Julia the Ultimate Girlboss
My favorite character in Black Swan Green is definitely Julia. Even though she came across kind of unlikable at the beginning of the book, she really grew on me as she developed as a person and started being nicer to Jason. It felt like she went through her own coming-of-age journey in the background, going from a typical immature older sibling-type to a really witty but considerate person when she went off to college.
The first scene that made me start to like Julia was when she shut down Uncle Brian at the dinner party on page 52. She’s so confident and direct with her insults, something Jason half envies and half looks up to. When Uncle Brian is criticizing her for choosing Edinburgh College instead of Oxford, she replies, “I intend to study law in Edinburgh, and all the Brian Lambs of tomorrow will have to do their networking without me” (52). Looking back on this scene, I think Julia was not just focused on proving Uncle Brian wrong, but also teaching Jason something about confidence. She’s a good role model for Jason because she knows what she wants and she goes for it, no matter who doubts her.
I really liked the end of the book, where Jason receives advice from a more mature Julia who seems to understand what Jason is going through. Julia also shares a rare moment of weakness with Jason when she says, “well, behind my fearless facade, little brother, I am regularly scared witless by all manner of things” (292). I think this shows how much Julia has grown because at the beginning of the book she never would’ve admitted any kind of weakness to Jason. But now that she’s come-of-age, left Black Swan Green, and met totally new people, I think she has a different perspective on life and family. She’s also able to teach Jason valuable lessons without having to do it sarcastically like at the dinner with Uncle Brian.
I wish we got more scenes with Julia, because I feel like there was a lot of development going on with her behind the scenes that is easy to miss if you’re focused on Jason. But I love that she gets the last line in the book when she says, “That’s because it’s not the end” (294).
julia is a really good character to me personally, especially as i am an older sister with a younger brother who has only just now started to get along with him as i've grown up. Julia and Jason's relationship is a nice progression throughout the novel, and I like the scene you pointed out where she stands up for him at dinner
ReplyDeleteI also loved Julia! I talked a little about her ability to break generational trauma cycles in my own post. I definitely see her doing this here, and your post includes a lot of awesome examples. And in addition to forging her future for herself, she also paves the way for some critical thinking and presents an alternative for Jason.
ReplyDeleteI loved Julia too :) I think the way we see her as readers changes due to a combination of her own development and a change in the way Jason thinks about her. As the two of them mature they see each other more as peers, and Julia proves to be a resource/mentor for Jason. I like how important their relationship is throughout the novel.
ReplyDeleteLooking back and realizing that we're at a similar age as Julia, it's eaiser to understand why she had come off as so mean to Jason. She would have been under significant academic stress, especially as she made her journey through the college admission process and tried to make a decision on what career path she would go down to. Under this state of high pressure and uncertainty, it would have been hard for her not to be annoyed with his 13 year old brother stealing her LPs and acting childish.
ReplyDeleteI also liked Julia a lot. Both as a contrast to Jason in her ability to talk back to others and have confidence in herself. But also how she acts in response to the political landscape of Black Swan Green. When all of BSG was caught up in the fervor of the war, Julia was more critical of it, and managed to cause Jason to think more critically about the media portrayal of the war.
ReplyDeleteNice post! I also really love Julia, especially her scenes with Jason at the end of the book. Julia definetely went through her own coming of age when she went off to college, and it was interesting to see how her relationship with Jason changed as a result of that. I felt like the two of them were much closer at the end of the novel and it was nice that Jason was able to find someone he could confide in.
ReplyDeleteI really like the way you showed the development of JUlia behind the scenes of Jason's story. I think it is important to show that Jason is not the only one going through a 'coming of age story,' and adds to the significance of the character. I also think it is important to see how Julia's confidence almost acts as a role model for Jason's arc.
ReplyDeleteDespite our initial impression of the two siblings, I agree that Julia has a really positive affect on Jason's development. Although she helps Jason in many ways her role of boosting Jason's confidence is the most clear cut. One of the best pieces of advice she gives Jason is to go to the dance. It may seem simple, but making this decision is a clear sign of Jason choosing not to be held back or fearful of his bullies. Jason's decision to go the dance shows him finally fighting back, and also allows him to see that he does in fact have allies (the older kid looking to beat up Brose).
ReplyDeleteJulia is certainly one of my favorite characters precisely because we don't get any more time with her- the fleeting encounters make us speculate on how closer Jason and her could have gotten with time. Her coming of age process ultimately eludes us but it comes at a time where Jason is at a place to better appreciate it. Good post!
ReplyDeleteJulia's presence is definitely a big influence on Jason's narrative, and it's interesting you mentioned that she had also come-of-age by the end of the novel. In a way, the whole Taylor family has kind of developed together even though in the end, they are ultimately split up. I also wish we could hear more about Julia, but at least we can get a sense of her coming-of-age narrative through Jason :)
ReplyDeleteJulia is THE best character in the book. I love how she subtly uses her intelligence to take people down, and most of the time they don't even realize that they're being insulted. She's also a pretty good influence on Jason — although at first they fight, eventually they open up to each other a lot more and it helps Jason to stop self-editing so much. She's definitely the kind of older sister I've always aspired to be.
ReplyDeleteI loved Julia as well. I feel like when we see other male characters, who are just as smart (or nearly as smart) as her, they're a lot more obnoxious about it. Julia isn't arrogant about being smart and this also reflects in her ability to come of age. Her ability to critically analyze situations and not get caught up in the heat of the moment, as well as being able to stand up for what she thought was right, was something that also helped Jason develop a moral compass through the novel.
ReplyDeleteYeah!!!!!! Julia rocks (except when she calls Jason 'thing')!! Big fan of her appearances, where she essentially says out loud what Jason thinks throughout the story. Oftentimes, her speech puts into words thoughts that were present in his head, but not written into the novel. Whether it's her "pyrrhic victory" line in Rocks, or her defending Jason's poetry, she fills in those sort of important sentiments that Jason's too afraid to say or even think.
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