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 actively protested against the decisions of the government, demonstrating against the Vietnam war, conscription, and the nuclear industry.
o Women demanded equal rights and there were calls for racial equality and new consideration for the environment.
o Australia has a dark history in its treatment of Indigenous Australians
o During the latter part of the 1960s more and more Australians were beginning to call for recognition of aboriginal civil right and in 1967, two years after the events that take place in the play, a 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 movement
o It wasn’t until 1975 that the Whitlam Government’s Racial discrimination act made it illegal to discriminate against a person on the grounds of a person’s face.
o In 1960s Australia, women were also discriminated against on the ground of their sex and gender.
o Inequality in public and private spaces was profound.
The contraceptive pill had been introduced in 1961 but it was only available to married women and some 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.
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.
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.
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 Expletive Language
Derogatory (disrespectful) and expletive (swear words) language are frequently seen throughout the play
The Culture of Secret Keeping
Technique Example/quote Explanation linking to idea
Derogatory and
expletive language “Oi Wishart.. Show us your tits.”
“Fuck off Cong.” 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.
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.”
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.
Stage directions “She’s giggly and drunk, and softly singing. She carries her shoes in her hands.”
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.
Aside “Told her to go back where she came from. Then she pulled out a big chunk of Mrs Lu’s hair”
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
inside.” An obvious character who feels guilt through the play is
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
asides “Because after she died, I drowned her to save
Jasper Jones. I did that.” Charlie’s confessional asides further highlight his guilt as 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 you again. I never forgave myself.”
“I decided to shut myself away and leave them to their gossip.”
Mad Jack Lionel feels guilty over rejecting Jasper’s mother and then ultimately, he feels the guilt of her death.
Evident in the dialogue between Jack and Charlie. He 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 wall and imitates the contemptuous tone.
“Were you with that motherless half-caste,
Jasper Jones.” The effect is to reinforce that all the local resident’s participant in this scapegoating in order to deflect blame from their own children.
Derogatory
language “Half-cast, little coon” Reinforces Jasper’s position in this society.
Pejorative
language and racial slurs
“I said fuck off Cong.” Jeffrey is subject to these racial slurs from the cricket team.
Direct address “They take bets on body hits and they bowl as
fast as they can.. Even the coach gets in on it.” Mulvaney shows how it in not only words that are 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
uniform… Jasper is kicked and beaten.’ The racially motivated physical violence is also evident 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 /
aside ‘Everyone rushed to her [Mrs Findlay] after it
happened…but no-one helped Mrs Lu’ Charlie’s narrative juxtaposes how the story responds 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
screaming Red Rat! Red Rat!’ ^ This racism extends to Mr Lu whose garden is 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’.
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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
sandals.” changes to “a pair of boots” In the play, Charlie journeys from a naive teenager to a 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
I’m drunk and I just threw a dead girl in a dam.” Charlies uses an aside to comment on his own 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
Huckleberry Finn ever did.” The allusion to the novel Huckleberry Finn aligns Charlie 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
and dialogue “Finally Jasper succumbs, sobbing.”
“I brought back enough money to run away to the city with Laura, just like we always wanted.”
As the relationship between Jasper and Charlie develops, Charlie realises that Jasper is not fearless, and he is just 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 and I have become pretty close over the summer.”
Charlie realises that fear can be fought with understanding. As Charlie gets to know Mad Jack Lionel 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
before. I’m a virgin to this kind of thing.” Jasper’s appearance at the beginning of the play is 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 dialogue
“You gotta get brave.” Jasper encourages Charlie to step out of his comfort zone.
Confessional
aside “Drowned her to save Jasper Jones.” When Jasper asks Charlie for help, he also asks Charlie 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
dad’s silence.” Charlie’s relationships with both of his parents are 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 two had, ‘…made a promise to each other … that we’d move to the city as soon as we could.’
Jasper and Laura: Laura has suffered as much family trauma as he had.
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 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.
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.