John Barton - Transgression from Depression to Suicide

Jamie:
The suicide of John Barton is major turning point in Josies path to freedom.
As John attempts to reach out to Josie we get an insight on the pressure that he is under.
Josie finds this information hard to cope with and chooses denial over understanding.
It's as if she doesn't want to believe that John might have faults.
John feels ennormous pressure to live up to his fathers expectations of John one day becoming the priminister of Australia or something else of that calibre.
The abscence of support from his family shows his fathers lack of genuine love.

Towards the end of the book josie comments on john's appearance, saying that 'he looks a hundred times worse.... as if he has lost lots of weight, his face is blotchy and pale" John confides that his fathers expectations are becoming more than a burden " i have to keep on winning ... keep on being the best", but he simply just dosnt have the courage to tell his father he dosn't want to study law insiting that upon hearing that his fatjer would kill him. It's apparent to Josie that he has a problem that runs deeper than just a father- son disagreement. However Josie is shocked when John tells her " i dont think i want to live this life any more", she is even more shocked when he tells her her belief in god is naive and that he is an atheist!Josie keeps hoping that any second he'll turn around and say "april fools Josie"

Josie attempts to help John with his problems, suggesting they write down their feelings on a peice of paper and give them to each other, which wont be opened untill after HSC. Josie finnaly holds in her hands " the soul of john barton"

The last encounter Josie has with John is when they bump into each other at a rugby union game. JOhn, unlike his usual cynical self is happy and light-hearted.
John tells Josie that although she dosnt realize it, her and Ivy are very similiar and he wants them to be friends.
He admits to having a crush on Josie in yr 10, and its as if he is getting things off his chest.
he comfortts josie in her expressions of anxiety about HSC. He encourages her to make the most of her future and insistes that his future is his own to do whatever he wants with it.
They leave each other in a mood of optimism and its not untill the day after thet Josie realizes that she maywell have been the last person to see John alive. she remebers the paper on which john wrote down his thoughts.

Can you see what i see?
No i dont hink you can
I see images pof nothing
and i attempt to make that
nothingness mean something
as hard as i try there is
still nothinhg and that nothing
is meanignless
i am somewheere else now, outside
i am surrounded by people and
the blueness of the sky
but still nothing has changed
everything remains the same
I am still alone

After reading the poem josie sits on the floor, trying to remeber what she had written to him.
but she cant.
she slowly tares up the poem and openoing up the window she lets the peices be taken away on the morning wind. imeediately she regrets it and wants to collect all of the peices and join them back up again, but understands that that is impossible.

His funeral is packed with people of all ages, its clear that in even the smallest way john meant something to a lot of people and his death would have a far greater effect on their livres than he ever thought possible.

Suicide is a major problem in society, and not just today's. In some cultures it is viewed as dishonourable and in eastern cultures it is considered illegal to kill oneself. Some churches refuse funerals to those who have commited suicide, saying they have performed an act against god and that surely they will be taken by the devil down into the fiery pits of hell. I think John's Cynicysm towrads religion made it easiert for him to accept his fate,and that if he had of believed it would have been much harder for him to commit suicide.

what reamins is the question
in the case of some one like john who sees no purpose for himself on earth is it wrong of him to commit the unholy act, or is it wrong for us to prevent him from doing so, meaning that he will never achive freedom?