Topic > Black Swan Green and the construction of alter egos

Throughout the book, Jason has continuous internal dialogues with "Maggot" and "Unborn Twin" who represent two of his alter egos. Both Maggot and Unborn Twin allow the reader to experience Jason's different personalities. Maggot represented his “loser/misfit” side and the Unborn Twin was his “devil” side. Jason's unique personalities often appear when he needs to take an important decision or action. For example, when Jason is alone on the lake and sees a mysterious figure running on the ice, his inner ego penetrates his thoughts: “Go home, urge the nervous Maggot in me. What if it was a ghost? My unborn twin can't stand Maggot. What if he's a ghost?" (18). Therefore, Jason constantly has internal arguments between his different personalities. Mitchell allows the reader to glimpse into Jason's thoughts using this method. He also shows Jason's constant sense of insecurity. Say no to plagiarism. Get a custom essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Jason's stutter is another major theme in the novel accident in class when he was younger. The class was playing the hangman game and even though Jason knew the answer, his mouth wouldn't let the word slip out. Since then, Jason refers to his stutter as Hangman because he's always on the verge of spitting speech. He learns to adapt to his stuttering by replacing words he would normally stutter with ones he can pronounce easily. He also learns to construct a sentence in his head before vocalizing it. Although stuttering is considered a limitation for most (more susceptible to bullying etc.), it can also be considered an advantage. For example, Jason acquires a larger vocabulary because he must be able to replace “stutter words” with other words and therefore is able to expand his vocabulary. Furthermore, due to his stutter, he gets to meet many interesting people, including his speech therapist, Mrs. De Roos. The novel would be very different if Jason did not stutter since the reader would not be able to scrutinize his inner thoughts and peculiarities. Jason would also not be bullied and would be afraid of speaking in public. Mitchell often ends a scene in the middle of the action to captivate the reader and stimulate more thought about the scene. Once the reader finishes the action scene, it gives them some time to reflect, but then clarifies the truth in another scene. Two scenes where this occurred include the Cabin in the Woods scene and the Town Hall fire scene. By using this literary device, Mitchell also makes it seem as if the plot is imitating Jason's stutter. Just as Jason has to finish a thought mid-sentence, the author ends an action scene mid-sentence. Throughout the novel, phrases are often repeated to emphasize their continuing influence on Jason's life. For example, Hangman is continually mentioned to reveal Jason's recurring problem with stuttering. Comments involving Unborn Twin and Maggot are also often repeated to show the way Jason thinks. The moon gray cat often appears when Jason finds himself in a stressful situation. For example, the cat appears when he crosses the meadows (and runs out of time) to become a member of Spooks, when he is about to meet his stepmother, and when Squelch throws a dead cat at him. Mitchell chose to connect these instances to the gray lunar cat to create a symbol of Jason's misfortune and anxiety. The town of Black Swan Green is both similar and different to those in classic British novels. In Jane Eyre, the cities.