Jasper Jones Reflection

This novel has incredible depth of meaning and detail located within Craig Silvey's Jasper Jones is remarkable. This novel continues to entertain me, and I look forward to finishing this novel.

Entry 3

As I state within each journal entry, Jasper Jones is an interesting and engaging novel which is delightful to read. The novel thoroughly explores several complicated central ideas. And these subjects are expertly conveyed through the protagonist's Charlie point of view. His point of view displays a juxtaposition of whimsical and light hearted events, and the serious and traumatising event's of a murder in equal measures. This dichotomy truly portray's Craig Silvey's brainchild, Jasper Jones. But the further I read, the more similarity I find

between this, and Harper Lee's creation, "To Kill a Mockingbird".

In particular, the characters Mad Jack Lionel, Jasper Jones, Wesley Bucktin all have characters with similar qualities within "To Kill a Mockingbird". Jasper Jones is a lot like Tom Robinson. Primarily, both characters are dark skinned, and are constantly faced with racial discrimination.

Specifically, both characters are believed to have committed a crime, although Robinson is actually convicted of his crime. Furthermore, Wesley Bucktin shares a resemblance to Atticus Finch. Much like Atticus, Wesley has an intelligent, but passive persona. Also, their parenting styles are also similar, as they both treat their children as adults. But it is not just characters that Craig Silvey shares with Harper Lee's novel. There are also central idea's that are dominant with both novels. Firstly, the existence of social inequality, and blatant racial discrimination within society. This in equality is demonstrated in 'Jasper Jones' through such acts as Jeffery Lu's mother being verbally attacked and An Lu's garden being destroyed. These scenes, further portrays discrimination and prejudice within society, the same way that Tom Robinson's false conviction did in 'To Kill a Mockingbird'. Additionally, An is repeatedly called a 'rat' during his attack, "Red rat! Fucking red rat!", and this metaphor of the vietnamese race being a lower social status, or a rat, further accentuates the existence of social inequality within the novel. Another central idea that is prominent

within both novels, is the notion of good and evil. Within 'To Kill a Mockingbird', the "moral nature of human beings—that is, whether people are essentially good or essentially evil" is explored. Similarly, this notion is explored within 'Jasper Jones'. This concept is perfectly articulated by Charlie when he contemplates what the word "sorry" means; "...It becomes clear to me that it's a good word used by good people. Nobody is truly virtuous, nobody avoids the creeping curse. Every character in every story is buffeted between good and bad, between right and wrong. But it's good people who can tell the difference, who know when they've crossed the line". This notion or morality is constant throughout the novel, and the characters of Jasper and Charlie constantly have to choose what is right, by their own volition.

Ultimately, my opinion of the novel has not dramatically changed. Although some of my initial opinions about what might occur within the plot has changed, I am still firmly intrigued and genuinely interested in finding what how this novel ends.

Entry 4
I have finally finished Jasper Jones. The last one hundred pages was really a page turner. It was full of surprises, and ultimately it and resolved all unanswered questions in regard to the narrative. The reveal that Laura committed suicide after all the emotional trauma she felt as quite saddening. I believe that Silvey uses this tragedy for further portray the human condition within 'Jasper Jones'.
When Eliza explains what happened to Laura, past tense is used. And more importantly, there is a repetition of "Thisiswhathappened", "Thisneverhappened", "Whathadjusthappened" and "That'swhathappened". Collectively, this phrases convey a frantic and rushed account of what happened to Laura Wishart, "Quickly, quickly. She was still a little detached when the halo fell, do you understand? Thisiswhathappene". Furthermore, "Thisneverhappened" and "Whathadjusthappened" convey the distressing and disturbing nature of what happened to Laura.
In addition, there is a kite metaphor which expresses the feeling of letting go, and
"And you want to let it higher, you want to spool out your line and hold it, just for the thrill, to see how far it goes. But once it's out of view, you want it back again, don't you? Because you're still stuck down here and you can't follow it".

Silvey's final message that is portrayed thought the novel is about understanding the human condition. The human condition is both happy and sad, good and evil. It encompasses of emotions and feelings that humans experience. Laura's death epitomises the effects of the evil within the world. Within 'Jasper Jones', Craig Silvey creates a world full of evil people, and evil desires and ideologies. Warrick Trent is the ignorant and bully, Mad Jack Lionel is the enigmatic murderer. These evil people use racism and discrimination to inflict their tyranny on the world. The effects of these people's actions ultimately torment the human condition, and ruin it for everyone else. But there are also good people within this world. Jasper Jones is the misunderstood outcast, Jeffery is the whimsical best friend. United, these people shed light on the human condition, and make it more pleasant for everyone else on earth. The human condition is within everything that humans experience. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel, and lessons that it taught through both humorous and serious writing.