Hangman's Four Commandments
Jason's representation of his stutter, Hangman, has four commandments through which he control's Jason's speech:
1st Commandment: Thou shalt hide from speech therapists.
2nd Commandment: Thou shalt strangle Taylor when he is nervous about stammering.
3rd Commandment: Thou shalt unleash Taylor when he is not nervous about stammering.
4th Commandment: Once Taylor is "stuttering" in the eyes of the world, he is yours.
All of these have to do with Jason's struggle between his internal self and the perception others have of him - if his classmates didn't have an affect on him, Hangman would have no power to either. I find it interesting how Jason indirectly learned to deal with these commandments throughout the story, and how he was affected by his stammer correlated to his growth in confidence and development as a person.
The first chapters of the book are filled to the brim with Jason's observations of others, as well as obsession over his own presentation to them. However as the novel goes on, Jason not only lets go of some of his complex about his social standing, but also about his stammer, and the parallel journey makes him an interesting character to look at. The combination of both internal causes for his fears of social isolation (his personality and interests) and an external one (his stammer) means that to actually reach a satisfying end he has a lot to get through. His stammer is a very effective plot device, not only because of how he made peace with it but also by the amount of stakes it raises in the story through being a secret always just below the surface, as well as being an inherent part of him that he can't just roll up and put away like his Lord of the Rings posters. Anyway this post was a bit rambly but I just found Jason's stammer and how it both drives and reflects his growth pretty interesting, and definitely a well-written part of the book.
I agree with you. Something I noticed while reading your blog post is that even though Jason expected Hangman to figuratively consume him after the world found out about his stammer, it was actually the opposite. Even though Jason was bullied for his stammer, he ultimately discovered how to deal with Hangman and take control after the world found out. I think it's interesting that throughout the novel things that Jason thinks will end the world (people finding out about his stammer, his father learning about the watch, etc.) actually don't end as badly as he thought, and he usually learns something from it. This is another way that I think the stammer is an effective plot device.
ReplyDeleteOne of the key epiphanies in the second "January Man" chapter is when he is "confessing" to Mrs. Gretton and he notes that he hasn't stammered once the entire time--the realization that his stammer is partly a result of who he is talking to and how that makes him feel is crucial, and this is one more example of how "not caring" or not "giving a toss" can be a good and necessary thing for him--"honestly not caring how long the other person'll have to wait for me."
ReplyDeleteI think it is really interesting that you brought up the obsessive focus Jason seemed to have at the beginning of the novel on the social hierarchies and practices in place around him, and how that effected his own self esteem. Not only does Jason learn to not care as much about what others think about him at the end of the novel, I also think talking about how Jason's growing compassion for those around him affects this. At the beginning of the novel he seems to put several people up on a pedestal (particularly Tom Yew), but by the end he discovers that many of the boys who seemed socially well adjusted had their own problems that they were trying to cover up (Wilcox and his abusive father as an example, or Tom Yew with his PTSD). I think once Jason realized that he wasn't alone in have insecurities, he felt less judged by his peers and was therefore able to judge himself less as well. Great blog post!
ReplyDeleteI also really enjoyed Hangman, and think Mitchell handled it really well. It feels like a very natural part of Jason and the book, sitting behind the plot and nudging it forwards at almost all times (and sometimes it's more of a big shove). I think it was very smart to actually have Jason personify his stutter as Hangman, as it really added to that feeling of impending doom and danger (for the first two chapters or so, I was legitimately terrified of Hangman before I knew what it was). Personifying Hangman also felt like something very in-character for the Lord-of-the-Rings obsessed Jason. And, like you said, Jason finally learning to deal with his stammer both felt extremely satisfying, and I think showed so much of Jason's growth throughout the book - his growing maturity and ability to face and accept parts of himself, and how he's willing to work with Hangman rather than trying to "execute" it or letting it control him.
ReplyDeleteThe way in which Hangman is used to represent Jason's insecurities fascinated me as stammering can manifest when someone is nervous due to one of their insecurities being exposed. I'm happy you made the connection that how Jason deals with Hangman reflects his progression in coming of age and I think that the idea of being forced to deal with your problems is a crucial part of growing up.
ReplyDeleteI agree, the idea of Hangman was a great plat device. I think it's interesting how he had all of these human and human-like demons who "haunted" him. His bullies but also hangman. By the end, he was able to overcome them. They still existed, but they were no longer in his sphere. I think also the less he focuses on hangman the easier it will get. When his bullies tormented him about it he always had it on his mind but once he shifted his thoughts elsewhere it helped him a lot.
ReplyDeleteJason’s struggle with his internal perception of himself and how others see him is something that really interested me. I agree with you that if he didn’t worry about his classmates’ opinions, Hangman wouldn’t be able to control him either. His character growth is evident by the end of the novel when Hangman and his bullies are no longer an issue for him.
ReplyDeleteJason likes to obsess about rules as a means of protection, the Commandments being an example of that, but often that ends up limiting him, as the Belgian (?) lady showed him
ReplyDeleteI think a critical moment for Jason is when he realizes that he hasn't been stuttering. Throughout the novel, he has given Hangman so much power over him and allowed him to carefully guard everything he says. However, once he builds up confidence within himself, he unknowingly has taken Hangman's influence away.
ReplyDeleteGreat point! I hadn't previously thought about his stammer being a plot device but now that you mention it, it makes perfect sense. It provides a great way to show character development throughout the book by showing Hangman's loss of power.
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