Black Swan Green: Chapter 5 Summary & Analysis

News comes to Black Swan Green about a British ship that was hit with a missile. People in town are just glad it wasn’t Tom Yew’s ship. Apparently, it was an Argentinean missile, and British politicians aren’t sure how to proceed until the Soviet Union responds first.

Jason’s dad has been sleeping in a different room from Jason’s mum. He claims it’s because of his back, and she claims it’s because he tosses and turns. Jason’s mum talks about wanting to add a rock garden to their yard. Julia supports the idea, but Jason’s dad thinks it’s a waste of money and effort. As an argument starts, Jason’s dad drops the subject and asks Jason about his school day.

On television, prime minister Margaret Thatcher defends Britain’s right to sink an Argentinean cruiser in response, even though it wasn’t in a prohibited area. This is the beginning of the Falklands War. Nick Yew becomes a hero among other kids due to his brother Tom’s role in the Navy. Jason cuts out clips from newspapers and magazines that he figures might be worth something later.

That night, it’s Julia’s turn to do the dishes, but Jason helps her with drying since she’s been nice to him lately. She tells him a bit about her boyfriend Ewan. Jason’s mum and dad seem to have made peace for the moment, but then his mum asks why his dad took out a second mortgage for 5,000 pounds recently. He accuses her of snooping in his office, but she says she should have a right to do so. She thinks she deserves an answer, but he says it’s just all part of “rescheduling.” She accuses him of using jargon to avoid a straight answer, but he says she doesn’t understand the pressures of his job.

The Falklands War continues, with one day being the bloodiest for the Royal Navy since World War II. The Daily Mail lists lies that the Argentinean junta spreads, and Jason gets enraged, believing his own government would never lie to him that way. Julia is more skeptical of the British government.

One day Ewan comes over to meet Julia and Jason’s mum and dad. He seems self-assured and a little posh, but their mum puts on a voice that sounds even posher. She asks him about his cathedral school, and he says it’s fine but also set in its ways. She says Ewan must have dinner with them sometimes, but he warns that he might be a nuisance because he’s vegetarian. Jason’s mum pretends this is no problem, even though Jason knows his dad has insulting nicknames for vegetarians.

Ewan talks to Jason, who corrects Ewan, saying that his (Jason’s) real name is The Thing, what Julia calls him. Ewan says Julia has called him worse. They go out to look at Ewan’s car, and Jason thinks that if he had a car like that, he’d leave Black Swan Green and never come back.

That night in the dining room, news comes over the radio that Tom Yew’s ship has sunk. Jason thinks about how war is an “auction” for countries, where whoever can afford to pay the most wins, but for individual soldiers, it’s more of a lottery. People try to contact the Yews to find out more, but their phone line is jammed.

The next day in school, the headmaster announces that Tom Yew has died. He praises Tom for his sacrifice and urges people to consider what’s most important in their own lives. Any thrill of war that people felt in Black Swan Green is now gone.

A misunderstanding about Jason’s mum’s rockery leads to the rocks being dumped in the driveway. Jason’s dad seems to enjoy seeing the rockery turn out to be a mess, and his mum calls the company and gets angry.

Soon after, Margaret Thatcher declares that there’s been a truce in the Falklands War, and The Daily Mail writes articles praising how great Britain and its government are. Julia, who reads The Guardian, learns that many of the Argentinean troops that the British fought were  just conscripts. A letter that Tom Yew wrote before his death makes it back to his family. He writes about how the Falkland Islanders seem inbred and uncivilized.

It takes Jason’s mum two weeks to find a solution for the rocks in their driveway. Eventually, it looks nice, and she adds a koi pond. But not long after, a heron comes to the pond and takes the fish. Jason’s mum comes out yelling at the bird. Jason’s dad just watches stoically, looking like he knows he’s won.