Purpose Of The Reason I Jump Analysis

Purpose of the Reason I Jump
When Naoki Higashida states, “[People with autism] are misunderstood, and we’d give anything if only we could be understood properly” (86), he ultimately expresses his purpose in writing the Reason I Jump. The want to be understood is expressed throughout the book, and is furthered by the usage of literary and rhetorical devices including but not limited to multiple allegories.
The first of the allegories comes in the form of a story named, “Slip Sliding Away,” and it is closely related to the well-known “The Tortoise and the Hare” by Aesop. The story is a continuation of the famed fable where the hare challenges the tortoise for a second race. However, this time the “Tortoise slipped and flipped over onto his back” (Higashida 34) and “all the other animals ran up to the Tortoise to see if he was all right” (Higashida 34). The tortoise, flipping over, is likely representative of an autistic person because like an autistic person, who“[doesn’t] know [his or her] body parts so well” (Higashida 33), the tortoise was also clumsy. The story also relays that “[the animals] all carried the Tortoise back” (Higashida 34) suggesting how much care and commitment an autistic person needs. By writing

the story, Higashida is able to connect to a popular fable, creating a better understanding of autism for the audience and how much passion and understanding an autistic person needs.
Another allegory is “The Black Crow and the White Dove.” The story establishes that both animals already have pre-determined characteristics as crows were seen as evil while the white doves were favored and loved. When the white dove was lost, the crow responded with “but all paths are one connected path” (Higashida 103), lightening up the dove’s mood. The dove flew away and then the crow did so as well, as the “black crow looked no less perfect against the deep blue than the white dove” (Higashida 103). The story suggests that though the two birds are different, both can experience happiness even if they have already been given labels. Likewise, though autistic people have already been stigmatized and mislabeled, and even if they think and act differently, we are nonetheless human and needing of care and compassion.
Though there are other figurative language devices used in the book, the multiple allegories added more depth and meaning to the book.

By writing “Slip Sliding Away,” Higashida is able to express an autistic person’s situation in a different manner, one that creates a better understanding for the audience. By writing “The Black Crow and the White Dove,” Higashida shows that even if autistic people are perceived to be immature, they too can still be happy and need the same care that other people receive. By taking in the book as a collective whole, Higashida effectively sheds some light on the mysterious world of autism, plagued with misconceptions and secrets. Though this may be one small book, it is a giant leap for mankind’s perception of

autism.