“Hope, Healing, and the struggle” by Braverman is about the struggles of the Pakistani people against the Israeli discriminatory conditions like the wall he talks about in “A wall in Jerusalem”, (Braverman 1). Jesus’ son on the other hand tells about the lives of the addicts in the stories and how they overdose on drugs in presence of their lovers. Interestingly, they live in a life of struggle and loss of direction. Jesus’ son is a tale of the young addicts without hope, and in need of healing while living with the struggles of their lives. Johnson chose the epigraph in order to give the reader a hint of the theme of the book. The epigraph is derived from the song “Heroin” by Lou Reed, which is basically about the abuse of heroin. Any person with a little knowledge about the song will automatically get a clue of what the book is about. “Closing in on death” would have made an interesting and attractive epigraph. One of the connections with the lyrics is that the narrator has an idea about the final crash in the book and the fact that the song is about drug abuse would make a great connection. Another interesting song would be “A junkie’s Lament” by James Taylor. From the song, the most attractive epigraph would be “Kicking the gong”. The song is about the life of a junkie and it directly relates to the stories narrated in Jesus’ son. Jesus’ son brings out the theme of the whole book and the reader can anticipate that the stories in the book are all about drugs. The character portrayed of Jesus son in “Heroin” is that of a Junkie, which means that one expects the book to be about drug users. It’s all about the outcasts and how they struggle with life without hope but with much need for healing. The use of the epigraph Jesus’ son gives the idea that either the narrator in the book is a drug addict or is about to describe the life of an addict. Interestingly, the song “A junkies lament” is about the struggles of a junkie. The song’s lyrics befit the storyline of the book and would provide a good theme for the book. The theme would also provide a hint on how drug addicts slowly transform into family and society outcast soon after they become addicts. The lyrics tell of a relationship between the junkie and the mother. Similarly Wayne in Jesus’ son no longer lives with his wife, probably because he became an addict or because of the life he has to lead as an addict that would not allow him to live with the wife. The narrator in the story also seems to be an outcast who has lost hope. This is because he gets into the car and drives under influence even when he anticipates the car to crash. The men in Jesus’ son cannot be fully part of the society as they have to concentrate on what seems to be more important to them, the drugs. The narrator even overdoses on drugs from the hospital where he works. This are a people who suffer from loss of hope and need of healing from their troubles leading to a life full of struggles.
Response 1
There seems to be a confusion between the character “Fuckhead” and Johnson, when you say Johnson’s fear, does it mean that “Fuckhead” is Johnson in the book. The narrator in the story does not seem to fit Johnson’s character, especially because this is not Johnson’s autobiography. However, the theme of fear and the choice. Also, there is little explanation of the choice of the epigraph and the reason for the choice. However, there is clear understanding of the real connection between the song “Heroin” and Jesus’ son, which is drug addiction. Choosing you can’t help me guys would change the main theme of the book from addiction to relationships. The main reason why Johnson chose Jesus’ son is because the addict in the song “Heroin” felt like Jesus’ son when high, meaning the main theme was addiction.
Response 2
Justice is interestingly not served in the book and Johnson portrays the theme very interestingly. Presenting Jesus’ son as an outcast is an interesting choice of words, especially because Jesus’ son is a creation of the mind of the addict in the song. Presenting the epigraph as the title of the book is basically meant to give a hint of the main theme of the book by connecting the idea with that of the song. The line chosen does not meet the qualities of a good title because of its length and the change of the main theme of the book. This means that the phrase “Reed 32-35” would not fit the description of an epigraph. Imagine reading a book that is 28 words long! Would you want to read it? However, there is a clear understanding of the theme of addiction and the connection of the theme of justice to O’Connor’s quote is creative and enjoyable.
Work cited:
Braverman, Mark. A Wall in Jerusalem: Hope, Healing, and the Struggle for Justice in Israel and Palestine. Jericho Books, 2013.
Taylor, James. "(YouTube Video) A Junkie's Lament." 1976. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkHlLQ93MrE>.
