Jason Going Solo
David Mitchell’s Black Swan Green follows thirteen-year old Jason Taylor through 13 months of his adolescence, but beneath the surface of school drama and family complications, Taylor finds his own independence from the increasing absence of his parents. His growth can be seen in the evolution of his relationship with Unborn Twin and Hangman , internal voices in his head that make him stutter and mess with his conscience. From the earliest pages of the novel, we’ve seen Jason’s thoughts imprisoned by his own mind. In the“Hangman” chapter, a scene where his teacher Miss Throckmorton calls on him to spell a word in front of the class, he described his life to be divided into“ Before Hangman and After Hangman” (Mitchell 26). Despite his confidence – “Any duh-brain could work that out” – the word vanished from his skull, unable to produce the word when he heard classmates beginning to whisper to each other and laugh (Mitchell 26). What makes this moment more isolating is that Jason had ...