Jasper Jones Quotes

Craig Silvey’s 2009 novel Jasper Jones presents the story of “a foal being born”; that is, it is the coming-of-age story of thirteen-year-old boy Charlie Bucktin. Set in 1965 in the fictional, rural mining town of Corrigan, Western Australia, it tells the story of Charlie’s development of morals and his recognition of the injustices of the world. It explores knowledge and its burdensome characteristics during his loss of innocence, and, additionally, delves into the idea of proving one’s self in the world; learning to stand up both for one’s self, and for what is right. In Jasper Jones, literary techniques, namely metaphors, personification and intertextuality, enable Silvey to illustrate the roles morality, knowledge and proving one’s self …show more content…
Language emphasises the way his naivety of racism and crime diminishes and turns into knowledge and understanding. “My bubble has burst” implies a metaphorical nakedness and a new phase of development, as Charlie is forced to process the knowledge of the world’s injustices. The recognition that “shit has been taken from [Jasper] his whole life” and the realisation that “this world isn’t right” demonstrates a further understanding and the ability to sympathise with those who are frowned upon, allowing the reader to gain a deeper understanding of the development of the morality of Charlie’s thoughts and opinions. Furthermore, setting, characterisation, alliteration and metaphors highlight the way Charlie learns to recognise Corrigan’s discriminatory small-town attitude. He begins to view it as a character itself whose inhabitants, in order to protect themselves, “suck themselves stuck and clench themselves shut,” working together to turn a blind eye to the truth. The reader is engaged to consider Corrigan a character, rather than simply the setting of the story. Setting and language highlight the role that recognition of the world’s injustices play in the development of Charlie’s