The Voices of Adolescence

This is a pretty underrated niche of Black Swan Green. Underrated is an overrated word, but I'll use it anyway here. "Maggot, Unborn Twin, and Hangman just aren't getting the respect they deserve!", a literature-focused iteration of a basketball radio host screams into the mic. "They do all the little plays THAT MAKE THIS BOOK A LEGITIMATE CONTENDER!" Like any reputable basketball talking-head, I'm using some exaggeration there, but they're a really cool layer of Jason Taylor's story that really sells this book as one firmly positioned in adolescence. Because the more I thought about it, the more I realized my own early teenage years were driven by subconscious forces that manifested as something close to internal voices. Like we can with Jason, I think identifying the intricacies of each voice helps to diagnose the most powerful social forces in the teenage mind. 

So what can we tell from the characterization of Jason's internal figures? Of all three, Hangman is the most clear-cut representation of Jason's real-life occurrences. As Jason tells, Hangman settled into his mind after playing his signature game in Miss Throckmorton's class. When asked to complete the obvious "NIGH-ING--E" written on the blackboard, it "kaboomed in [his] skull but it just wouldn't come out." (26). His stammering is a medical condition (perhaps coaxed by social forces to keep cool and remain unnoticed) that manifests in his mind with "pike lips, broken nose, rhino cheeks, red eyes 'cause he never sleeps (...) snaky fingers that sneak inside my tongue and squeeze my windpipe so nothing'll work." (26). Freaky stuff. Hangman is in a crowd of his own, since it doesn't necessarily have a voice. Instead, it is far more visibly effective than either Maggot or Unborn Twin, and where they stand on Jason's shoulders and motivate his actions, Hangman silently grabs him by the throat.

Maggot and Unborn Twin are even more interesting than the Hangman phenomenon. They're two often conflicting voices that aren't your typical angel-and-devil-on-the-shoulder type of duo. Maggot is the "nervy" one, always trying to maintain a Jason that is as low-profile as possible. This means constant internal derision to keep him in check. Unborn Twin is the rowdier one with a twisted sense of humor, always thinking of the most dangerous and exciting option in any situation. Since Maggot completely contradicts Unborn Twin's suggestions, it "can't stand Maggot." (18). While skating on a frozen lake, Jason notices another kid skating at the same speed, right across from him. In signature displays, Maggot urges for Jason to "go home", but Unborn Twin asks "What if he's a ghost?" (18). In many situations throughout BSG, the two voices spar in Jason's head, with one typically winning out and directing his course of action. As for their origins, the "Maggot" chapter of the book makes it clear that its namesake has come from peers constantly putting Jason down, until their criticisms sunk into his brain and hung around as a voice. After all, Ross Wilcox and his gang's favorite name for Jason is "maggot". Maggot is fearful and self-conscious, representing the paranoia of teenage existence in which any mess-up can mean days, weeks, months, or years of mockery. Unborn Twin never has its own section, but they seem to fill the confidence gap that Maggot creates. Always daring Jason to do the unthinkable, and bringing thoughts that Jason will never speak to anyone. Like when it's revealed Debby Crombie is going to have Tom Yew's baby after he dies, Unborn Twin narrates that they've "never heard anything so hilarious." Jason finds it not at all funny, but there it is being said in his head. Maggot and Unborn Twin both arose from the powerful social pressures he faces. Together, Hangman, Maggot, and Unborn Twin influence (if not outright control) Jason's behavior in nearly every situation he encounters. 

How about me though *wink*? Well, I definitely don't have the godlike recollection skills that Jason appears to, since he started writing in November and filled in all the chapters or something. Maybe he kept a diary. Those details in the earlier chapters got preeetty minute. The voices I can recall are a lot lamer but hear me out. For a while, the loudest voice was what I'll call "Karma". Whenever I did something that my parents or authority figures or the Bible said was wrong, I'd think that life would slap me in the face right afterwards. Every time I ever did something I perceived as "bad" (even if it was just eating some junk food or staying up late) I'd be watching out for an unseen negative consequence that might not even pertain to what I just did. Like of course your actions have consequences, but I was paranoid that a bat would fly into my mouth or I'd slip and break something after I snuck a Twinkie under my pillow. What does that say about me? Like Jason, I "give a toss", but in slightly weirder ways. Under the surface, I'm a huge worrywart, and Karma stemmed from the strong set of good and bad things that I was prescribed in my childhood. Like Jason, it exploded around 6th grade, in this case when I actually learned what Karma was. For a stretch of 2 or 3 years, Karma would tug on my nerves every time I indulged in something "morally unsavory."

I'd love to hear if any of you have any internal figures you can recall and put to words.