Jasper Jones
“I don’t understand a thing about this world: about people, the and why they do the things they do. The more I find out, the more I uncover, the more I know, the less I understand.”
Discuss what Charlies learns over the summer of 1965.
The novel ‘Jasper Jones’ by Craig Silvery is a coming of age novel, which takes place in the small rural town of Corrigan, in Western Australia. The protagonist, Charlie Bucktin discovers numerous things over the course of the summer which changes his view of the world entirely. After being led to the hanging body of Laura Wishart by the town outcast Jasper Jones, it is the first stage of the loss of his innocence. He begins to realise and question the harsh reality of everything around him, how people like him are capable of dreadful evils and the racial prejudice in which Corrigan embraces.
During the course of the novel Charlie learns the harsh reality of life, that everything is not black and white as he had previously believed. His life is turned upside down when Jasper leads him to the body of Laura Wishart. ‘I don’t know. I don’t know what I think.’ [pg 15] Charlie is torn between helping Jasper find out who murdered her as well as disposing of her body or telling others, including the police. Charlie decides to trust Jasper in a situation where no one else in Corrigan would. He comes to the conclusion that they would immediately suspect and arrest Jasper without a proper investigation or a second thought. ‘Charlie. There’ll be a fucken court date before there’s a funeral.’[pg 23] Another harsh reality is when Charlie uncovers the truth about his parents, whom he had previously thought highly of. Finding his mother in a car drunk, fooling around with another man, who when confronted leaves Charlie, his father and Corrigan behind the next day. As well as unveiling the fact that his father knew something was happening to Laura but said nothing of it to anyone. ‘I’ve been betrayed by both my parents in a single night.’ [pg
Discuss what Charlies learns over the summer of 1965.
The novel ‘Jasper Jones’ by Craig Silvery is a coming of age novel, which takes place in the small rural town of Corrigan, in Western Australia. The protagonist, Charlie Bucktin discovers numerous things over the course of the summer which changes his view of the world entirely. After being led to the hanging body of Laura Wishart by the town outcast Jasper Jones, it is the first stage of the loss of his innocence. He begins to realise and question the harsh reality of everything around him, how people like him are capable of dreadful evils and the racial prejudice in which Corrigan embraces.
During the course of the novel Charlie learns the harsh reality of life, that everything is not black and white as he had previously believed. His life is turned upside down when Jasper leads him to the body of Laura Wishart. ‘I don’t know. I don’t know what I think.’ [pg 15] Charlie is torn between helping Jasper find out who murdered her as well as disposing of her body or telling others, including the police. Charlie decides to trust Jasper in a situation where no one else in Corrigan would. He comes to the conclusion that they would immediately suspect and arrest Jasper without a proper investigation or a second thought. ‘Charlie. There’ll be a fucken court date before there’s a funeral.’[pg 23] Another harsh reality is when Charlie uncovers the truth about his parents, whom he had previously thought highly of. Finding his mother in a car drunk, fooling around with another man, who when confronted leaves Charlie, his father and Corrigan behind the next day. As well as unveiling the fact that his father knew something was happening to Laura but said nothing of it to anyone. ‘I’ve been betrayed by both my parents in a single night.’ [pg