Essay On The Foils In David Mitchell's Black Swan Green

In David Mitchell’s Black Swan Green, Tom Yew is a young man who can’t to be touched, can't be moved, and is worshiped by his younger brother’s peers. Jason, on the other hand, is the young boy people can’t stop touched, moved, and shoved out of the way. From the very start, readers see the striking clashes between these two foil characters. Jason is unpopular, unsure of himself, young, and bullied. Tom Yew, however, is popular, mature, and ready because he knows his place in the world. These two foils constantly clash in order for Mitchell to highlight just how young and uninformed Jason is about the world, and how, just because one might have a popular reputation now, life can take this fame away any time it pleases. Mitchell uses Tom to
As Jason is watching Tom and Debbie, he feels a little perverted at first. However, after Tom wakes up from his nightmare and is masked with terror, Jason realizes he’s not all that different from Tom because they both can get frightened. Additionally, when Tom dies, Jason realizes Tom is even more human, and realizes all people are alike in that they too don’t know everything about the world and what makes it go round. When he realizes this, Jason eventually begins to mirror Tom’s old attributes. Jason starts to grow up more as he is not afraid to ask questions to his superiors anymore or when he uses his dad’s razor (REFF). He begins to see adults as regular people now instead of the god-like creatures he made them out to be. Like Tom before, Jason eventually becomes one of the “cool” kids after he stands up to his bullies-- an event that would have never happened if it weren’t for Tom. Jason gains confidence in his poetry as both Crommelynck and Julia ask him to keep writing, but to write with confidence and pride (REFF), gains maturity as he gets his first kiss and gives the wallet back to Wilcox because “--” (QUOTE), and gains awareness as he sees the people around him as people and not giants from another