Moral Responsibility in Black Swan Green

 In Black Swan Green, one of the pivotal moments is Jason’s decision to return Ross’s wallet to him after finding it at the fair. Though Jason eventually comes to the right decision (in my opinion), his indecision and failure to hand back the wallet to Ross earlier leads to the chain of events that leads to Ross getting into an awful accident on a Suzuki bike. We discussed a lot in class what degree of responsibility Jason holds for Ross’s accident: in my opinion, he holds almost none.

I think one of the central takeaways of Black Swan Green is lessons regarding personal responsibility. Jason should not feel guilty over Ross’s accident. Though he was part of the chain of events that led to the accident, it is not his fault. In life, every decision can be traced back to an earlier moment that began a chain of events culminating in the choice you decide upon (I don’t believe in free will although that is unrelated). Regardless, humans hold responsibility for the actions they eventually take and should be held accountable. Though Jason could have handed back the wallet earlier and possibly prevented this, it was still Ross who made the decision to speed away on the bike which led to his nasty crash. As another example, Ross’s actions could be attributed to the violence within his household: Ross grows up with an extremely violent father and a turbulent home life which causes him to lash out and develop into a bully at school. Even though Ross’s bullying can be traced back to an earlier chain of events which shaped him, he still has to be held accountable for his horrid mistreatment of Jason throughout the novel. Dean has a similarly turbulent home life with an alcoholic father and ends up as one of the kindest characters in the novel: what happens to you in life is often not fair, but it is your responsibility to grapple with the past and not react in terrible ways as a consequence. Though Jason’s empathy for Ross upon learning of his situation is admirable, I think it is important as readers that we still hold Ross accountable for the poor decisions he makes throughout the novel. 

Comments

  1. Charlie HechlerMay 1, 2023 at 10:36 AM

    Hello Arjun. I too agree with you that free will does not exist. However, even if Ross's accident could be explained by Jason's actions, I completely agree that it is not his fault whatsoever. It is admirable that he shows empathy for Ross, however I think that is one place he could still grow by understanding that he can't hold himself responsible for other people's actions.

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  2. Emily SMay 18, 2023 at 9:00 AM

    imean, i dont think anyone should ever be blamed for someone else's tragic accident-- so naturally i don't think jason is at fault. I think your point of "I think it is important as readers that we still hold Ross accountable for the poor decisions he makes throughout the novel." is crucial in understanding this book, although I think it is also notable that Jason taking the blame is part of his character, showing his sympathy and emotional responsibility of sorts.

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