Arthur Morrison

A Child of the Jago Arthur Morrison

The Jago is a seriously deprived area in which hardly anyone has honest employment or any prospect of it. Existence is solely about survival on a day-to-day basis. Money is squandered in gambling or on drink and tobacco, and children go unfed. In such an environment survival is a matter of ruthlessness and opportunism. Crime and violence Because of the prevailing poverty of the Jago, crime is the only practical means of income for most residents. Everything that can be stolen is fair game, and the weak are preyed upon by the strong. Violence is endemic and extreme. We see Dicky savagely beaten by his father for stealing a watch, a watch which Josh immediately goes out and sells. In shocking scenes of violence Sally Green is repeatedly stabbed in the face with a broken bottle by Nora Walsh, and a carman, venturing into the citadel of the Jago is robbed and kicked unconscious. Family and parenthood Contrasting elements of the family are depicted. Clan affiliation leads to vicious factional fighting between Ranns and Learys, yet the neglect of children is stark. Looey is allowed to decline until death, unloved and unmourned. Children seldom attend school but are allowed to roam dark and dangerous streets alone. Morality The Jago has a warped morality. The Ropers are despised for being clean, sober and industrious. Viciousness and dishonesty is respected and the only real sin is that of informing. An inverted hierarchy of criminality and brutality means that a child of the Jago aspires ultimately to joining the ranks of the High Mob, the most successful criminals. Environment The reader is forced to consider the extent to which such an environment suffocates all hope of virtue, self-development and decency. We see that despite the best efforts of Father Sturt and Dicky himself, the boy is dragged back from hope of a respectable future into a life of crime that is nasty, brutish and short. Kiddo Cook's success in elevating himself and escaping the Jago is depicted as exceptional.