Jasper Jones Guilt

1101 Words5 Pages
Jasper Jones ‘Jasper Jones’ by Craig Silvey is an Australian ‘coming of age’ novel about a young girl, by the name of Laura Wishart and her enigmatic death. She is discovered by Jasper Jones; a mixed race, rebellious scapegoat that gets the blame for all the wrong that happens in the town of Corrigan, and Charlie Bucktin; a nerdy, thirteen year old booklover, innocent to all the wrong happening around him. Eliza Wishart; Laura’s little sister, holds all the answers to Laura’s death, and when she confesses them to Charlie, all three of them find out the truth and feel misplaced guilt for her death. They feel tremendously culpable, for something which was entirely fate, bad luck and miscommunication. They aren't the ones truly responsible for this tragedy, as the true perpetrators are Laura's mother, father and Laura herself. Charlie and Eliza have misplaced guilt for Laura’s death, when in fact, it was not their fault at all. Laura’s death was a suicide. She killed herself, and her hasty actions caused Eliza and Charlie to feel crushing responsibility. Eliza followed her sister to the glade and she saw her rock back from the branch with a rope around her neck. Her witnessing all this made her feel like she could have done something. That she could have stopped and saved her. “I killed her. It’s my fault. I killed Laura.” Pg. 329. Reality is, it is not Eliza’s fault. She did not play any part in Laura's death, rather her curiosity made her see things that she should not of. Charlie was lead to Laura by Jasper. “[They] tied her to a stone and [they] threw her in the water and [they] sunk her” pg. 277. And he kept the secret from the town and Laura’s family. He feels guilty for what he has done to Laura, and for keeping this secret. Charlie was put in the middle of this mess, and he played no part in it. He was simply an innocent boy trying to do what he thought
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