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Similarities Between Jasper Jones And Craig Silvey

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Craig Silvey’s novel, Jasper Jones, is simply To Killing a Mockingbird set in Australia in the 1960’s, because both of the books include similar characters, with the same storyline, exploring the same ideas and themes. Through these connections in the novel, Craig Silvey challenges the modern Australians to consider their idea of prejudice and what it means to be an Australian. Craig Silvey uses similar characterisation for each characters, matching them with the personas in Harper Lee’s novel to explore the similarities between the 1960’s Australians and the 1950’s Americans. Jasper Jones, who the town portraits as “…a Thief, a Liar, a Thug, a Truant” (pg 6) whereas he’s actually “…never stole a thing [he] dint need” (pg 44). This character is very alike to Tom Robinson, who Maycomb paints as “a rapist”, even though later on in the novel evidence could be found of Tom’s innocence. The villains in both of the novels are also very identical. Laura’s father is the corrupt mayor, who “…is the worst out of the whole lot” (pg 179). He despises …show more content…

Charlie, for instance, discovers corruption in his town, and finds out more injustice as the novel unfolds. He explains that the “night… pickpocket[s] [him] of precious things [he] can’t ever get back” (pg 41). This loss of innocence also applies to Scout and Jem, when Jem asks Atticus after they find out about the fall of Tom Robinson, “How could they do it, how could they?” and Atticus explains that he “[doesn’t] know, but they [do] it… and they'll do it again…” (Ch. 20). Another similarity is how Atticus Finch responds to prejudice when he explains to his children that, “…whenever a white man [cheats] a black man …that white man is trash” (Ch. 23). And when the people began to suspect Jasper Jones of kidnapping Laura, Charlie’s father “knew better” than to judge him

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