Black Swan Green

As a bildungsroman, the novel’s primary theme is the transition from innocence to experience. Protagonist Jason Taylor must confront and overcome complex obstacles to thrive, both in his social life at school and in his private life at home.

The novel begins just before Jason’s family undergoes a period of significant upheaval. The ringing phone in Chapter 1 foreshadows his father’s infidelity; his mother’s decision to return to work and his sister Julia’s imminent departure for college further foreshadow the family’s disintegration as a unit in later chapters. As his father’s many flaws come to light, Jason grows disillusioned, which marks a key milestone in his burgeoning maturity, as every child must one day confront their parents’ flaws and imperfections.

Meanwhile, at school, Jason endures bullying from his classmates. Though they treat him poorly, Jason idolizes them as cool boys. The more Jason tries to emulate their behavior, however, the more he realizes he’s just not like them. This is seen when he throws up after smoking a cigarette to appear cool to his cousin Hugo, and when he goes back for Moran despite the Spooks’ warning that he’ll never become one of them if he does. The former involuntary rejection suggests that sensitivity, empathy, and kindness are immutable aspects of Jason’s personality—he’s just not cruel or dishonest. The latter rejection is Jason’s conscious recognition this difference between himself and his peers is not a bad thing; he chooses to maintain his integrity rather than compromise his morals for social acceptance. Understanding who he is and recognizing that these traits are not flaws is a key part of Jason’s coming-of-age experience.

In addition to social and emotional maturity, Jason also experiences intellectual growth. Through his brief acquaintance with Madame Crommelynck, Jason learns to appreciate literature and to ponder complex abstractions like truth and beauty, something beyond the ken of most preteen boys. Jason also learns to recognize prejudice. The village meeting about the Gypsy settlement exposes Jason to a range of racist opinions, but upon meeting a group of Gypsies and conversing with them himself, he learns to form his own opinions. Jason’s increasing abilities to make his own conclusions and empathize with others mark two additional milestones toward maturity.

All this growth—his recognition of his father’s flaws, his increased appreciation for intellectual pursuits, and his victory over the bullies in his life—does not signal the end of all Jason’s problems, however. He is moving on to a new town and a new school, where he will have to climb the social ladder all over again. Yet the life experience that Jason gains in the book will serve him well for whatever the future holds.