Essay Comparing Just In Case And How I Live Now
Meg Rosoff’s novels Just in Case and How I Live Now depict adolescent characters that endure psychological difficulties. In both novels, Rosoff explores psychological dimensions by way of mental health concerns, while using the imagination of her respective characters as a source of psychological defence. These characters, namely Justin (formerly David) and Daisy use dogs and their imagination as an instrument of coping, and as a catalyst for communication. Both novels clearly demonstrate the ascription of zoomorphic elements by the adolescent characters which serve to deepen not only our understanding of them, but their understanding of self and their experiences. This brief reading response will seek to demonstrate the way in which Justin and Daisy use dogs and their imagination to cope with mental illness and as a medium for communication. *
In the two works, we see that dogs provide a nurturing, supportive, and empathic presence. In Just in Case, David Case appears to struggle with anxiety, paranoia, and the perpetual fear of the unknown. Desperate to evade fate and escape from the menacing what ifs that often preoccupy his mind, David changes his name to
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Alternatively, Daisy does not imagine a dog companion as a source of comfort. Instead, she imagines Edmond, conjuring him up in her mind when she feels lonely: “I talked to him constantly […] his presence silenced, if only for a few seconds, the crackling anxiety that made my blood grate against my bones and for a little while [I would] feel melted and soft.” Interestingly, Daisy does not confide in another person, or seek comfort by talking to someone that is physically present. She, instead, conjures Edmond from thin air, and can “almost feel the weight of his body against [hers]”. Her connection to Edmond, although imaginary, comforts her. Both Boy and imaginary Edmond prove to be crucial for Justin and Daisy’s
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