English Study Notes

Jasper Jones
 o Jasper Jones is set in the summer of 1965 in the
small (fictional) West Australian town of Corrigan.
o The 1960s were a decade of political and social
upheaval in Australia. Young people challenged the
traditional values of their parent’s generation and o Australia has a dark history in its treatment of
actively protested against the decisions of the Indigenous Australians
government, demonstrating against the Vietnam o During the latter part of the 1960s more and more
war, conscription, and the nuclear industry. Australians were beginning to call for recognition
o Women demanded equal rights and there were of aboriginal civil right and in 1967, two years
calls for racial equality and new consideration for after the events that take place in the play, a
the environment. referendum was carried which allowed
indigenous people to legally be counted as part
of the population.
o This was an important moment in the civil rights
o In 1960s Australia, women were also discriminated movement

against on the ground of their sex and gender.
o Inequality in public and private spaces was profound.
o It wasn’t until 1975 that the Whitlam
Government’s Racial discrimination act made it
The contraceptive pill had been introduced in 1961 but
it was only available to married women and some
illegal to discriminate against a person on the
grounds of a person’s face.
doctors refused to prescribe it at all.
o Divorce was legal, but until the family act was passed
on 1975 women who wished to divorce their husbands
had to prove specific grounds for divorce rather than
simply citing irreconcilable differences.

 o War had broken out between communist North Vietnam and democratic South Vietnam in 1959

o In 1965, in an effort to stop the spread of Communism, America and her allies began sending troops to Vietnam. Young
Australian men were conscripted to serve in Vietnam under the Menzies government’s National Service Scheme

o Australians were divided over the issue of conscription and whether or not Australia should be involved in the war.
o In the 1960s thousands of people demonstrated, sometimes violently, against the government.



Aside o A comment that can be heard by the audience but not he characters in the play
o In ‘Jasper Jones’, asides are used to develop Charlie’s character, provide background information
and drive the plot forward
o Through the use of the asides, the text ‘breaks the fourth wall’
Irony o Literary device as a situation in which there is contrast between expectation and reality. Eg. the
difference between what something appears to mean versus its literal meaning.
o Irony within a text will become more apparent once you finished the text and re-read the text
o Example of irony in the text: when Charlie states ‘why would she do that?!’ to which Jasper
responds, ‘She dint do it, Charlie. She can’t have and goes on to say he always hides his rope. This
is ironic because as we finish the text, we realise that Laura did in fact do it to herself.
Dramatic irony o Storytellers use this irony as a useful plot device for creating situation in which the audience knows
more about the situation, the causes of conflicts, and their resolutions before the leading characters
or actors.
o At the end of Act One, Charlie is waiting for Jasper to appear at his window. Through the use of
stage directions, Jasper is hauled onto the stage by dark men in uniform.’Jasper is beaten and
kicked,’ the audience learns that Jasper is being beaten by the police. Charlie does not know this
is occurring and it allows the audience to understand the corrupt nature of the police and reinforces
how the town view Jasper.
 Allusion o A reference, typically brief, to a person, place, thing, event, or other literary work with which the
reader is presumable familiar.
o Since they ask the reader to engage in a little “outside the box” thinking, it’s often a good way to
reinforce the message or themes of a work.
o By the same token, these rhetorical devices allow the writer to offer an example or convey a
message without going into a lengthy discourse
o Charlie is an avid reader and because of this there are many references to literature and film in the
play. Charlie uses the books he borrows from his father’s library to make sense of his life and the
actions of those around him.
Examples of allusions in the play:
o To Kill a Mockingbird: A story set in the United States that deals with false accusations made against
an individual because of their race. This links to jasper’s fears that he will be blamed for Laura’s
death purely because he is Indigenous. The character of Atticus Finch is similar to Charlie’s father
and Jack Lionel is the Boo Radley of Corrigan.
o Batman vs Superman: Charlie asserts that Batman is superior to Superman because he is mortal
and requires a significant amount of bravery and drive to continue fighting crime. The symbolism of
this is clear – Charlie’s fears and insecurities don’t disqualify him from heroic acts. By the end of the
play, he has learnt to live with them. Charlie also sees these qualities in Jasper and Jeffrey,
Derogatory and Derogatory (disrespectful) and expletive (swear words) language are frequently seen throughout the play
Expletive Language

The Culture of Secret Keeping
Technique Example/quote
Derogatory and “Oi Wishart.. Show us your tits.”
expletive language “Fuck off Cong.”
Dialogue “Why did you pick me?” “Seems to me you're a
bit of a thinker. You're different from the rest of
this town.”
Stage directions “She’s giggly and drunk, and softly singing. She
carries her shoes in her hands.”
Aside “Told her to go back where she came from. Then
she pulled out a big chunk of Mrs Lu’s hair”
Explanation linking to idea
Within the play, we can see the types of attitudes and
ideals that are ingrained in the town. Warwick’s behaviour
symbolises these attitudes are accepted and the
treatment of women and people of different cultural
backgrounds.
From the opening act, Jasper is perceived as the
troublemaker of the town and it is for this reason that he
has no choice but to conceal Laura’s death as he knows
that certain assumptions will be made once the body is
found. He forces Charlie to be complicit in his lies
because he perceives Charlie to be different from others
in the town. The people of Corrigan keep these secrets
and make these assumptions in order to protect
themselves.
Illustrates Miss Bucktin returning home drunk thus
insinuating she doesn’t care for her husband and son and
also highlights the unhappiness she has in her life.
The true nature of the town begins to show when Mrs Lu
is assaulted at the Miner’s Hall. The racism present as
well as the acceptance of this racism becomes clear.

o The citizens of Corrigan are used to keeping secrets in order to meet the expectations placed upon them by the town.
o In this seemingly perfect town, a behaviour that is considered to be off or improper lead to gossip. Two characters that are
plagued by gossip are jasper and Mad Jack Lionel, as a result of this they are viewed negatively in the town.
 o Mrs Bucktin and Mr Wishart represent the town as a wholesome place with Mrs Bucktin being the diligent wife and mother
event though it becomes clear that she is unhappy and keeping up this faced to appease the town. Mr Wishart is a
prominent member of the town and as we read, we find out that he is hiding a horrific secret
o As the story progresses, we also find out more about Jasper and his family. We learn that the assumptions made about
him aren’t true and we learn that Mad jack Lionel is actually Jasper’s grandfather and that he carries the guilt of keeping this
secret as well as the guilt of the Jasper’s mum’s death.
o Throughout the play, Charlie and Jasper make it their goal to uncover the secret of Laura’s murder but the real truth of how
she dies exposes many secrets and reveals the tragic truth of her death.

The Burden of Guilt

Technique Example/quote Explanation linking to idea
Stage directions “She stands by Charlie’s window and peers An obvious character who feels guilt through the play is
inside.” Charlie and this is manifested through the ghost of Laura.
This becomes evident through the stage directions. The
first instance of Laura appearing, Charlie does not see
her and this reinforces that Laura is a real girl who died.
Once Charlie begins to see Laura, she becomes a
manifestation of his guilt.
Confessional “Because after she died, I drowned her to save Charlie’s confessional asides further highlight his guilt as
asides Jasper Jones. I did that.” he states <<
Anecdote Aliza tells Charlie about Jenny Likens. Eliza carries a lot of guilt for the role she played in Laura's
death. This clearly shows her own actions of not helping
Laura are weighing on her.
Dialogue “Your dad never forgave me. Never let me see Mad Jack Lionel feels guilty over rejecting Jasper’s
you again. I never forgave myself.” mother and then ultimately, he feels the guilt of her death.
“I decided to shut myself away and leave them to Evident in the dialogue between Jack and Charlie. He
their gossip.” acted as a recluse to punish himself for what happened,
and he let people believe that he killed her. Mad Jack
Lionel carries the guilt of keeping this secret as well as for
being responsible for the death of Jasper’s mother.
 The Insidious Nature of Racism Injustice
Technique Example/quote Explanation linking to idea
Crosses the fourth “Were you with that motherless half-caste, The effect is to reinforce that all the local resident’s
wall and imitates Jasper Jones.” participant in this scapegoating in order to deflect blame
the contemptuous from their own children.
tone.

Derogatory “Half-cast, little coon” Reinforces Jasper’s position in this society.

language
Pejorative “I said fuck off Cong.” Jeffrey is subject to these racial slurs from the cricket
language and team.
racial slurs

Direct address “They take bets on body hits and they bowl as Mulvaney shows how it in not only words that are
fast as they can.. Even the coach gets in on it.” weaponised in these racist attacks, but also physical
actions in Charlie’s direct address to the audience about
the bodyline bowling at Jeffrey. His comments reinforce
how systematic the racism is as it seems to come from
the adults, namely the coach, who instil and support this
behaviour in the young white teenagers.
Stage directions ‘Jasper is hauled onto the stage by dark men in The racially motivated physical violence is also evident
uniform… Jasper is kicked and beaten.’ when Jasper is beaten as shown in the stage directions.
This violence happens under the assumption that he
must be responsible for Laura’s death, because he is the
local scapegoat even though there is no evidence.
Juxtaposition / ‘Everyone rushed to her [Mrs Findlay] after it Charlie’s narrative juxtaposes how the story responds
aside happened…but no-one helped Mrs Lu’ with everyone rushing to help the white Mrs Findlay, and
no-one willing to help Mrs Lu.

Stage direction ‘An angry mob tears up the Lu’s flowerbed ^ This racism extends to Mr Lu whose garden is
screaming Red Rat! Red Rat!’ physically set upon by the townspeople in the stage
 direction. Charlie in this commentary to the audience
uses an allusion to the James Bond movies: ‘They’re
treating him [Mr Lu] like some kind of Bond villain’.
o The play is set in the 1960s Australia where non-European people were often targets of bullying and racism:
• Jasper jones is a target of racism because is part indigenous
• The Lu family also encounter racism within Corrigan because of their Vietnamese background
o Throughout the play we see no-one standing up for these minorities which illustrates the acceptance of this behaviour in
Corrigan.

Mulvaney highlights the impact of racism:

o Jasper uses a metaphor comparing himself to a ‘speck’ to highlight how insignificant and undervalues he feels because

of his race: ‘We’re just specks of specks of specks’. 2

o Jasper’s dialogue shows that the racism he has endured has made him distrustful of authorities. He does not believe that
justice is possible for him and he knows that he will be blamed for Laura’s death.
o In the stage directions after the attack on his home, Jeffrey is similarly distressed: ‘His [Jeffrey’s] spark has diminished, and
he looks haunted.’ - The effect is to remind audiences of the painful impact of systematic racism on the self-worth of
individuals.

Overcoming Fear resulting in the journey to adulthood
Technique Example/quote Explanation linking to idea
Costuming “He is wearing pyjamas with the dumbest pair of In the play, Charlie journeys from a naive teenager to a
sandals.” changes to “a pair of boots” young man on the brink of adulthood due to the
challenging experiences he faces and the fears he
overcomes. His initial costuming reflects his childishness,
but by the end of the play jaspers leaves a pair of boots
for Jasper, symbolising his growth.
Aside “Earlier tonight I was a fourteen-year-old kid. Now Charlies uses an aside to comment on his own
I’m drunk and I just threw a dead girl in a dam.” awareness of how he has changed. This self-reflection
 marks a transition point in his journey to maturity and
understanding.
Allusions “This is something way more adventurous than The allusion to the novel Huckleberry Finn aligns Charlie
Huckleberry Finn ever did.” with a similar character who must like him, journeying
away from his home in order to face challenges and fear
in order to grow and change.
Stage directions “Finally Jasper succumbs, sobbing.” As the relationship between Jasper and Charlie develops,
and dialogue “I brought back enough money to run away to the Charlie realises that Jasper is not fearless, and he is just
city with Laura, just like we always wanted.” as affected by Laura’s death. This is evident in the final
scenes where the truth about Laura is revealed. Dialogue
displays how Jasper has been affected.
Aside “What they don’t know is that Mad Jack Lionel Charlie realises that fear can be fought with
and I have become pretty close over the understanding. As Charlie gets to know Mad Jack Lionel
summer.” he realises that he is a harmless old man. In the aside,
we see that Charlie and Mad Jack have developed a
relationship and this allows Charlie to use this to
manipulate his classmates onto thinking him and Jeffrey
stole the most peaches. Charlie has therefore used the
town’s own ideals against them as their classmates will
now perceive them as being the bravest kids in town.
Metaphor ‘pretty much a virgin to every kind of thing’ Charlie describes himself in a metaphor, a comparison
which reinforces his lack of life experience in terms of the
adult world which Jasper occupies.

o As the play progresses, Charlie sees other people in the play also overcoming their fears. This is evident when Mr Bucktin
defends Mr Lu when he was being assaulted.

The importance and impact of relationships and how they shift and change
Technique Example/quote Explanation linking to idea
Aside “You have to understand I’ve never snuck out Jasper’s appearance at the beginning of the play is
before. I’m a virgin to this kind of thing.” Charlie’s call to adventure by inviting him to leave the
 comfort of his home and head into the unknown, Jasper
alters the status quo of Charlie’s life. This is shown in the
aside.

Repeated “You gotta get brave.” Jasper encourages Charlie to step out of his comfort
dialogue zone.
Confessional “Drowned her to save Jasper Jones.” When Jasper asks Charlie for help, he also asks Charlie
aside to develop a new moral code; one that sees beyond
conventional morality to a deeper, more complex
understanding or ‘right and wrong’. Charlie struggles with
the guilt of burying Laura’s body.
Aside “The only thing I hate more than mum’s temper is Charlie’s relationships with both of his parents are
dad’s silence.” strained. As he becomes aware of the world around him,
Charlie starts to notice their flaws and becomes frustrated
with their shortcomings. This is shows in the aside.
Charlie’s request clashes with Mrs Bucktin expose her
hypocrisy. She demands obedience and respect from
Charlie and becomes hysterical when she doesn’t
receive it, yet it is revealed that she is carrying on a secret
affair.
Aside “My dad, as ever, says nothing.” Charlie has a lot in common with his father but becomes
frustrated with his distant, reclusive and secretive
behaviour. This can be seen in the aside.
Dialogue Through Jasper’s dialogue, it is revealed that the Jasper and Laura: Laura has suffered as much family
two had, ‘…made a promise to each other … trauma as he had.
that we’d move to the city as soon as we could.’

o In Jasper Jones relationships often serve as a catalyst for change. This means that people change as a result of the
relationships they form with others.
o One example of this is the role that jasper plays in helping Charlie transition from innocence to knowledge: from child to
adult.
 o The relationship between Mr and Mrs Bucktin is also strained. We learn that the tragedy of losing a child permanently
damaged their relationship and that they don’t love each other anymore. Both suffered as a result of trying to keep up their
appearances but their separation at the end of the play seems to have released them.

o The Wishart’s are clearly not what they present themselves to be. It is revealed that they are in fact the most dysfunctional
of all families in Corrigan. Eliza bears the dysfunction; having to deal with the truth but having a mother that won’t support
her acknowledge it.
o Charlie and Eliza: they bond over the love of books and later through their shared knowledge of what happened to Laura.

o Often escapism is seen as a solution to human
problems.
o Charlie’s reading and writing (along with his father) as
a way to escape from his problems.
o Alcoholism – Jasper, Jasper’s father, Mr Wishart
o Charlie and Eliza’s daydreams of escaping from
Corrigan.
o Jasper and Laura wishing to escape to the city.
o Charlie’s mother wanting to escape her marriage and
small-town life through her affair and excursions to the
city.