A large part of the last two novels in this class, Black Swan Green and Sag Harbor, have dealt with self editing, changing some part of yourself for various reasons. For Jason and Benji, this editing serves a clear purpose: to fit in with their peers (very important). While I'd also make a comparison between Ester and Alison, their editing is slightly different. And obviously Holden does not make many attempts to hide his true self from anyone he encounters, much less the people he goes to school with (unless he's lying about who he is, which is a whole other issue). I an argument could certainly be made for all of them, but for this relatively short blog post I'll just compare Jason and Benji, who have the most in common in terms of time period and situation.
Jason starts out Black Swan Green as a version of himself that the reader quickly learns is extremely distorted from the truth. While he worries about his interests (for example, taking down the middle earth poster when Hugo visits), he's most worried about his stutter in the early chapters. Jason is acutely aware of what other people say about his stutter, almost like everyone he knows is gathering evidence to convict him of having a stutter. It's clear that it takes a lot of mental energy to keep himself from "slipping up." As the book goes on, he learns to stop worrying what the other kids in his grade think after he becomes very unpopular and his stutter is "exposed." Looking back, I really wish there was a way for Jason to learn this lesson without the pain caused to him by his classmates. At the end of the book, the end result is the same, with Jason moving forward knowing more about himself and his place in the world.
Benji exhibits many of the same behaviors Jason does in front of his friends. He brings up his late obsession with D&D, comic books, and other things he deems "off trend." For Benji, leaving these interests behind is difficult be necessary and he purges anything uncool periodically. He never wants to be "behind" as he so often used to, to miss the moment when things transition from "in" to "out." This uncertainty is most clear when the Benji describes the figurative "cool kids newspaper" that never gets delivered to his house. So far in the novel, I haven't seen any attempts to stop self editing, however the author slips in references to some nerdy things as the book progresses, so there may be hope for Benji yet.
Such an interesting topic and a really great blog post. The idea of changing yourself in order to fit in or be popular is arguably the most common coming of age trope out there, so I'm glad you found and pointed out the similarities and differences in methodology in the two most prominent examples we've seen this year. Watching characters progress through their relationship with their genuine interests and their social standings is one of the best gauges to see if they've truly come of age.
ReplyDeleteThis is really interesting, and I've definitely realized that Jason and Benji are a lot more similar than I initially thought. Though Jason's self editing habits might be more "obvious" (especially because of Hangman), Benji certainly tries to adapt himself and go along with what's cool or trendy. I think this is especially emphasized by the fact that Reggie is "cooler" than Benji is, which causes Benji to panic and feel the need to self edit even more.
ReplyDeleteThere is a somewhat optimistic aspect to some of Benji's "self-editing," at least at the end of the novel, as he anticipates curating his "new look" within the bounds of his school uniform for next year: combat boots! It might seem like a small thing, but with Reggie at the start of the novel we see something of the social importance of footwear, and Benji's idea that he can distinguish himself at school by being the kid who wears combat boots with his uniform might be a significant way to "edit" his presentation to the world in a way that feels right and expresses something real about himself. (The novel ends up being ambivalent about the worth of such optimism, with that ironic final line about "how the mind works"--but we do see some potential for him to "edit" his self-presentation in a way that feels real and expressive of his identity and not curated to fits others' values, like Jason removing his wooly hat 'cause it's "gay".)
ReplyDeleteI agree, the problems that Benji and Jason face are very similar and relatable to what many other teenagers face. The problems of wanting to fit in, to be cool, and to not be left out because they are different are problems that almost every person faces in their adolescent years. It is very interesting to realize that being different has been imprinted into many kids' and teenagers' minds as being bad. I think one of the main reasons is their fear of being left alone as no one wants to go through life independently without anyone else to lean onto. People just don't realize that you don't have to be liked by everybody in order to have friends that you can lean on.
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