Tom Yew is a popular young man whose life shatters Jason’s childhood beliefs regarding love and war in Black Swan Green. He is first introduced in Chapter 1, speeding down to the lake on his purple Suzuki 150cc scrambler, exuding coolness. Tom is considered a local legend. Serving in the Royal Navy on the HMS Coventry, he embodies the adventurous war hero and is worshipped by all the young village boys. Even in casual conversation regarding the best things on TV, everyone accepts his opinion without question.
But Tom also reveals the grim realities of life. In the Bridle Path, Jason witnesses Tom Yew and Debby Crombie having sex under a tree. Instead of feeling excitement or admiration, Jason admits that he “felt hungry and nervy and sick and jealous and sluggy and shamed and many things. Not proud and not pleased and not like I ever wanted to do that” (pg 90). Watching that painful scene altered his understanding of sexuality. Jason’s earlier romantic fantasies involving Dawn Madden are replaced by the horrifying realization that love isn’t the fairytale, tender experience that he had imagined.
But Tom also reveals the grim realities of life. In the Bridle Path, Jason witnesses Tom Yew and Debby Crombie having sex under a tree. Instead of feeling excitement or admiration, Jason admits that he “felt hungry and nervy and sick and jealous and sluggy and shamed and many things. Not proud and not pleased and not like I ever wanted to do that” (pg 90). Watching that painful scene altered his understanding of sexuality. Jason’s earlier romantic fantasies involving Dawn Madden are replaced by the horrifying realization that love isn’t the fairytale, tender experience that he had imagined.
In addition, Tom’s disturbing dream, where everyone dies except him, suggests that war had left deep psychological scars and survivor’s guilt. Even in intimate moments with Debby, Tom cannot escape his trauma. The full horror of war becomes undeniable in "Rocks" when news arrives that the HMS Coventry has sunk and that Tom was killed. For Jason, this devastating moment dissipated all lingering beliefs that battles are thrilling. Julia reinforces this lesson when she describes the 1982 Falkland conflict as a “pyrrhic victory” or a victory won at such a terrible cost that it scarcely feels like a victory at all (pg 115).
Hi Kaylee, I find your blog post on how Tom Yew shaped Jason Taylor. One thing I find interesting is Tom Yew's trauma. Since it seems to be from a war, but the book never tells us which war, and the Falklands War had not yet happened yet in all scenes where we see Tom Yew. So I don't think the book ever tells us what war he was in. But his death and the mark he left on Jason his undeniable. Great Blog post.
ReplyDeleteHi Kaylee, this was a really interesting take on Jason's life! I agree with you that he was a prominent figure for everyone in town because of his heroism but I personally don't think that it was in a way that impacted Jason's growth in that sort of way. We have not seen Jason talk about his romantic life much in this novel but it was interesting to see his thoughts when he found Dawn having sex in the car. I think you took on a really good perspective of this rare side of Jason!
ReplyDeleteHi Kaylee! You did a good job describing how Tom Yew influenced Jason, especially in his views on war. One element of Tom Yew as a character that I think is interesting is that it's not just Jason that he affects. Jason's the only one to see the nightmare and his intercourse with Debby Crombie, but everybody in the town feels the impact and is affected by Tom Yew's death. As you said, he was a popular guy, and with the small town nature of Black Swan Green where everybody is always in everybody else's business (for better or for worse), everybody knew him. The entire town was watching the news to try and find out if his ship is still afloat, and they all felt his loss when it was sunk.
ReplyDeleteHi Kaylee! I must admit when Tom Yew had that horrible traumatic dream I laughed while reading it because he exclaimed "FAAAAAAAH!" when he woke up. So I didn't pay much attention to the actual emotional weight that scene would have on the story. But this blog does a great job explaining Tom Yew's trauma and how even in moments of rest he can't escape war. Great blog!
ReplyDeleteI said something to this effect in class, but I'd say that, when Jason unintentionally eavesdrops on the "FAAAAAAAH!" scene Adrian alludes to in the previous comment, he witnesses an even more intimate moment between Debbie and Tom than what he'd witnessed earlier. In both cases, he has this secret/special connection to these people, so when he learns of Tom's death, he immediately says "Poor Debbie Crombie"--he is uniquely thinking of Tom Yew in terms of his relationships, his loved ones, and how THEY will be affected by the loss. When he later learns she is pregnant (an event he has literally witnessed, though we'd rather not think too much on that point), he comments on the cruel jokes that the world plays. This moment of unintentional voyeurism ends up giving Jason a unique kind of empathy for this young couple and their personal tragedies.
ReplyDeleteKaylee, it seems great minds think alike, as I wrote on this topic as well. Its so interesting that Tom Yew has such a small role but arguably such a large impact on Jason. I think Tom and Julia really elevate his worldview beyond his parents beliefs. While I kinda briefly mentioned the outcome of Jason watching this couple have sex, I think you hit on an interesting thing which is his discomfort towards it. It really shows how despite society often pushing young boys to view women as sexual objects, and they may try to perpetuate that, they are still kids after all, and I think its so noteworthy that was stuck with this teenage boy wasnt watching intercourse but instead their interaction after where tom has a nightmare about war. I think it shows how much Jason has matured in a way.
ReplyDeleteHi Kaylee!! I really enjoyed your post. Tom Yew is an interesting character to analyze alongside Jason because their relationship is so strange. I feel like Tom sort of unintentionally taught him things about life that weren't really planned. I feel like even with some strange things that Tom has done, he still is someone who was really important in Jason's life, and we can see that with how upset Jason got when Tom died. Good Job!!
ReplyDeleteHello Kaylee, I like how your blog shows the change of Jason Taylor's view of Tom Yew. At first, Jason, like all the young village boys think he embodies an adventurous war hero. Jason, who was earlier romantically fantasizing of Dawn Madden, changes his view when he witnesses Tom and Debby having sex under a tree and realizes love isn't a tender fairytale. Jason was also initially supportive of the War is is hit with the full horrors of war when the HMS Conventry is sunk and Tom dies which could be seen as pyrrhic.
ReplyDelete