Escape From Reality

Escape, a word with many meanings, but always a meaning of an alternative reality. Throughout Dread Nation, Jane McKeene uses reading as her escape. Now reading for her is a privilege as many negroes in her time period were not given lessons on learning to read or write. Jane is a one of a kind at her school. Although reading was not allowed at Miss Preston’s, Jane went to lengths to obtain reading materials. She had already broken the rules by speaking with Jackson, so she had nothing else to lose. Jane had newspapers and books smuggled into the school for her. While Jane never mentions that reading is an escape for her, it is evident by how tightly she holds onto her edition of Tom Sawyer, given to her as a gift from Jackson. Reading newspapers allowed Jane not only to learn about what happened in the outside world but also to enter the world herself mentally. When she read, she escaped the walls of Miss Preston’s and went somewhere no one could tell her what to do or who to be. The book from Jackson served as a constant in Jane’s world full of change. As Jane was swept off to Summerland, the book remained as a reminder of times when things were constant, and she could escape back to Miss Preston’s when things were not great but better than Summerland was. The book also served as another escape to a world that Jane could make her own. As she entered Sawyer’s world, she was a passerby who watched in the wings from safety. As Jane finds a new escape in her visions of finding her mother and living a life of her own with her family, she loses interest in the book. The book becomes less of a necessity. Jane eventually gives her book away to someone she considers a dear friend. Is this only being nice, or does she believe her friend needs a way to escape his reality too? I believe that Jane’s purpose is not only to leave Summerland, find her mother, and live her own life but also to provide an escape to anyone she can. Escapes are a way to instill hope in others. Hope is something lost often to those in Jane’s situation, but as she explores her relationships in Summerland, she realizes that many more people have lost hope. Hope plays an integral role in happiness and a fulfilled life. Adolescence is all about finding yourself and what makes you truly happy. Jane has been refused the opportunity to find herself and doing what made her happy. Jane was living a life of being told who to be and what to do. Reading was Jane’s way of breaking and challenging the system. Books and newspapers were her route to finding herself and her happiness undetected. Jane was taking action in saving her adolescence while also protecting herself from punishment should she be caught reading in front of her superiors at school. Imagine having to hide what you love to do and keep everything about your inner self a secret. Would that drive you crazy or make you more determined to change your reality? Jane took actions into her own hands by gathering allies throughout Summerland and creating a plan to leave. Jane is smart and creative. She snuck around town finding out information that would give her a leg up over her superiors in Summerland. Her combat skills gave her an edge in her assigned job and sneaking Katherine into the town as passing white edged her up the social scale. Her reality was threatening to push her down further and further into conforming to society. Jane McKeene’s books gave her the confidence to oppose her oppressors and risk everything for not only herself but for her friends. Would you be willing to do the same? Would you make change to benefit only yourself or to benefit all the oppressed in a town? — Courtney Hughes