Roger Skunk Character Analysis

The protagonist of the story Jack tells Jo, Roger Skunk is in many ways a stand-in for Jack. Bullied for his foul skunk smell much like Jack was bullied as a child, Roger wants nothing more than to fit in and play with the other animals. However, he ultimately acquiesces to his mother’s wishes and accepts that his smell cannot be changed because it is part of who he is. Roger’s journey proves challenging and polarizing to Jack and Jo because both people project a different part of themselves onto him. At four-years-old, Jo wants nothing more than to fit in among her peers, and is therefore horrified when Jack says that Roger’s mother makes Roger return to his former smell (which had made the other animals dislike him). For Jack on the other hand, Roger’s willingness to return to his original smell represents his sense of duty toward his family and mirrors Jack’s responsibilities to his own family, which he accepts even when resents or feels constrained by them. While Jack perhaps intends Roger’s story to teach Jo about this kind of familial duty, she is still too young to grasp the unpleasant concept of compromise and sacrifice, and is heartbroken that Roger is not able to smell the way he wants, showing her innocent desire for happiness without compromise.