Hey Nostradamus! Jason

     In this chapter Jason is further introduced into the novel and the section is now being told through his point of view during and after the school massacre. After being shocked by Cheryl's news of her being pregnant Jason continues his day in somewhat of a daze and is anxious to continue his talk with Cheryl during lunch. Jason is also part of the Youth Alive! group and unlike Cheryl who has chosen to remain silent and ignore their irritating "friends" Jason can't take it anymore and lashes out at one. As Jason makes his way toward the cafeteria he hears the gun shots and runs towards the cafeteria despite many teachers trying to stop him. When he gets to the cafeteria and sees the shooters Jason picks up a rock and launches it at one of them killing him instantly. After that fellow students work up the courage and take the other two down since they were already killing each other off. Jason runs to Cheryl to find her dead. After the massacre Jason is in a daze and taken home where his father Reg who is a radical Christian accuses him of being a murderer instead of a hero for taking down one of the shooters. In the next few days Jason is then publicly accused of being the "mastermind" behind the whole shooting scheme. He becomes the neighborhood outcast and feels betrayed by everyone who knows him. Jason is telling his section of the novel in a form of a letter that he is writing to his twin nephews; which are his older brother Kent's sons. As an adult Jason is quiet and to him self. He has never been able to get over the death of Cheryl and the negative words his father constantly cast upon him. He works as a type of home furnish-er and is a single thirty year old whose best friend is his dog Joyce. After finding out the his older brother Kent has died he battles with the decision of going to his brother's memorial. Jason ends up going where he sees his father for the first time since the day of the massacre. Still bitter towards his father Jason ignores him as he has a conversation about cloning with some of Kent's old friends. When Reg comments that clones can never be human because they have no souls and therefore the twins being clones of each other, one must not have a soul. Reg is kicked out of the memorial by Barb, Kent's wife and Jason sees that his father still has not changed since they has last spoken.
     I like that Coupland is not just sticking to Cheryl's point of view and switches to Jason so that the reader can really see all around what happened that day and the days that followed. I feel really bad for Jason having to live through that and not having his father's support. I think that Reg is the perfect example of how Christianity can seem hypocritical throughout the novel. He has taken the bible to its literal context and therefore his views are looked as arrogant. Jason section of the novel was a lot more sad which I found ironic because I would think Cheryl's section would be more sad since she is the one who died not Jason. Dealing with a loss of a loved one is always hard and since Jason got ridiculed and looked down on after the massacre instead having the support that one needs during hard times like that made him the depressed man that he is now.