Black Swan Green ends with the divorce of Jason's parents and his impending move to Cheltenham. Although Jason remains oblivious to the problems in their marriage for a long time, the cracks in their relationship begin to show as early as the first chapter. Despite their argument about both redoing the kitchen and getting a rockery in the backyard (both things that Helena wants, but Michael is against), both of those things end up happening. Even after Helena and Michael clash over her job offer, Helena still 'wins' in the end and ends up working in Cheltenham. These arguments show the beginning of the separation between Helena and Michael, as well as Helena's growing independence, which is what allows her to get the divorce in the first place.
The first indication that all is not as it seems between Helena and Michael is during the first chapter, where Jason is so focused on explaining why he went into his father's office to notice the tension between his parents. When he picked up the call, he heard only a baby crying in the background. The caller was likely Cynthia, who has a young child and with whom Michael is revealed to have had an affair with. Helena likely has some suspicions that it was Cynthia on the phone, and becomes withdrawn during dinner as she contemplates that possibility. When she talks with her sister later, she reveals those suspicions (which Jason doesn't seem to fully understand), saying "If it hadn't been for-- you know, that 'incident' of Michael's five and a half years ago, or whatever it was, I wouldn't've thought twice." (54). At this point however, she doesn't feel comfortable enough to openly ask Michael about it, especially because she is financially dependent on him.
After the incident with the phone call, Helena begins asserting herself more, asking for a new kitchen backsplash and a rockery. These independences are in part prompted by the visit of her sister, who encourages Helena to get the rockery and to return to work, which both later become the foci of arguments Helena has with Michael. As she becomes less certain of Michael's fidelity in the background, she begins to push arguments more, and they butt heads in front of Jason more often. When they argue about the rockery, Michael says "I am the breadwinner in this family, and I don't think it's unreasonable for me to spend at least a portion of my salary however the hell I see fit." (99). After this, Helena begins pushing back on Michael's dismissals, and discovers some worrying things. They have a big argument, and Helena finally reveals her suspicions about the resurgence of Michaels affair. She yells "How am I supposed to respond, Michael? Using our house as security! Then the money gets paid out in tidy parcels to God Knows Where. Or is it to God Knows Who?" (104). She seems to back off after this, especially because I don't think she meant to allude to the affair.
However, Helena 'wins' the argument, and they get the rockery put in a month later (even if things don't all go to plan for her). Later, when Yasmin Morton-Bagot offers her a job, Helena jumps at the offer, despite Michaels efforts to dissuade her. She says "You won't have to shell out hills of money on my whims anymore. I can afford them myself." (128). Michael seems to realize that he's lost the argument and backs down. By the time Jason takes the separate trips with his parents, thigs have cooled beneath them, and they seem to be almost in a rivalry for better parent, each giving Jason more money than he had gotten before. Things come to a head when Michael is fired from his job, and Helena becomes the sole breadwinner for the family. They have an argument over the Knife Grinder, during which Helena alludes to Michael's affair again. By this point, Jason is aware of their deteriorating relationship, although he doesn't really think of the possibility of them getting a divorce.
Jason cuts out the actual announcement of the divorce from the book, and the whole story is only revealed through Jason overhearing two women gossiping. Helena and Michael don't really interact from the rest of the book, but it is clear they aren't talking to each other. The reason that the divorce was possible (and the reason why Michael's affair was discovered in the first place) was Helena's increasing independence.
i find it mildly interesting that the mother characters of fun home and bsg share basically the same name (helena/helen) but that's besides the point. I think you do a really good job here of connecting the earlier forshadowing into the ending of this book-- helena and micheal's divorce-- and you really hit on the key element of helena's independance. I agree with you that that's the reason helean is empowered to divorce micheal.
ReplyDeleteGreat job tracking the progression of Helena and Michael's pre-divorce phase. I want to highlight your point that Helena's sister played an important role in encouraging Helena to take the job offer at the gallery. Particularly, it seems important that her sister is (to our knowledge) the only person Helena consults about the big issues in her life. As someone who is able to understand her (partly from also being a housewife) and would willingly give her genuine advice about what would be the best for her, Helena's sister likely helped Helena get through other stressful situations in her marriage. (this relationship almost reminds me of Julia and Jason, especially at the end of the book where Julia coaches Jason on how to dress up for the disco party)
ReplyDeleteI think it's interesting how as Helena gets more and more independent and she starts questioning Michael more their relationship starts to deteriorate. you do a good job showing the connection between the two and how it leads to the divorce. I think it may also have been due to Michael's attempts to deny her agency and independence since it keeps him as the sole breadwinner which makes somewhat of a power dynamic between them, but it still ultimately leads to Helena seeking more independence.
ReplyDeleteWow, I didn't really realize just how much happened between Helena and Michael in the book. Maybe it's a sign of Jason's naivety that the whole story isn't super obvious from his narration. The way you put it makes total sense. Great post!
ReplyDeleteI really liked how you focused on Helena's growth throughout the novel :) Just like how Jason learns to find his voice, Helena has the same development in her narrative. Rather than multiple inner voices like Jason's (Maggot, Unborn Twin, and Hangman), Helena's struggle is both herself and Michael. Michael is maybe the more constrictive voice (like Hangman for Jason), but Helena seems to also struggle with trying to maintain her emotions for the sake of the family.
ReplyDeleteI think its interesting how you relate Elena's growing independence to the divorce. You set this blog post up in a way that helps the reader follow the story and see Elena and Michaels marriage unfold. I also think you make a lot of valid points, if Elena had never begun to yearn for a certain level of independence outside of her home she never would've discovered Michaels affair and the finances. All in all great post.
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting how seemingly mundane things like installing a rockery or getting a job at a gallery make clear and widen the growing gaps in Helena and Michael's relationship. Helena is fiercely independent on her own but in some ways, her spirit has been suppressed over the years by Michael and the expectations of taking on the stereotypical responsibilities of being a housewife. However, as she grows in her strength of being true to herself, she starts to question people in authority around her, namely Michael, which leads to the exposing of his dealings and finances.
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