"wHy dOnT yOu JuST cUT hIm?"
A simple solution proposed by 'Norman Bates' to Jason in response to his bully troubles. Ah, of course! Why wouldn't Jason think of that; just commit a felony and permanently handicap his tormentor. It's easy as that. In all seriousness though, I was definitely shocked and kind of amused by the extremity of the bus driver's solution, and I'm glad that Jason decided against it.
A vital part of Jason's growth throughout the novel is him gradually learning to deal with his tormentors by accepting himself and learning to not care about the opinions of those he doesn't care about--as Holly Deblin says, "Don't let dickheads define who you are." This is also the Dean Morin approach: just ignore the dickheads and live how you want to live. I think Jason makes the better decision for himself here by choosing the arguably more difficult process of self-acceptance and growth as a person rather than taking the easy way out and shanking Ross. Just by choosing that path, Jason has already started to ignore the dickheads. If he had gone and cut Ross, that may have solved his bullying problem, but it wouldn't do anything for Jason himself. If Jason sees stabbing Ross as the solution to his problems, then he is letting himself be defined by Ross by labeling Ross as the source of all his problems. As Crommelynck said earlier, it is easy to be truthful about superficiality but not about pain. In this instance Jason is having difficulty being truthful about his pain; he is tempted to use Ross as an excuse, blaming him for all his suffering and just stab him. By instead choosing to endure and ignore the torment, Jason adopts a less Ross-centric view, which allows him both to define himself and his pain truthfully. His acceptance that his pain and struggles are his own rather than being rooted in Ross provides a first step towards his personal growth and coming of age.
A simple solution proposed by 'Norman Bates' to Jason in response to his bully troubles. Ah, of course! Why wouldn't Jason think of that; just commit a felony and permanently handicap his tormentor. It's easy as that. In all seriousness though, I was definitely shocked and kind of amused by the extremity of the bus driver's solution, and I'm glad that Jason decided against it.
A vital part of Jason's growth throughout the novel is him gradually learning to deal with his tormentors by accepting himself and learning to not care about the opinions of those he doesn't care about--as Holly Deblin says, "Don't let dickheads define who you are." This is also the Dean Morin approach: just ignore the dickheads and live how you want to live. I think Jason makes the better decision for himself here by choosing the arguably more difficult process of self-acceptance and growth as a person rather than taking the easy way out and shanking Ross. Just by choosing that path, Jason has already started to ignore the dickheads. If he had gone and cut Ross, that may have solved his bullying problem, but it wouldn't do anything for Jason himself. If Jason sees stabbing Ross as the solution to his problems, then he is letting himself be defined by Ross by labeling Ross as the source of all his problems. As Crommelynck said earlier, it is easy to be truthful about superficiality but not about pain. In this instance Jason is having difficulty being truthful about his pain; he is tempted to use Ross as an excuse, blaming him for all his suffering and just stab him. By instead choosing to endure and ignore the torment, Jason adopts a less Ross-centric view, which allows him both to define himself and his pain truthfully. His acceptance that his pain and struggles are his own rather than being rooted in Ross provides a first step towards his personal growth and coming of age.
I agree I am glad that Jason decided not to cut Ross. We know that Jason is better then that and it really gave him the opportunity to grow. I think he is a much better person now then he was at the beginning of the book. He is able to be the better person in so many situations!
ReplyDeleteWhile I was a little amused by how extreme and surreal Norman Bate's suggestion, I'm glad that Jason didn't take his advice. I remember in the chapter "Rocks" Jason was angry at his parents for being too focused on beating each other and hurting themselves and each other in the process. I felt that if Jason just cuts off Ross's tendons, Jason would be falling into this trap. It would be a pyrrhic victory. Sure Ross can't bully Jason if he's in a wheelchair, but is it really worth letting Ross define him, the guilt Jason would probably feel, and the legal trouble Jason would get into?
ReplyDeleteWhile I think the bus driver went a little overboard, I think he was right to say that life is hard. I think a source of frustration for Jason was he didn't feel he was doing anything wrong, yet he was still bullied. By accepting that life is hard, he pushed past the injustice to find a solution to his problems.
ReplyDeleteI feel like what Jason does to Neal is a good synthesis of the Dean/Holly approach and the Norman Bates approach. While he's not letting the dickheads define him, he's also not just letting them get away with it. Dean's strategy of avoiding bullying is to just take it and not give his tormentors the satisfaction. Jason takes a much more proactive approach to dealing with Neal. While it's not as extreme as cutting his tendons, it's definitely more involved than just taking it.
ReplyDeleteI really do admire Jason's self control when it comes to dealing with Ross Wilcox. The fact that he is able to keep his temper in check despite all the terrible things he does to him is amazing. I don't think I would be able to keep it together if someone was constantly picking on me that much.
ReplyDeleteSometimes tendon-slicing is all you can think about when you're being bullied, so I think Jason shows a lot of strength by taking the "high road" and not giving them satisfaction. This solution definitely helped Jason grow as a person more than a violent solution would have.
ReplyDeleteLol! That moment made me laugh. I went from thinking that the bus driver was a kind of nice supportive adult to worrying about his past...though he may have just been joking. If jason had sliced Ross's tendons, the book would have gone a lot differently (even though it's totally normal to consider options like that at his age. I think).
ReplyDeleteNorman Bates is definitely crazy. That said, I think that extreme viewpoint was necessary for Jason to see, it helps him visualize the wide range of things he could try, fortunately he chooses correctly.
ReplyDeleteI agree that Jason's nonviolent strategy shows his growth as a character. A few chapters previously, Madame Crommelynck asked Jason if he really wants to be a "hairy barbarian" like the rest of the boys. Jason didn't really have an answer for her. In the Ross Wilcox situation, Jason understands that resorting to violence would make him a "hairy barbarian" and he knows that isn't him. Jason's decision demonstrates confidence in his own way of life. He isn't just copying the other boys anymore.
ReplyDelete