Character Analysis
Woodman Jack
Mr. Jacks spends a lot of time around wood, which might explain why (1) he seems a bit wooden himself, and (2) he's Will's woodshop teacher. He means well, but is not very helpful in building up Will's confidence, or helping him figure out what he want to do with his life. Mr. Jacks wants Will, a kid struggling with depression and death in the family, to get over it and move on with his life. His solution? Make more gnomes.
Is Mr. Jacks nice? Absolutely. But he's also not exactly the person you want to turn to when you're in a bad place.
Lost His Way with Words
Mr. Jacks is a by-the-books guy who seems unaware of his insensitive remarks to Will. For instance, when Will tells him that he wanted to be a pilot, Mr. Jacks' response is:
"You are not a pilot and never were. The aptitude tests don't lie… and the tests indicated that… you don't have skill set for a pilot. As I understand it, Will, you don't even drive, is that correct? Most guys your age can't wait—" (213)
Looks like Mr. Jacks missed the whole How To Encourage Students lesson when he was in teacher school. But while his ill-worded comments make him look callous, thankfully Will is insightful enough to see beyond Mr. Jacks's shallow observations and off-the-mark advice. Will notes:
Apparently—and surprisingly, considering the population he works with—Mr. Jacks doesn't have a great gift for handling situations like this—like you. (574)
Well, we can't all be good at everything.
What the World Needs Now is Gnomes, Sweet Gnomes
Reinforcing the idea that Mr. Jacks is more clueless than anything is the fact that, when Mr. Jacks finally does tell Will that he's talented, it's part of his Make More Gnomes speech—which isn't what Will wants to hear right now. Sure, it's possible that making custom gnomes with "extra-big chubby, happy, faces" is the secret to happiness, but it's not an obvious one. According to Mr. Jacks on more than one occasion, however:
"You are very gifted, you know Will and if word started circulating, who knows what this could do for you." (228)
"The world needs something from each of us, and what the world needs from you is gnomes and whirligigs and furniture." (575)
Mr. Jacks really believes in Will and his gnome making skills. Unfortunately, though, since this isn't something that Will cares about, Mr. Jacks's comments often drive him further into feelings of low self-worth and purposelessness. Can you blame Will for feeling a little small? The most vocal support he gets for his value is in regards to something he just doesn't care about. Bummer.