Jason's Chapter: April 7th

Jason's chapter was a hard one to read, yet it is not difficult to comprehend. It is hard to read in that Jason's character is the least bit likable. The fact that Jason starts his chapter off with, "Once a bitch always a bitch, what I say" shows you just how much of a jerk he is right from the start (3.1). He is a cruel person who treats his family, and everyone else, awfully. His mom loves him and tells him he is "the only one of them that isn't a reproach to" her, meaning her children (3.2). Her love for him hints at an awful side of her. Therefore, she allows him to treat Quentin awfully. Jason constantly mocks Quentin and makes her life hell. She is only truly loved by Dilsey. Quentin has a hard time and rarely goes to school. Jason punishes her, and bullies her, nearly beating her. 

Jason's character is revealed through his evil words and actions. For example, Luster really wants to go to a concert in town, which Jason has two tickets for. Jason does not want to go to the concert and tells Luster that he has two tickets for him. Luster gets excited until Jason mocks him by asking Luster to pay for them, knowing Luster has no money. Jason then precedes to burn the tickets in front of Luster. You can imagine how much this upset Luster. This is just one example that shows Jason's pure cruelty. He does not treat anyone with kindness or respect. Instead, he mocks people and makes their lives' hell. 

Another example of Jason's pure evil is what he does to Quentin. Quentin has a hard life because she has no mom, no dad, her grandmother is bedridden, and Jason is well he's Jason. The only one who treats her with love and compassion is Dilsey, but that is still hard for a girl to grow up living like that. Jason, decides to set Quentin straight, for his mom. She has been skipping school to be with a guy, so he puts it into his own hands to stop her. He mocks and makes fun of her every time he is around her, and when he sees her skipping school he follows her. This is no way to discipline or parent a child, and if anything makes Quentin more rebellious. Quentin also gets checks from her mother to help support her, but Jason steels most of that money for himself. He lies to his mother and Quentin and pretends he does not steal it. 

His evil ranges to everyone he meets. For example he is awful to Benjy and wants to send him off as soon as he can. He has no compassion for him and thinks that Benjy is just a stupid kid that is ruining their family. He also treats black people with disrespect. "What this country needs is white labor. Let these dam trifling niggers starve for a couple of years, then they'd see what a soft thing they have" (3.108). Here he is talking about how they should take away all black jobs. He does not believe in equality. He thinks that he is higher up than everyone, not only black people. He thinks that he is too established for the job that he works in and thinks that he deserves to be working in the bank with Caddy's ex-husband. He is mad at Caddy for divorcing him and does not forgive her for it. All he cares about is money. "Then when she sent Quentin home for me to feed too I says I guess that's right too, instead of me having to go way up north for a job they sent the job down here to me and then Mother begun to cry and I says it's not that I have any objection to having it here; if it's any satisfaction to you I'll quit work and nurse it myself and let you and Dilsey keep the flour barrel full, or Ben. Rent him out to a sideshow; there must be folks somewhere that would pay a dime to see him" (3.147). He has no compassion for his family. This chapter was hard to read because of how much I hated Jason's character.