Sibling relationships have played a large role in several of the books we've read so far this semester. I think the reason for this is that they play a large role in real life coming of age as well. You're around your siblings all the time, and they influence how you grow up and who you grow into-- whether you're trying to be like them, or trying to be as unlike them as possible.
Black Swan Green is no exception, as it showcases Jason's relationship with his sister Julia. I definitely relate to Julia a lot and see a lot of myself in her. Not only do I relate to her specifically, but I can relate my relationship with my brother to hers with Jason. Jason is somewhat envious of his sister's privileges and abilities to speak up for herself, as well as respectful of her talents and skills. However, he gets mad at her. He knows when she's going to try to get him in trouble, etc. My brother too, gets frustrated with me for correcting him, getting him in trouble, and for being right. At the same time, he has affection for me and the few times I share things that are going on in my life with him, he seems to be very proud and impressed. I recently turned eighteen and he was very excited that "Juju is now an adult."
I'll admit that I probably do pick on my brother more than I should, but much like Julia, I'm not as mean to him as I could be. I think all things considered, I'm pretty fair. When Julia gets mad at Jason for eavesdropping and stealing her music, she had the right to clobber him, to blackmail him, to do so many things that she didn't do. However, she just told him off and threatened him a little. As an older sister, I can vouch that while little brothers are super annoying, we still have affection for them deep down. This also connects with the "I can be mean to you but no one else can be" dynamic. Julia can tease Jason as much as she wants (which she doesn't really seem to do too much), but when Jason's mom brings up his poetry at dinner, she sticks up for him, knowing what he must be feeling. Siblings may not like each other, but they always love each other, even if they also hate each other.
I really like this, Julia. I can also relate definitely to Jason's sister, and I really like how you've gone into depth with some of the things we were talking about in class. The statement of "I'm allowed to be mean to you but no one else is" is particularly meaningful to me because, as a fellow big sister, I agree with you and the Julia in the book. Sure, I can mess with my sister, make fun of her, whatever, but if anyone else laid a finger on her they'd have me to deal with, and I'd be deadly serious. Good post!
ReplyDeleteIt is sort of weird for me to think about the scene with the eavesdropping from an older sister's perspective because I totally identified with Jason here. I am the younger child and I definitely overstepped my boundaries at times. For example, one time I went on my brother's IM account when he wasn't home and messaged all of his friends. Now I can realize that it was a pretty bogus thing to do, but at the time, I just wanted to be like my brother and be a part of his life. Jason knows he's not doing the right thing when he listens in on Julia's conversation, but he also is just curious about her because he cares for her and wants to be just like her.
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