Jasper Jones as a Bildungsroman Essay

Jasper Jones, a novel set in the mid-1960’s, is the story of an adolescent boy, Charlie Bucktin. It illustrates that making choices is a significant part of human behaviour. Individuals have to live with the consequences of their decisions. Studying this novel written by Craig Silvery in 2009, broadens an understanding of the process of choices and draws conclusions about the factors involved in coming of age. In other words, Jasper Jones is a bildungsroman.

Essay Example on Themes Of Jasper Jones

The main protagonist Charlie is best described as a wallflower, the improbable hero who seems to shy away from conflict and perceives the world on the basis of words written by the likes of Harper Lee and Mark Twain.

Silvey’s extremely careful composition of Charlie aids and enables us to perceive the story on a highly un-biased, open-minded and impartial basis. Within the first chapter, Charlie is placed in an unfamiliar situation, challenging and awakening his initial thoughts on what is right and wrong, thoughts like “We have drowned her.

” & “We are monsters”. The youthful, sheltered boy who commits this act alongside the infamous Jasper Jones and begins his journey with an undying sense of doubt, but we soon see how Charlie perceives Jasper, his fellow accomplice; “I think he’s the most honest person in this town”. This bold bond, formed in secrecy, exposes young Charlie to ever-looming maturity, a window into a world that leaves the truth bare and reveals the faults that lie within the streets of Corrigan.

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Charlie has yet to experience this in its full force but Jasper’s presence prompts the rise of inquisitive questions in his mind.

A cry for help from the town’s half-caste misfit triggers the Charlie’s development into adulthood. We the reader get to see the gradual evolution of moral understanding that he endures as he observes the world the adults. This quote from just after the night he sees Laura Wishart’s body, “This night has pickpocketed m…