Jason has undergone two tests so far. Although they test two different aspects of Jason, they are actually quite similar. In one, he attempts to join the Spooks. In the other, he seeks to improve his poetry. Both start with an invitation. The Spooks send him a magazine-cutout message to begin his initiation and "vicar" calls Jason to the vicarage. Both tests require him to go through a sort of obstacle course: with the Spooks it is a physical one, but with Madame Crommelynk it is a more mental one. Interestingly, Jason has to hide while he performs both these tests. If he gets caught running the race for the Spooks, he fails. If he is caught visiting Madame Crommelynk, it will be the end of whatever social reputation he once had. He does end up passing both tests: he completes the race for the Spooks and has to some extent earned Madame Crommelynk's respect.
But in the end, both tests force him to make a choice. If he rings Mr. Blake's doorbell, he will lose his status as a Spook and the Spooks will hunt him down. If he doesn't ring the doorbell, then he is abandoning his friend. In the case of Madame Crommelynk, Jason realizes he's no great poet, and wonders whether he should just give up poetry. In some ways, he went through these tests for nothing. He lost his Spook status for not abandoning Moran and does not understand the lessons Madame Crommelynk has taught him. Although both tests end on a uncertain note, I hope Jason will be able to conquer any fears he has as a result of the tests. Hopefully he will be able to stop worrying about his social standing, either by not caring or doing something about it. And hopefully he does not give up poetry and better understands the lessons Madame Crommelynk was trying to teach him.
I find it interesting how these parallel tests, in the middle of the book, cross each other as Jason places less value in the kids' social order (and falls from favor) while developing his poetic talent. In 'Maggot', we see him at a social low point. On page 210, Jason metions a poem called "Souvenirs" he wishes to have written out during class. If you could diagram these progressions, they would cross each other like an X in these chapters as his identity as a poet bubbles to the surface and as he goes from "Taylor" to "Taylor the School Stutterer" (209) to "Maggot".
ReplyDelete