Jason
Jason is a much easier character to read and to understand than both Quentin and Benjy. He is not mentally handicapped and unable to differentiate between time periods like Benjy, nor is he a pressured student who is an emotional wreck because of the extreme pressure put on him by his parents, who eventually commits suicide because he looses his mind, like Quentin. No, Jason is a bad person, concerned only about money and his reputation.
"Ask her [your grandmother] what became of those checks. You saw her burn one of them, as I remember" April Sixth, 1928 (p. 124)
The first line in Jason's chapter is the perfect introduction to Jason's character: "Once a bitch always a bitch, what I say" (p. 119). Jason has the horrible burden of caring for Caddy's teenage daughter, Quentin. Not only does he have to pay black servants (whom he despises) to feed her and care for her, but he also has to discipline her when she does wrong, which is all the time. He believes that Quentin is "sleeping around" and trying to become a prostitute. Her image as a promiscuous girl is only known by the globs of makeup she puts on her face, which Jason, unsurprisingly, hates. He thinks Quentin is missing school to hang out with boys, and he beats her and threatens to whip her for almost anything she does. Jason doesn't care about Quentin or her education though, so this is not why he gets angry with her. He is just concerned about his "high up" position in their small town—he says to Quentin "Everybody in this town knows what you are. But I won's have it anymore, you hear? I dont care what you do myself. But I've got a position in this town, and I'm not going to have any member of my family going on like a nigger wench" (p. 125).
As if beating Quentin up regularly and making her life miserable weren't bad enough, Jason steals money from her. Caddy sends money to both Quentin and her mother often, but Jason has found devious ways to steal her money, and Caddy and Quentin suspect this. Still, Jason is able to get away with giving Quentin only $10 when her mother sent her $50. Later, he convinces his mother to burn a fake check from Caddy, but he had already pocketed the real check for $200.
Jason is not only a horrible member of his family (which is the opposite of what he thinks), but he is also an awful person. He doesn't do much at his job at the store, but his boss can't fire him because he feels too bad for his mother. He hates every minority group, for example Jews, women, and black people. For example, he says "I give every man his due, regardless of religion or anything else. I have nothing against jews as an individual. Its just the race. You'll admit that they produce nothing. They follow the pioneers into a new country and sell them clothes" (p. 126). A quote for women, he says "I never promise a woman anything nor let her know what I'm going to give her. Thats the only way to manage them. Always keep them guessing. If you can't think of any other way to surprise them, give them a bust in the jaw" (p. 128). And lastly, concerning black people, Jason says "I feed a whole dam kitchen full of niggers to follow around after him, but if I want an automobile tire changed, I have to do it myself" (p. 123). These are only a few examples that show Jason's egotistical and very racist personality and beliefs. He is a bad person but it is very amusing to read, and it adds greatly to the insanity of the Compson family.
"Ask her [your grandmother] what became of those checks. You saw her burn one of them, as I remember" April Sixth, 1928 (p. 124)
The first line in Jason's chapter is the perfect introduction to Jason's character: "Once a bitch always a bitch, what I say" (p. 119). Jason has the horrible burden of caring for Caddy's teenage daughter, Quentin. Not only does he have to pay black servants (whom he despises) to feed her and care for her, but he also has to discipline her when she does wrong, which is all the time. He believes that Quentin is "sleeping around" and trying to become a prostitute. Her image as a promiscuous girl is only known by the globs of makeup she puts on her face, which Jason, unsurprisingly, hates. He thinks Quentin is missing school to hang out with boys, and he beats her and threatens to whip her for almost anything she does. Jason doesn't care about Quentin or her education though, so this is not why he gets angry with her. He is just concerned about his "high up" position in their small town—he says to Quentin "Everybody in this town knows what you are. But I won's have it anymore, you hear? I dont care what you do myself. But I've got a position in this town, and I'm not going to have any member of my family going on like a nigger wench" (p. 125).
As if beating Quentin up regularly and making her life miserable weren't bad enough, Jason steals money from her. Caddy sends money to both Quentin and her mother often, but Jason has found devious ways to steal her money, and Caddy and Quentin suspect this. Still, Jason is able to get away with giving Quentin only $10 when her mother sent her $50. Later, he convinces his mother to burn a fake check from Caddy, but he had already pocketed the real check for $200.
Jason is not only a horrible member of his family (which is the opposite of what he thinks), but he is also an awful person. He doesn't do much at his job at the store, but his boss can't fire him because he feels too bad for his mother. He hates every minority group, for example Jews, women, and black people. For example, he says "I give every man his due, regardless of religion or anything else. I have nothing against jews as an individual. Its just the race. You'll admit that they produce nothing. They follow the pioneers into a new country and sell them clothes" (p. 126). A quote for women, he says "I never promise a woman anything nor let her know what I'm going to give her. Thats the only way to manage them. Always keep them guessing. If you can't think of any other way to surprise them, give them a bust in the jaw" (p. 128). And lastly, concerning black people, Jason says "I feed a whole dam kitchen full of niggers to follow around after him, but if I want an automobile tire changed, I have to do it myself" (p. 123). These are only a few examples that show Jason's egotistical and very racist personality and beliefs. He is a bad person but it is very amusing to read, and it adds greatly to the insanity of the Compson family.
excellent
ReplyDeleteI think your analysis of Jason is really interesting. His character is understandably a lot easier to read than Benjy's because of his mental state and Quentin's because of the pressures being put on him. What about Jason do you think makes him so much easier to read though? Because glimpses of the characters slip through in each of their narratives and Im just curious to know what about Jason's personality makes it easier, because his issues do occasionally slip through
ReplyDelete