Throughout this book, I have tried to relate Jason to some of the past characters we have studied. One that usually comes to mind is overly brooding, overly confident Stephen Dedalus, but this is a very faint connection since Jason is more obsessed with the opinions of his peers than Stephen. As it is clearly stated in the title, I have finally found what Jason reminds me of: A Sponge. (And I’m sure one of the characters in one of the books we’ve studied this year has used a sponge some time in their life, so this comparison is totally applicable).
Jason literally soaks up any and every information that is relayed to him. This is how he is able to act in the social situations that are presented to him; he just thinks to how other people have acted, and then tries to do the same. This is apparent when Jason tries to get with the popular kids, he attempts to assimilate into their culture. Whereas, when Jason is at the bottom of the food chain, he thinks to how Dean and other people in this kind of situation have acted, and he acts accordingly. This method works out well for him because he becomes a very hard victim to bully.
It really is quite amazing how keep of a listener Jason is. Although it must be very hard, I think his self editing is paying off, but maybe not in the way Mrs. C. would like it too. But, the cat was let out of the bag, and Jason’s true self was known throughout the school. It’s interesting to see how he acts when approached by new, and sometimes dangerous, situations.
...I just hope he never stops being a sponge!
This is such a fun comparison, and I totally see it! It does seem as though Jason absorbs information eerily quickly and efficiently, even making a note in his mind to prepare over the weekend in order to talk about "The Great Escape." As the novel progresses, and Jason begins to explore a sense of individuality, the wet 'sponge' is metaphorically squeezed and releases all of the information and mannerisms that it harbored. This makes me wonder what Jason is after he truly becomes his own self. This might be taking the metaphor too far, but does Jason, as a sponge, grow mold to express his new individual self? No one mold is ever the same...
ReplyDeleteToo far?
this is so cool. I like the idea that he soaks up the world around him and also expels those same things when squeezed. The passivity of a sponge is also relevant to Jason in multiple places throughout the book. He's the one getting squeezed by the bullies!
ReplyDeleteI never would have thought to compare Jason to a sponge, but you make a really good comparison. The way he just seems to absorb information such as the gossip he hears from Dean and then he just squeezes it out and lets the information flow into his writing. Also I agree with Neil in his comment about passivity, but I wondering do people think that Jason grows out of his sponge-like state at the end of the book or not.
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