2.2 KiB
#hs/lit
In the chapter “disco” the external conflict between Jason and Neal Brose represents Jason’s growth as a character and emphasizes him growing up in this coming-of-age narrative. After breaking Neal Brose’s calculator in class, Jason explains to Mr. Nixon that “I had to show Brose I’m not afraid of him. That’s all I thought of” (pg. 261). Earlier in this novel Jason was much more concerned with what the other students thought of him and rejected many actions that might have lost him favor with the “cool kids.” Even when these kids were bullying him, he still didn’t stand up for himself due to the fear of it getting worse or the hope that he would rise in social status. This chapter represents a departure from those ideas, and Jason standing up to Neal Brose to “show [him] I’m not afraid of him” represents his growth in the novel. Earlier in the novel, Jason gained popularity although it was largely due to him attempting to conform to what others expected of him rather than revealing his true self. While in this chapter Jason is still not revealing much about himself to others, he does have more confidence as can be seen when answering a question in Miss Lippett's class and he thinks “If I can grind a solar-powered calculator to bits, then stuff this rule that I should be ashamed for grassing on a kid and getting him expelled” (pg. 267). This new indifference to the social norms that previously bound him shows a deeper form of confidence that he hasn’t had until this point. Before this, he had a more superficial kind of confidence he gained from conforming to how others wanted him to behave. The conflict with Neal Brose shows him going against the “cool kids” and doing what he wants, which is an indicator of him growing up. One aspect of childhood that many people grow out of to some degree is caring about what others think of you, and this chapter shows Jason going through this process. The way that he treats this external conflict with Neal Brose is very different from previous conflicts with bullies and the determination to follow his own ideas rather than someone else’s highlights one of the ways he has grown up in this novel.