Black Swan Green

“War’s an auction where whoever can pay the most in damage and still be standing wins.” 

This line separates two scenes: a fight between Jason’s parents and Jason’s thoughts on the Falklands War. By placing this observation between these scenes, the text draws a parallel between the two events. Though the conflict at home is small compared to the international conflict unfolding on TV, both are significant events in Jason’s life. The quote also reveals an antiwar sentiment that aligns with Jason’s general disapproval of violence.

“Me, I want to bloody kick this moronic bloody world in the bloody teeth over and over till it bloody understands that not hurting people is ten bloody thousand times more bloody important than being right.” 

As the Falklands War seems to stall and Tom Yew’s death hangs heavy, Jason erupts in this angry tirade. Although he makes this statement in reference to the war, it echoes his opinion about violence in general and reflects his resentment that acceptance from the popular boys requires cruel and senseless acts at the expense of others.

“Often I think boys don’t become men. Boys just get papier-mâchéd inside a man’s mask. Sometimes you can tell the boy is still in there.” 

This quote reflects Jason’s growing disillusionment with the adults in his life, particularly the men. Tom Yew’s nightmare revealed that he remained a scared little boy a heart, and Jason is learning that his father is incredibly flawed. These revelations are challenging Jason’s perception of masculinity and what it means to be adult.

“Beautiful words ruin your poetry. A touch of beauty enhances a dish, but you throw a hill of into the pot! No, the palate becomes nauseous… Beauty is not excellence. Beauty is a distraction, beauty is cosmetics, beauty is ultimately fatigue.” 

Madame Crommelynck challenges Jason’s belief that a poem should be beautiful, or else it is not a poem. Her words are highly abstract and philosophical, well beyond the understanding of a 12-year-old boy, but Jason appreciates that she treats him like an adult. In encouraging his pursuit of poetry and challenging him with questions and concepts he can’t yet answer, she introduces him to new literature, new thoughts, and new possibilities.

“Shunning one hopeless battle is not an act of cowardice. Hankering for security or popularity makes you weak and vulnerable. […] Respect earned by integrity cannot be lost without your consent.” 

These lines are printed on the anti-bullying flyers that Jason discovers in the staff room; it is implied that Mr. Kempsey left them there for him. This is a rare instance when an adult in Jason’s life acknowledges the bullying. This gesture comes at a formative moment, as it is around this time that Jason is gaining confidence and preparing to stand up himself.

“‘But if I sliced Wilcox’s tendons, I’d get sent to Borstal.’

‘Well wakey fucking wakey, sunbeam! Life’s a Borstal!’” 

This exchange occurs after Norman Bates, the bus driver, retrieves Jason’s backpack from the top of the buss, where Ross Wilcox threw it. Borstal is a prison nearby, so Norman Bates is saying that life is prison—it’s cruel, confining, and full of bullies like Ross.

“The world never stops unmaking what the world never stops making. But who says the world has to make sense?” 

This passage reflects Jason’s growing maturity and recognition that change is inevitable. His parents are separating, and he’s about to start a new life in a new town. At the beginning of the book Jason would likely have felt destabilized by all these changes, but recent life experiences have given him the mental and emotional tools needed to meet whatever challenges wait in the future.

“And if consequences of consequences of consequences of what you do’re your fault too, you’d never leave your house, right? So Ross Wilcox losing his leg isn’t my fault. But it is. But it isn’t. But it is.” 

This moment is an important milestone in Jason’s journey toward maturity. He’s held on to guilt that Ross Wilcox’s accident was his fault. In this conversation with the sour aunt, however, he confesses his guilt, acknowledging his role in the incident while recognizing that Ross made his own choices, and those choices are not Jason’s responsibility.