The journey is unique

Personal identity is an issue that kids and adults alike, struggle with. While in today's society the realm of identity is expanding on many different levels (whether racially, sexually, religiously, etc.) there are still holes that leave people questioning who they are and where they fall in the world.

Benji is no different as he is conflicted between his racial identity and his place in the world. He is in a different generation, arguably making his experiences harder, as there weren’t as many considerations and challenges on traditionally accepted identity. However, there is no doubt that a source of many of Benji’s trials and triumphs surrounded the fact that he is struggling between his black appearance and upper-class lifestyle in NYC. I think that his experiences in finding himself is really what helps progress his own coming of age story. Figuring out who you are is still a huge part of becoming the person that you are throughout your adulthood. Benji used pop culture and the feelings of others that were relevant in his time so that he could navigate the world of being a teenager without much guidance. This is a strategy that most kids use even today, as a kid, I feel like that is especially how I navigated through my own journey in finding myself.

Throughout this course, there have been many different stories. Each book proves the fact that every person goes through life in their own sort of way. Additionally, there is no set in stone time when you come of age, as there is also no definition for exactly what life event you go through in order to be initiated into adulthood. For me this has been telling reoccurrence, for many kids growing up, becoming an adult and the time that you reach that status is a source of a lot of anxiety. While some of the characters have approached their journeys in ways that I would not do myself, it has been really cool (as an outside viewer) to see the ways that people approach their experiences and how those experiences have shaped them. My eyes have definitely been opened.

Masculinity

With the end of the book behind us, there is no doubt that Jason went through some major changes – one of the major changes being his perception on masculinity and the ways in which it influences his day to day public life. In the beginning of the book, we see Jason hyper-aware of what people think about him, his masculinity, and what that means in terms of his popularity in social standings. This is evident through his constant stray from anything or any activity that can be seen as “gay”, thus, showing any sensitivity. By adopting this lifestyle, Jason lives with many aspects of his life under the table. His poetry, his stammer, trips to the movies with his mom, etc. are all concealed in order to keep this reputation.

To contrast the Jason at the beginning of the novel, we see a new character who isn’t afraid to be his ‘Own Boy’. Someone who is sensitive, says words like beautiful, all while maintaining a cool and somewhat sporty vibe thanks to the aide of Julia. Rather than having to plot to prove his masculinity – either by withholding his true life, or explicitly planning how to become favorable in front of the bros – Jason is content in being himself, making moves only to satisfy himself rather than the groups, as well as introducing life to the Jason that only the reader has seen. This development is interesting but comes at the perfect time as he is about to enter the new chapter of life – being 14, a new school, more life without Julia, and life living with only his mother.

While the book only covers a year of Jason’s life, a lot happens, and a lot changes. Personally, 13 and 14 where the years when both my character and maturity rapidly developed. There were definitely parts of my life that I tried to push away from the spotlight but now recall and tell stories about. While Jason’s life hasn’t necessarily been easy, you see him get stronger as well as more developed, closer to the concept of Coming of Age… Its hard to say goodbye to him, I just want to know how he turns out.

Transitions

As Callie put it in our class, the transition from Housekeeping to Black Swan was just about as refreshing as Portrait to Catcher. The casual nature of the voice and the way that Jason is so imaginative is very refreshing in comparison to Ruth’s tale.

Immediately I, and presumably many readers, were captured by the familiarity of Jason and his family. There is something recognizable in the four member, upper class suburban family. The stereotypical interactions between the members are often dramatized and televised to a large part of the population. Additionally, the Taylors are a representation of a lot of American families, because of that, the story has a way of connecting personal experience to the words written on the page. I find Julia and Jason’s interactions particularly interesting. I am an only child, but yet when I think about having a sibling, I feel like we would be quite similar to these two. [I started this blog post two weeks ago, so the and interaction between them have shifted a lot now that we have reached the end]. Now at the end of the book, the two are seemingly pretty close. Whether they’re close because of the commonality of divorced parents, or the newfound maturity as Jason transitions into a 14-year-old boy, their relationship is refreshing and so cool to see grow.

When I began this book, I was hopeful and captured. Now that I am at the end, I can say definitively that I was not disappointed.