Jake Berenson

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Jake Berenson is a fictional character and primary protagonist from the sci-fi book series Animorphs, written by K. A. Applegate. Until the second-to-last book of the series, his last name was never revealed, and he was known only as Jake.

[edit] Place and role in Animorphs

Homer, Jake's dog, his first-ever morph

In the series, Tobias announces that Jake is the unofficial leader of the Animorphs, a group of teenage guerillas at war with a covert alien invasion. Although he originally does not want the role, Jake changes his mind after he learns that his idolized older brother Tom is among the Controllers, people infested by Yeerks. Jake vows to free his brother and protect his parents, Steve and Jean, a pediatrician and a freelance writer, respectively. "If he defeated the Yeerks, freed humanity, rescued Earth, that was good. But that was just a bonus. His main goal was much simpler. To save his family. That goal was what had given him strength. That goal was what had kept him sane. Allowed him to retain a center of calm focus amid the awful chaos," notes Tobias in the 49th volume, The Diversion.

In the first book, Jake was the only character with preexisting ties to each of the other Animorphs. Rachel was Jake's cousin. Jake and Cassie had mutual physical attractions which, during the series, deepened into a relationship. Jake later proposes to Cassie, but she declines. She consents to "after all of this is over." In the end, however, the two are dragged apart by distrust. Marco was Jake's best friend. Tobias was rescued by Jake from bullies sometime before the series began and had a mild case of hero-worship towards him. While Ax didn't appear until the 4th volume, The Message, Ax quickly accepted Jake as his 'Prince' ('Prince' being a rank in the Andalite military hierarchy) and soon developed deep loyalty to him. That led to a recurring joke between them:

Jake's second-ever morphing, into a green anole

Ax: "...Prince Jake." Jake: "Don't call me prince." Ax: "Yes, Prince Jake."

One of Jake's more harrowing experiences was when he was infested by a Yeerk, Temrash 114. Fortunately Ax realized something was wrong (because Jake's face momentarily twisted into an expression of disgust when he saw Ax), and the Animorphs tied Jake up for three days until Temrash died of Kandrona starvation. Jake got his first glimpse of Crayak when Temrash died. He was also left with partial memory imprints of Temrash and his former hosts: a Gedd, a Hork-Bajir, and Tom (who now was host to another Yeerk).

As the leader of the small band of guerilla warriors, his leadership, his choices and mistakes, and the responsibility he assumed were recurring themes in the Animorphs series. Despite his best efforts, his main goal was never reached. After failing to save both his parents and Tom from alien infestation, Jake's sole reason for joining the fight in the first place, he was left emotionally damaged and unable to lead. Through much work, Cassie lifted him out of it, but her success was short-lived. Rachel and Tom's deaths, Tobias's disappearance, and his potentially illegal order to kill over seventeen thousand defenceless unhosted Yeerks haunted Jake in the years to follow the war. (At Visser Three's trial the defence accused Jake of war crimes and mass murder) He slid into a deep depression, leaving him unable to adapt to normal civilian life. Only what Jake saw as his second chance, the search for Ax, successfully brought Jake to the present.

After more than six months captaining the Rachel, a state-of-the-art Yeerk ship named by Tobias, Jake encounters a Blade ship -- one containing the last fugitives from the Yeerk empire. Ax's captor, a monstrous being of unknown origin known only as "The One", makes its unsettling appearance through a communication channel between the Blade ship and the Rachel. Undaunted, Jake gives his (presumed) final order, instructing the pilot to power up their engines and ram the larger ship. The command is an ironic one; decades ago, a young Elfangor had given the same order. It was this decision which rocketed him to princely status and a place in Andalite legend.

[edit] Jake's morphs

• Golden Retriever ("Homer", first morph)
• Green Anole Lizard
• Siberian Tiger (preferred battle morph)
• Peregrine Falcon (preferred aerial morph)
• Flea
• Wolf (alpha male)
• Trout
• Dolphin
• Seagull
• Lobster
• Ant
• Cockroach
• Housefly
• Great Horned Owl
• Termite
• Skunk
• Bat
• Spider Monkey (cannot be used: Sario Rip morph)
• Jaguar (cannot be used: Sario Rip morph)
• Horse (Racehorse)
• Parrot
• Hammerhead Shark
• Rhinoceros (secondary battle morph)
• Mole
• Mosquito
• Leeran
• Tyrannosaurus Rex (cannot be used: Sario Rip morph)
• Dragonfly
• Human (Secret Service agent, acquired to infiltrate a banquet of world leaders that was being targeted by the Yeerks)
• Anteater
• Seal
• Polar Bear (named "Nanook")
• Howler
• Giant Squid
• Chimpanzee
• Eel
• Medieval Warhorse (cannot be used: Sario Rip morph)
• Hork-Bajir
• Squirrel
• Cockatiel
• Orca (named "Swoosh"),
• Beaver
• Anaconda

[edit] Family & personal life

Jake is Jewish, on his father's side.^[1]

His father, Steve Berenson, worked as a pediatrician, and became a Controller late in the series. His mother, Jean Berenson, worked as an author, and became a Controller late in the series. Jake has a brother, Tom Berenson, who is a Controller from the beginning of the series.

Jake's uncle, Dan (brother of Steve), is a news anchor. He is divorced and lives by himself. In #7, when he was moving out, he offered Rachel the opportunity to stay with him and fly back every weekend to see her mother and sisters, but Rachel declined. Jake's aunt by marriage Naomi, is a lawyer and is extremely headstrong and contentious. When she is forced to hide in the Hork-Bajir valley, she tries to escape a few times.

Jake's cousins include Rachel, a fellow Animorph (deceased), Jordan, who is two years younger than Rachel, and Sara, who is younger than Jordan. His other cousin, Saddler (by an unknown sibling of Dan and Steve, either his mother Ellen or his father George), received life-threatening injuries in Book 21. David acquired and morphed the wounded Saddler, briefly masquerading as him and allowing his family to believe he'd miraculously recovered. The family would have suffered further grief when David became trapped as a nothlit, causing 'Saddler' to disappear without explanation. The real Saddler has never been seen again and is presumed dead. Cousins Justin, Brooke, and Forrest are siblings of Saddler.

Jake's great grandfather, Grandpa G, was the father of Jean's mother. Grandpa G was a veteran of World War II whom Jake admired and respected greatly. He died in book 31 and the family left town to attend his funeral. Grandpa G had a granduncle Isaiah Fitzhenry who fought for the Union in the American Civil War. Jake found and read Isaiah's wartime diary in book 47.

[edit] Toys

In 1999, four different Transformers toys of Jake were made. Two of the larger ones that were sold in stores turned into a Tiger and a Grizzly Bear, while the third was one piece of the Tyrannosaurus Rex made up of Jake, Cassie, and Marco figures. The smaller transformer was part of a Taco Bell children's meal promotion and turned into a lizard.^[2]

[edit] Footnotes