Friday, April 10, 2015
The Unsung Hero
Julia is a very interesting sister. At the start of the novel I was sure that there was going to be some sibling rivalry but even though Jason may get upset because she can say whatever she wants, we see that she really is looking out for him. Whenever she is around and Jason may be getting attacked by their father she quickly steps in and diffuses the situation by embarrassing him. I think the scene with her uncle quite perfectly sums up her character. How she is able to be quick on her feet and use that to her advantage quite easily. Jason would be the same way if not inhibited by his stammer. I think Julia will play a key part in this novel and how Jason starts to think of himself. Julia is the role model Jason needs.
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I agree that Julia is an important character. I think she also represents another stage in the coming of age process that lies in Jason's future. I think Mitchell is able to use this dynamic to contrast the young narrator with an older teen, which is pretty cool.
ReplyDeleteIt kind of seems like Julia has ulterior motives all of the time. At the dinner table, when she calls out their father on the phone calls, later when they have the Brians over, she does it again. I think it will be very interesting to see what happens later in the novel with her.
ReplyDeleteAt the start of the book I disliked Julia because she seemed unnecessarily mean to Jason, and I think that still might be the case some, but I also see that much of what she does is to help him out. She seems to really care for him, and since they are siblings, her love expresses itself in a siblingly manner (i.e. sometimes through cruelty). Although she can be mean, she does care a lot for him and try to make his life easier.
ReplyDeleteAlthough Julia does seem to be a great role model for Jason, the way she sticks up for him and speaks with complete confidence. But she also brings him down by calling him "Thing". I wonder which side will prevail in Jason's mind towards the end.
ReplyDeleteI think that even if he didn't have his speech impediment he wouldn't or couldn't speak out like Juila does. Julia pokes fun at their dad a lot and I think that Jason has too much respect for authority to do that. Also, the recurring issue in this novel is his conscience. He could never call people out on stuff and embarrass them. His impediment, maybe it made him who he is today, or it works--a little weird--alongside him to make him reconsider his word choices.
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