A Swan in Black Swan Green
At the end of Black Swan Green, Jason sees a swan despite his claim throughout the book that “Black Swan Green hasn’t got any swans. That’s the village joke.” Swans have long been a symbol of transformation, a classic example of this is the story of the ugly duckling. Jason’s coming of age is tied in with the idea of the swan and more specifically that his coming of age was inevitable.
Firstly, the swan in literature has a relation to transformation. Jason has completed his own transformation at the end of the book, he has come of age as it were. Throughout the year, he has put up with immense bullying and has changed and become a different person than he was at the beginning of the book. He sees the swan in the exact same place that the book began a year ago, on the frozen lake in the woods. This all goes to signify the internal change that has occurred and that Jason has grown up, becoming a beautiful swan himself.
The Goose fair is a moment that defines his coming of age. He has the decision to give back the wallet or keep it. This is somewhat of a stretch but baby swans and goslings look very similar. If Jason had not made the decision to give the wallet back to Wilcox then his transformation may have been into a goose. Jason shows that be has become a better person and solidifies his transformation into a swan.
He also comes of age in a town that has swan in the name (I did a brief Google search for any towns in the UK called Black Swan Green and I didn’t find anything so I think the town name is probably significant.) It is interesting that Jason repeatedly believes that there are no swans in the town. He has said it so many times that there must be something that David Mitchell wants the reader to take away. The idea that there are no swans is consistent with the Black Swan Theory. In Europe it was said that there was no such thing as a black swan but the saying’s meaning changed after black swans were encountered. So too does the idea that there are no swans in Black Swan Green. I think Jason believed he could not grow up or change in the town. He constantly subjugated to torment but when he actually does change the idea that you can’t grow as a person there is changed entirely. His growth was inevitable looking back through the events but it was not completely obvious as we read the book.
The idea of the swan is significant in the book because it represents Jason’s coming of age. The fact that he sees the animal at the end of the book lets the reader know that he made it, he has grown as a person. Similarly, the town name represents the idea that Jason’s transformation was both unexpected but also inevitable given the circumstances he was put in.
I really like your idea that seeing the swan represents how Jason's expectations about his abilities and what was possible in Black Swan Green were not true. This definitely seems like something that plays a big role especially in the end few chapters where he does so many things that contradict what he had thought earlier in the book. You also mention lots of connections to what the swan could mean that I would never have thought of which are really cool.
ReplyDeleteI don't know how I never realized the swan was a symbol of growth/coming of age. Your connection with the goose fair is also really interesting, though I agree that it is a stretch. I wonder if there are any other references to swans in this book. Additionally, while this connection means nothing, Cherry Hills (my neighborhood) also has no cherries or hills.
ReplyDeleteI really like how you pointed out that in a way, Jason hinders his own growth throughout the book. By believing that he is incapable of changing or that he is destined to be bullied, Jason sets some clear boundaries for himself that were hard to break free from. Even when Jason finally realizes that he has changed, he has to have that moment of self-reflection where he thinks about how the events of the book have made him who he is. It's interesting to think about whether or not this personal hindrance was part of his journey. If his growth was inevitable, maybe he had to doubt himself in order to reach his final destination.
ReplyDeleteThe last line of your post is excellent. Jason's coming of age was inevitable in a way: he was in the process of meeting people on his path that would help open his eyes to how he was living his life. I also love that you mentioned how he sees the swan in the same place the book begins; it's like it's both a landmark for his emotional maturity, and a reminder of how far he's come in such a short time.
ReplyDeleteI like using the symbol of the swan for Jason's coming of age. I didn't know that it was used in that way, and it's interesting to think that everything had to play out like it did for his transformation to a swan. I liked your connections to the black swan and Jason' doubt of himself, I think it fits very well.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if the swan at the end might hint that Jason is making a change on Black Swan Green itself. He's starting to create his own definition of "cool" already, so he might be the one to end the cycle of bullying and stuff in his schools for example, as I think I even remember his teachers saying they remembered when they had the exact same groups of bullies when they went to school there.
ReplyDeleteI like the connection you made between a swan and his coming-of-age, as Jason grows into a beautiful swan as he comes of age. Also, relating to your Goose Fair idea, I think it's a really interesting take as I can definitely see the similarity between baby geese and baby swans. If Jason hadn't made the decision he did, would he have turned into an ugly goose?
ReplyDeleteNice Blogpost! I hadn't thought about this comparison and other layer to the story. I find it really interesting to think about Jason's transformation from an "ugly" duckling to beautiful swan. Jason constantly compares himself to others but by the end of the book is more confidant. I enjoyed reading your post!
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