Similarities Between Jasper Jones And To Kill A Mockingbird

Jasper Jones, written by author Craig Silvey is the story of thirteen year old Charles "Charlie" Bucktin and his struggle to process and live with the fact that he helped Jasper Jones, the town trouble maker, cover up the death of Laura Wishart. A first-person narrative recounting two years in the life of Scout Finch, To Kill a Mockingbird is a novel of personal growth, social justice and friendship. While the writing employs generous amounts of humour, the core of the book is essentially concerned with the problems of prejudice and cultural bias in the 1930s American South. The novel ‘Jasper Jones’ By Craig Silvey is known to be ‘an Australian to Kill a Mockingbird’ because of the similarities between the two texts. The similarities are the

Through the use of characters, the theme is presented in a way that allows the reader to realise the harsh reality of the subject matter, yet it is still demonstrated in an approachable and relatable way. The main characters, as well as some of the less significant characters in the texts allow the theme of racism and prejudice to shine. Both texts deal with a specific sequence of events in which readers can understand the prejudicial aspect of life in that era. Both texts contract with different nationalities and different time periods. Some characteristics of Atticus are shown through the character of Charlie’s father, both Atticus and Charlie’s father were wise father figures that have good morals and believed in doing the right thing. They both also show commitment to racial equality because Atticus defended a black man in a court case which was publicly unacceptable and Charlie’s father explodes with anger at the four men who are racist and abuse Charlie calling him a “red fucking rat” (pg. 269). The use of these racist comments, enables the reader’s to feel sympathy and compassion towards the characters. Therefore, the reader is able to understand significant aspects of racism. In relation, imagery is created through the use of racist language, further allowing the reader to feel a certain way towards the characters and situations presented. Racism is

Trust is reoccurring throughout Jasper Jones. Whilst Jasper experiences racial prejudice, Charlie trusts his friend more than his family and the community. They both know of the secret that builds suspicion yet they never betray one another trusts. In the same way, trust is also a major theme greatly displayed through To Kill a Mockingbird. A great example involves Atticus taking the Tom Robinson case. Atticus is a lawyer, and he is asked by Judge Taylor to take the case. Judge Taylor trusted Atticus on this case. Atticus also showed that he could be trusted, by the things he did in spite of the case. For example, he protected Tom. If Atticus didn’t trust Tom, and thought that he did rape Mayella Ewell, then he perhaps wouldn’t have done what he did. Throughout the novel the main character of To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus Finch was mentioned in Jasper Jones and characteristics of Atticus were displayed through the characters, which is another example of the similarity of the two texts. In Jasper Jones and To Kill a Mockingbird, both authors have highlighted the story and used the theme of trust and friendships in a tactical