Character Analysis
Jason's mom's character is a bit flat. She's got her quirky facets but doesn't change much over the course of the story. She's obsessively absorbed by Jason's health, constantly diagnosing him with off-the-wall conditions. Jason says:
Not that she ever went to medical school. She has this enormous book describing every illness known to man, from nail fungus to cancer of the eyeball. She reads it the way some people read the Bible. (2.46)
Remember that this observation comes from someone who doesn't put any stock in the Bible… nor in his mom, who he thinks is a crazy woman (2.57). So why does this matter in the big picture of the novel? What kind of impact would it make on a guy to have a mom who continually believes there has got to be something wrong with him?
We're not entirely sure how to answer those questions, and we're genuinely curious about what you think. We think that constantly being treated like something may be horribly wrong with you, though, could definitely give a kid a complex.