In Black Swan Green, Julia is sort of this quiet but powerful influence surrounding Jason's life. While she isn't always at the center of the narrative, her overall presence makes Jason more thoughtful and understanding. I really enjoyed her as a character, especially with how compelling she is. Julia is always actively "good" in the sense that she challenges, questions, and is ultimately able to reshape the way Jason sees things.
At the beginning of the book, Julia is noted to feel different from others. Julia comes across as more open-minded and intellectually curious, while many characters, especially those of Jason's age, abide more to social expectations. In the chapter Relatives, this becomes clearer, especially when she talks with her uncle about colleges. Julia is unwavering in wanting to go to Edinburgh. When Uncle Brian mentioned the possibility of not wanting to go down the Oxbridge path, Julia shut him down by saying, "'Don’t worry, Aunt Alice.' Julia smiled. 'Uncle Brian knows I’d rather be involved in a multiple
car crash than discuss my private life with him. I intend to study law in Edinburgh, and all the Brian
Lambs of tomorrow will have to do their networking without me.'" This whole conversation just shows how Julia is really confident in who she is and what she wants, even when people make fun of her for it. Additionally, her added humor and the way she shuts down her uncle show that she isn't intimidated by adults' opinions, which is pretty different from how most kids in the novel act.
By the end of the book, Julia has taken on more of a guiding role in Jason's development. You can really see her impact on him by the end, as Jason 'comes of age' in the sense that he is more reflective, aware, and more willing to question both himself and society around him.
Ultimately, Julia, though one character out of many, is probably one of the most vital characters to Jason's growth in Black Swan Green. Jason certainly comes off with more conservative, childish (because he is a child) ideas that Julia challenges, making him a better person. I honestly just really enjoyed her presence as a whole in this book because of her down-to-earth principles.
Agreed! I'd also note that at the start of the book, Julia calls Jason "thing" but slowly as she comes of age herself, heading off to college, she calls him "Jason". It shows how she herself is going through her own growths that almost parallel and support Jason's.
ReplyDeleteHi! I appreciate that you focused this post on Julia because she takes on a very influential role in Jason's life. Throughout the book their bond not only grows vastly deeper, but Jason notably admires her opinions and talents. Importantly, at the end of the book when Julia brings up Jason's poems he doesn't hide them or deny his identity, but simply accepts that she knows the truth revealing the significance and speciality of their relationship. Great post!
ReplyDeleteHi Lucas
ReplyDelete*Looks around like I'm staring at paintings on the walls* nice blog theme!
I like your emphasis on how Julia knows what she wants, who she is, and is willing to stand up for herself. It seems like she took after her Mum in this respect, whereas Jason took after Dad. I feel like Jason and Julia's bond is closest during May when they are both withstanding parental warfare, but that once Julia moves they become more distant again
I agree, Jason admires the way Julia stands up for herself, which can be seen in relatives. He mentions that he wishes he would do the same. Also, she does challenge his views, such as in politics, where Jason believes and trusts the government. She also acts as a supportive sister when she talks to Jason to comfort him after her parents fight in front of them.
ReplyDeleteHello! I also agree Julia is a huge part of Jason's growth even though she's not always in the center of the story. I liked your point about how she's confident in what she wants even when her uncle tries to push back on her, because you can tell Jason really admires that about her even if he doesn't say it directly. It's also kind of sweet how by the end he doesn't hide his poems from her anymore. Great post!
ReplyDeleteHi Lucas! Julia’s character is definitely compelling. I, too, like that she confidently stands up for herself, refusing to let Uncle Brian intimidate her with his criticism about choosing Edinburgh over the traditional Oxbridge college path. I think that Julia’s self-assurance might have helped Jason realize that he does not have to conform to the “popular” kids’ stupid social expectations. Julia also subtly encourages Jason to continue poetry in the last scene of the book, showing that she supports his “unpopular” passion. Good blog post!
ReplyDeleteI think you're nailing precisely what makes Jason envy Julia so strongly--her utter confidence, and in particular how this confidence is reflected in her use of language (her entire discourse with Uncle Brian is a great example, but we see her doing this same thing with her father, too). Of course, this also makes her very intimidating to Jason, as he knows he can't possibly keep up with her (and early on, he sees something morally dubious in her verbal power, associating her "lawyer"-like tendencies with her as a "liar"). When Julia makes her point about the value of personal space in "Hangman," pushing in to get a glimpse of Jason's poem-in-progress to teach him a lesson about eavesdropping, he clearly feels intimidated and unable to verbally spar with her. But this dynamic evolves remarkably over the course of the novel, to the point where Jason is quite comfortable talking openly with her by the end.
ReplyDeleteIn my thinking about this novel, Julia always looms a lot larger than her actual presence in the text suggests--as you note, she doesn't actually speak all that often in the book, but when she does say something, she makes it count. And she gets the "last word," giving Jason the crucial but ambivalent advice that "it is not the end" when this chapter of his life is coming to an end. Like a good mentor, she is there at just the right times, with just the right words.
Hi Lucas, great blog you got there. Julia was definitely my favorite character in Black Swan Green especially in the chapter "relatives" where she had some sick comebacks against Hugo's parents. That was definitely one of my favorite moments in the book. In addition to that, I also really liked seeing the dynamic between Julia and Jason slowly change and shift through out the course of the novel.
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