Jasper Jones Prejudice Analysis

An analysis of prejudice themes in Jasper Jones
Literacy academic Lois T Stover once wrote, “There is nothing simple about quality young adult literature. Good young adult literature deals with the themes and issues that mirror the concerns of the society out of which it is produced. It does so in ways that help readers understand the complexities and shades of grey involved in dealing with these issues. ” The novel Jasper Jones (2009) by Australian author Craig Silvey, illustrates the story Charlie Bucktin, a 13 year old boy living in the parochial mining town of Corrigan, in 1965. The foremost theme is the prejudice within the population of Corrigan. There is the underlying theme of prejudice, especially through racism; against refugee of the Vietnam War, Jeffrey Lu; Jasper Jones, an indigenous Australian of mixed descent often being the town’s

From Chapter 1, Jasper’s reputation among the Corrigan population is established, “He’s a Thief, a Liar, a Thug, a Truant. He’s lazy and unreliable. He’s feral and an orphan, or as good as. His mother is dead and his father is no good. He’s the rotten model that parents hold aloft as warning: This is how you’ll end up if you’re disobedient. Jasper Jones is the example of where poor aptitude and attitude will lead.” .Thusly, he is avoided by most of the similarly aged youth as their parents advise against associating themselves with him. Charlie however, sees Jasper for who he is, and is able to identify that Jasper is being used as the town’s scapegoat because he is of mixed ethnic background, and that his thievery is morally justified. Though Jasper is isolated, he is still appreciated by his football team as he is skilful in this field as well as being a year older than the other kids in his