Jasper Jones

Jasper Jones is the title character of the book, but his story is only told through Charlie’s first-person narration. Jasper is not the protagonist of the book. Instead, he largely lives his life on the fringes of society. This is because his mother is of Aboriginal heritage, and Indigenous people were discriminated against in 1960s Australia, where the novel is set. He is accordingly blamed for every bad thing that happens in town because of his ancestry and because his father struggles with an addiction to alcohol.

Jasper represents two main traits in the novel: understanding and courage. Jasper has a deep understanding of the inequities that are reflected in the culture of the town. He understands this because he often experiences discrimination firsthand. He has learned to accept and live with the lies people tell about him. Yet despite the fact that he has suffered from the townspeople’s discrimination, he does the same to Jack Lionel by believing the rumors about the old man without seeking the truth himself. Jasper represents courage to Charlie because Jasper is able to manage life on his own and does not shy away from things that frighten him. He is a strong person, and this is what causes Charlie to idolize him.

Jeffrey is Charlie’s best friend. Jeffrey is a spirited and optimistic teenage boy. When the other cricket players treat him poorly, he goes back to play again. He does not let bullying stop him. Jeffrey and Charlie are irreverent toward each other and joke around, providing a reprieve for each other from the stresses of life.

There are three main character traits he demonstrates: courage, loyalty, and optimism. Jeffrey’s courage is displayed most prominently when Charlie goes to Jack Lionel’s house to steal peaches at the end of the novel. Charlie knows that Lionel is not a risk by this point, but Jeffrey does not know this. He tries to convince Charlie to let him go with him so Charlie is not alone, but Charlie tells him that he will not win the bet if Jeffrey goes with him. Charlie understands just how much courage this demonstrates on Jeffrey’s part because Jeffrey really believes he could be shot. Jeffrey is Charlie’s closest friend, and Charlie never feels as comfortable around anybody as he does around Jeffrey. The two boys tease each other mercilessly, but they both respect each other. After Jasper leaves, Jeffrey is still there for Charlie.

Ruth Bucktin is Charlie’s mother. She is an angry and vindictive woman. This is most clearly seen when Charlie disobeys her one day, and she worries that he has been kidnapped. When she learns that he is safe, she makes him spend hours outside digging a hole just to have him fill it back in again. She is said to be bitter about the way her life turned out. One day, Charlie finds her having sex in a car with a man who is not her husband. She demonstrates no remorse when her son discovers her infidelity and instead starts to yell at Charlie. From this point forward, he loses all respect for her and refuses to obey her injunctions. When she goes home to her husband, she yells at him and damages his manuscript, which represents the physical evidence of his dreams, before leaving him for good.

Wes is Charlie’s level-headed father. Charlie is closer to his father than with his mother because his father is compassionate toward him. Wes secretly writes a novel behind closed doors at night, showing that he has dreams even though he keeps them a secret. He is proud to have Charlie be the first person to read his novel. Wes demonstrates both courage and loyalty when he confronts the men beating An Lu. He physically stops the altercation, showing that he is willing to stand up for what he believes in when doing so is dangerous. He does not fight to get his wife back once she decides to leave because he understands that people cannot tie down those they love.

Mad Jack Lionel’s character is used to show how closed-minded and heartless both the Corrigan community and his own family can be. When his son, David, met and impregnated Rosie, he got so angry that it led to a break in family relations. Eventually, he was able to overcome the harsh feelings, and while David refused to resume a relationship with him, Lionel developed a relationship with Rosie and the two became close. This shift demonstrates his ability to put his feelings of anger and betrayal to the side and make amends. Despite the breach with David, Lionel keeps all of David’s things exactly like he left them, leading Charlie to refer to Lionel’s house as a museum.

Before the main events of the novel, Rosie died in a car crash while Lionel was driving. The whole town created rumors about what happened and ignored the fact that Rosie was suffering from appendicitis and that Lionel was trying to get her to a hospital. This shows how the town is willing to believe what people say without getting to know the facts. Lionel tried to right this with Jasper, his grandson, but Jasper also believed that Lionel had killed someone even though he didn’t not know who. When Jasper and Charlie finally talk to Lionel at the end of the novel, they discover that he is kind-hearted, and Lionel later capitalizes on his reputation of being dangerous to help Charlie appear brave in front of all of his friends.

Eliza is Charlie’s love interest in the novel, and she is also Laura’s sister. Her character is used to demonstrate Charlie’s feelings of guilt as well as to illustrate the calming and healing power of love and affection. Eliza witnessed her sister’s suicide, and she learned of her father’s sexual abuse of Laura right afterward when she read her sister’s letter to Jasper. Eliza does not tell anybody what happened until much later in the novel. As she develops a relationship with Charlie, this starts to scare Charlie away because he wants to unburden his guilt so badly that he is afraid he will tell Eliza that he and Jasper hid Laura’s body. Charlie’s longing to tell her, however, shows how heavy guilt and secrets can be.

The novel is a coming-of-age journey for Charlie, and part of his growing maturity involves learning to be in a relationship with Eliza. She is the first girl to kiss him, and he is enamored by her. He finds comfort in her physical presence, and when he feels that his parents have both betrayed him, he turns to her and finds comfort with her. She demonstrates how love can keep people grounded.