Pigeon English

by

Stephen Kelman

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Jordan Character Analysis

Jordan is one of Harri’s best friends. Like Harri, he lives in Copenhagen House. He is around Harri’s age and has been expelled from school. Jordan’s mom is white, and Jordan is mixed race. He boasts about his bad behavior, which includes calling an adult “the c— word,” stabbing people, and drinking vodka. Mamma forbids Harri from hanging out with Jordan because she believes Jordan is a bad influence, but Harri does so anyway.
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Jordan Character Timeline in Pigeon English

The timeline below shows where the character Jordan appears in Pigeon English. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
March
Home and the Immigrant Experience Theme Icon
Innocence vs. Guilt Theme Icon
Language, Culture, and Norms Theme Icon
Masculinity, Violence, and Death Theme Icon
Harri sees blood outside Chicken Joe’s, and Jordan offers him one pound to touch it. Harri is tempted, but there is police tape... (full context)
Innocence vs. Guilt Theme Icon
Masculinity, Violence, and Death Theme Icon
Harri leaves a bouncy ball for the dead boy; Jordan leaves a pebble he found on the ground. Harri then gives Jordan a strawberry Chewit... (full context)
Innocence vs. Guilt Theme Icon
Language, Culture, and Norms Theme Icon
Pluralism vs. Prejudice Theme Icon
Masculinity, Violence, and Death Theme Icon
...Mamma buys Harri a Chelsea Football (soccer) Club shirt from the clothes stall, Harri sees Jordan steal a phone. The dead boy had the official Chelsea shirt, not a knockoff like... (full context)
Innocence vs. Guilt Theme Icon
Language, Culture, and Norms Theme Icon
Pluralism vs. Prejudice Theme Icon
...can see lines of flats, including the flats where elderly people and the “never-normals” live. Jordan’s mom uses the term “never-normals” to mean people who are “not right in the head.” (full context)
Innocence vs. Guilt Theme Icon
Language, Culture, and Norms Theme Icon
Pluralism vs. Prejudice Theme Icon
...They smell like cigarettes, and so do their babies. Dean is Harri’s second-best friend, after Jordan, who is Harri’s best friend “outside of school.” Dean advises Harri to put his dinner... (full context)
Home and the Immigrant Experience Theme Icon
Language, Culture, and Norms Theme Icon
Pluralism vs. Prejudice Theme Icon
Masculinity, Violence, and Death Theme Icon
Jordan was expelled from school for kicking a teacher. Jordan is mixed-race, and his mother is... (full context)
April
Innocence vs. Guilt Theme Icon
Language, Culture, and Norms Theme Icon
Pluralism vs. Prejudice Theme Icon
Masculinity, Violence, and Death Theme Icon
...tell you what the question is.” He points out that strangers might need help, but Jordan replies that they never need help—they just want to “shag you up the arse.” Harri... (full context)
Innocence vs. Guilt Theme Icon
Masculinity, Violence, and Death Theme Icon
Harri looks for the murder weapon but only finds drug needles. Jordan likes to boast about the list of bad things he’s done, which include drinking a... (full context)
May
Innocence vs. Guilt Theme Icon
Language, Culture, and Norms Theme Icon
Pluralism vs. Prejudice Theme Icon
Masculinity, Violence, and Death Theme Icon
Jordan’s mom has a tattoo, which Harri thinks means she’s a tutufo. He thinks only men... (full context)
June
Innocence vs. Guilt Theme Icon
Masculinity, Violence, and Death Theme Icon
Harri tries to collect Jordan’s spit, but Jordan won’t let him. Jordan’s favorite gun is a Glock, which he says... (full context)
Innocence vs. Guilt Theme Icon
Language, Culture, and Norms Theme Icon
Masculinity, Violence, and Death Theme Icon
...on the other side of the tunnel. She calls Harri a “stupid boy” and tells Jordan to stay away from him. She calls Jordan “a waste of time.” Jordan calls Harri... (full context)
July
Innocence vs. Guilt Theme Icon
...sends Connor Green out of the classroom. After school, Harri brings his remote-control car to Jordan’s flat and Jordan begs to have a go. Harri enjoys watching him get increasingly desperate,... (full context)
Home and the Immigrant Experience Theme Icon
Innocence vs. Guilt Theme Icon
Pluralism vs. Prejudice Theme Icon
Masculinity, Violence, and Death Theme Icon
...Harri’s flat. Harri tells Mamma it was probably a junkie but secretly thinks it was Jordan doing it as a joke. At school, Altaf and Harri discuss superheroes again. Altaf confesses... (full context)