDeleteI totally agree that sometimes "belonging" is just like the saying, "if you think you can or you think you can't, you're right." I think Jason is definitely his worst critic in this sense and underestimates his own reputation. BUT, he also is singled out and bullied by Ross for his stutter and isn't considered conventionally cool (except at the end of the novel, I guess). I agree with the point I think you're making, that him being isolated or at least feeling isolated actually makes him a more empathetic and aware person esp when it comes to the Romani people.
Hey Kruthi, great post! I think that the idea you're getting at is very central to the novel, and is very important and applicable to life despite its being a cliché. The idea that identity is something to be celebrated and formed rather than something to be used as a way of separating society, is one that seems intuitive but is nonetheless one that many people struggle to uphold and understand. Great job!
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