racism in jasper jones essay

Home — Essay Samples — Literature — Jasper Jones — The Concept Of Racism In Craig Silvey’s Novel Jasper Jones

Jasper Jones: Racism in Craig Silvey’s Novel

• Categories: Jasper Jones Novel Racial Discrimination

About this sample

Words: 866 |

Published: Aug 6, 2021

Words: 866 | Pages: 2 | 5 min read

Cite this Essay

Let us write you an essay from scratch

• 450+ experts on 30 subjects ready to help
• Custom essay delivered in as few as 3 hours

Get high-quality help

Verified writer

• Expert in: Literature Social Issues

+ 120 experts online

By clicking “Check Writers’ Offers”, you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy . We’ll occasionally send you promo and account related email

No need to pay just yet!

Related Essays

6 pages / 2729 words

4 pages / 1725 words

7 pages / 3276 words

4.5 pages / 1980 words

Remember! This is just a sample.

You can get your custom paper by one of our expert writers.

121 writers online

Still can’t find what you need?

Browse our vast selection of original essay samples, each expertly formatted and styled

Related Essays on Jasper Jones

Jasper Jones is a novel written by Craig Silvey; it was set in the 1960s in Australia within a town called Corrigan. In Jasper Jones being the ‘other’ in a small-town results in discrimination towards characters. Bullying was [...]

Adapted from the novel by Craig Silvey, Kate Mulvany’s Jasper Jones deals with dark topics of racism, rape, suicide and the stereotypes of gender roles in a light and whimsical manner through a 13-year-old Charlie’s perspective. [...]

The focus of a comparative essay can be to compare and contrast two pieces of literature, and this is the case with the To Kill a Mockingbird and Jasper Jones comparative essay. Harper Lee’s unveiling novel, To [...]

The distinct novel demonstrates the harsh climate of xenophobia, cultural stereotyping, and destructive racism that existed, as well as the fictional, patriarchal town of Corrigan. Against the social turmoil of the Vietnam War [...]

"When Thomas More wrote Utopia in 1515, he started a literary genre with lasting appeal for writers who wanted not only to satirize existing evils but to postulate the state, a kind of Golden Age in the face of reality" (Hewitt [...]

“How does one man assert his power over another, Winston?” O’Brien asks. Winston’s answer: “By making him suffer” . These two characters inhabit George Orwell’s vision of a future totalitarian government that has evolved to its [...]

Related Topics

By clicking “Send”, you agree to our Terms of service and Privacy statement . We will occasionally send you account related emails.

Where do you want us to send this sample?

By clicking “Continue”, you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy.

Be careful. This essay is not unique

This essay was donated by a student and is likely to have been used and submitted before

Download this Sample

Free samples may contain mistakes and not unique parts

Sorry, we could not paraphrase this essay. Our professional writers can rewrite it and get you a unique paper.

Please check your inbox.

We can write you a custom essay that will follow your exact instructions and meet the deadlines. Let's fix your grades together!

Get Your Personalized Essay in 3 Hours or Less!

We use cookies to personalyze your web-site experience. By continuing we’ll assume you board with our cookie policy .

• Instructions Followed To The Letter
• Deadlines Met At Every Stage
• Unique And Plagiarism Free

Top 50 Quotes You Need for Your Essay from Jasper Jones

Need to write an essay on Jasper Jones , but don’t know which quotes to analyse?

We’re here to help! We’ve compiled 50 quotes across 4 different themes that you can add to your analysis of the text!

Plus, once you’ve chosen your themes and quotes, check out our guide to writing topic sentences for your paragraphs!

What is the main message of Jasper Jones?

Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey delves into themes of racism, injustice, and the complexities of morality within a small Australian town during the 1960s.

At its core, the novel explores the harsh realities of prejudice and the complexities of human nature, emphasizing the importance of empathy, courage, and standing up against injustice , even in the face of societal pressures.

In this  interview with the author Craig Silvey , he also notes how the play underscores the impact of secrets, the weight of guilt, and the transformative power of friendship and understanding.

Injustice, Racism and Morality  Truth and Honesty Coming of Age Sympathy, Empathy and Understanding

Download our list of Jasper Jones quotes now!

Injustice, Racism and Morality 

#1: “I mean, I know people have always bin afraid of me… Wary. They reckon I’m just half an animal with half a vote. That I’m no good. And I always used to think, why? They don’t even know me… But then I realised, that’s exactly why. That’s all it is.”  Chapter 1 Characters: Jasper Jones Techniques: Eye dialect

#2: “Jeffrey’s parents are Vietnamese, so he’s ruthlessly bullied and belted about by the boys at school.” Chapter 1  Characters: Charlie Bucktin Techniques: Alliteration

#3: “…he will go to prison for something he didn’t do. That this town is that crooked and low…” Chapter 1 Characters: Charlie Bucktin Techniques: Emotive language

#4: “It just isn’t right that I have so many things that he doesn’t” Chapter 1 Characters: Charlie Bucktin Techniques: Contrast

#5: “It’s the whole choir of mute voices that puts a lump in my throat. Why didn’t anybody help her?…They let it happen… Whole towns. A whole city. Whole clusters of families. Not one of them uttered a word.” Chapter 3 Characters: Charlie Bucktin  Techniques: Figurative language, repetition, rhetorical question 

#6: “It occurs to me for the first time that people can do this to each other. People really can. And I wonder: how thin is the line? Is it something we all have in us? Is it just a matter of friction and pressure?” Chapter 3 Characters: Charlie Bucktin Techniques: Repetition, rhetorical questions

#7: “There are stories etched into that face, but what I’m really searching for is why . Why he stabbed a woman in her own bed. Why he shot a man between the eyes as he answered his door. Why? Why did he kill all these people?” Chapter 3  Characters: Charlie Bucktin  Techniques: Rhetorical questions, repetition 

#8: “What kind of lousy world is this? Has it always been this way, or has the bottom fallen out of it in the past couple of days? Has it always been so unfair? What is it that tips the scales so? I don’t understand it. What is it of a world that could let pretty girls get beaten and hanged?…What kind of world punches someone for using big words?” Chapter 4 Characters: Charlie Bucktin Techniques: Rhetorical questions, repetition, emotional language

#9: “When you’re born, you wither luck out or you don’t. It’s a lottery. Tough s*** or good on yer.” Chapter 5  Characters: Jasper Jones Techniques: Metaphor

#10: “I understood then that maybe we really did do the wrong thing for the right reasons” Chapter 5 Characters: Charlie Bucktin Techniques: Contrast

#11: “I don’t understand a thing about this world: about people, and why they do the things they do. The more I find out, the more I uncover, the more I know, the less I understand.” Chapter 6  Characters: Charlie Bucktin  Techniques: Irony

#12: “I observe Jeffery standing apart from the group sucking at a plastic cup as the rest of the team forms a circle that excludes him.” Chapter 6  Characters: Charlie Bucktin Techniques: Symbolism of Jeffrey’s alienation (and racial injustice) 

#13: “Every character in every story is buffeted between good and bad, between right and wrong. But it’s good people who can tell the difference, who know when they’ve crossed the line. And it’s a hard and humbling gesture, to take the blame and admit fault. You’ve got to get brave to say it and mean it. S orry . Sorry.” Chapter 6 Characters: Charlie Bucktin Techniques: Dichotomies, recurring motif

#14: “If you’re capable of that kind of evil, can you be capable of an equal share of remorse?” Chapter 6 Characters: Charlie Bucktin Techniques: Rhetorical question

#15: “I also have a suspicion that Eliza might be less concerned with what’s right, less concerned about uncovering the truth, than she is about ensuring that she and Jasper Jones, and maybe her father, too, are meted out the penance that she feels they each deserve. I think she wants to do something with all this blame and hurt. I think she just wants to tie rocks to all their feet.” Chapter 7 Characters: Charlie Bucktin  Techniques: figurative language

#16: “When she fell pregnant, Jack Lionel railed hard against it… dirtying the family name.” Chapter 7 Characters: Charlie Bucktin Techniques: Metaphor

#17: “I killed her, Charlie. It’s like if you just watch someone drown from the shore without swimming out to help them. That’s what I did. It’s my fault.” Chapter 7 Characters: Eliza Wishart Techniques: Simile

#18: “Laura Wishart wasn’t kidnapped by Mad Jack Lionel. But it seems she was snatched away by something infinitely more sinister and terrifying… the same thing that’s thieved my appetite… the thing that makes this town so quick to…point its finger…” Chapter 7 Characters: Charlie Bucktin Techniques: Repetition, Gothic fiction trope

#19: “I think how different everything would have been… I would have been free of all this. I would have stayed safe in my room… I would have woken up like I used to. None the riser. Much the lighter.” Chapter 7 Characters: Charlie Bucktin Techniques: Truncated sentences, repetition

#20: “Sorry” Recurring (Chapters 5, 6, 7, 8) Characters: Charlie Bucktin Techniques: Recurring motif, symbolism (of morality, redemption, and remorse)

#21: “The world isn’t right. It’s small and it’s nasty and it’s lousy with sadness.” Chapter 7 Characters: Charlie Bucktin Techniques: Emotive language, truncated sentences

#22: “Because Jeffrey Lu was a hero today and…and they dragged him back to the bottom… Because those men struck his father, over and over, and they destroyed something beautiful. And nothing will ever happen to them… Because a girl goes missing in this town and it is Jasper Jones who is held and threatened…Because now…” Chapter 6 Characters: Charlie Bucktin Techniques: Repetition

#23: “I still feel the need to tell her. To unburden us both. To assure her I tried to do the right thing. To etch that word.” Chapter 6 Characters: Charlie Bucktin  Techniques: Truncated sentences

#24: “The people behind me start murmuring about how it must have started… And then somebody says it, like I knew they would… like I knew they would. And of course it’s given more credence than it could possibly deserve. When I hear his [Jasper Jones’] name, there’s that lump in my throat again…” Chapter 9  Characters: Charlie Bucktin Techniques: Repetition

Truth and Honesty 

#25: “I was terrified, but something kicked in me. I discovered a gift for lies. I looked straight at them and offered up the best story I could muster. It was like I’d clicked opened my suitcase and started spinning a thread at my desk. Weaving between the factual and the fictional. It was factitious.” Chapter 6 Characters: Charlie Bucktin Techniques: Metaphor, simile, figurative language

#26: “…there’s always more to know. Always. The mystery just gets covered in history. Or is it the other way around. It gets wrested and wrapped in some other riddle. And I think of Jenny Likens, who also watched her sister die, who said nothing until the end, who got brave too late.” Chapter 9  Characters: Charlie Bucktin Techniques: Figurative language

#27: “I’m not sure where to look. The water, Eliza, the glade. There are lies everywhere.” Chapter 7 Characters: Charlie Bucktin Techniques: Hyperbolic language

#28: “Under every rock, hidden in every closet, shaken from every tree, it seems there’s something horrible I don’t want to see. I don’t know.” Chapter 7 Characters: Charlie Bucktin  Techniques: Hyperbole, metaphorical language

#29: “I know the sad truth. About everything. Jasper, Laura, my mother. It’s all come to light, it’s all been bared, and it’s bowed my shoulders so much I’m too tired to be afraid anymore.” Chapter 7 Characters: Charlie Bucktin Techniques: Figurative language

#30: “Maybe that’s why this town is so content to face in on itself, to keep everything so settled and smooth and serene. And at the moment, I can’t say as I blame them.” Chapter 7 Charlie Bucktin Techniques: Descriptive language, alliteration

#31: “I think Jasper Jones speaks the whole truth in a town of Liars” Chapter 2 Characters: Charlie Bucktin Techniques: hyperbolic language

#32: “This makes no sense: to cover this with lies to uncover the truth” Chapter 1 Characters: Charlie Bucktin Techniques: Juxtaposition

#33: “I’m asking her to lie. I’m asking her to pull a blanket over parts of this story… Just so I can stay clean. So Jasper Jones can be given a reprieve… And I feel terrible. But what’s right and just and true here anyway?” Chapter 7 Characters: Charlie Bucktin Techniques: Figurative language, rhetorical question

#34: “There is something emboldening about being awake when the rest of the world is sleeping. Like I know something they don’t.” Chapter 1  Characters: Charlie Bucktin Techniques: Simile

#35: I think about Eliza’s manner. So dry and centered. So matter-of-fact amid the panic… And then, swift as a knife, it occurs to me. A rash of sparks coats my skin. My heart almost leaps from my chest, and my brick slides. Eliza Wishart knows something. Chapter 3 Characters: Charlie Bucktin  Techniques: Simile, figurative language

Coming of Age

#36: “This shouldn’t be our responsibility. It shouldn’t be our hideous problem to solve. We should be able to pass this to the right people. We should be able to run like frightened kids, to point and pant and cower someplace safe.” Chapter 1 Characters: Charlie Bucktin Techniques: First person plural narrative voice

#37: “See, most people you meet, they’ll talk to you through fifty layers of gauze and tinting. Sometimes you know they’re lying even before they’ve started speaking. And it seems the older they get, the more brazen and desperate folks become, and they lie about things that don’t even matter.” Chapter 2  Characters: Charlie Bucktin Techniques: Figurative language

#38: “How strange and abandoned and unsettled I am. Like a snowdome paper weight that’s been shaken. There’s a blizzard in my bubble. Everything in my world that was steady and sure and sturdy has been shaken out of place, and it’s now drifting and swirling back down in a confetti of debris.”  Chapter 1 Characters: Charlie Bucktin  Techniques: Simile 

#39: “To pilfer and eat a peach from the property of Mad Jack Lionel assures you instant royalty. The stone of the peach is kept as a souvenir of heroics, and is universally admired and envied.” Chapter 1 Characters: Charlie Bucktin Techniques: Symbolism of peaches

#40: “And the peaches do feel good. I’m proud to be clutching them, because I know what it took, and it felt as though a weight had shifted as soon as I had them in my hands.” Chapter 9 Characters: Charlie Bucktin Techniques: Symbolism of peaches

#41: “But what no spectator that day will ever know or anyone who will later lend their ear to an account, is that it requires more courage for me to tentatively bend and snatch up that rotten fruit from amid that sea of bees. My hands tremble. I can barely work my fingers. But I get them…” Chapter 9  Characters: Charlie Bucktin Techniques: Symbolism of peaches

#42: This is what happened. And I’ve got to get it out quick… I can’t hold on to it for too long because it’ll burn. Do you understand? It’s the knowing. It’s always the knowing that’s the worst. I wish I didn’t have to. I want the stillness back. But I can’t. I can’t ever get it back. So. Thisiswhathappened. Chapter 7  Characters: Charlie Bucktin  Techniques: Figurative language, eye dialect

#43: “I haven’t ever felt like a kid Charlie, You don’t unnerstand. I bin lookin after myself since I can remember…Everyone can learn a trade and pay taxes and have a family. But that’s not growin up. It’s about how you act when your s*** gets shaken up, it’s about how much you see around you. That’s what makes a man…” Chapter 5 Characters: Jasper Jones Techniques: Eye dialect

Sympathy, Empathy and Understanding

#44: “But in order to be useful to Jasper, I had to be even-handed and logical, like Atticus, like my dad.”  Chapter 6 Characters: Charlie Bucktin Techniques: Literary allusion 

#45: “Strangely, of all the horrible things I’ve encountered and considered recently, dropping a bomb seems to be the least violent among them, even though it’s clearly the worst…There’s something clean about all that distance. Maybe the further away you are, the less you have to care, the less you’re responsible. But that seems wrong to me…But if they weren’t Jeffrey’s family, would I care so much?” Chapter 4 Characters: Charlie Bucktin Techniques: Contrast 

#46: “I’ve done everything wrong. Mad Jack Lionel isn’t a criminal. He’s probably not even mad. He’s just old and sad and poor and lonely.” Chapter 7 Characters: Charlie Bucktin Techniques: Contrast

#47: “Sorry means you feel the pulse of other people’s pain, as well as your own, and saying it means you take a share of it.” Chapter 6 Characters: Charlie Bucktin Techniques: Figurative language, recurring motif

#48: “I feel like a spoiled little bastard, about to crawl into my safe nest, while Jasper Jones shoulders his burden alone…I want to invite Jasper in, give him my bed…” Chapter 1 Characters: Charlie Bucktin Techniques: Contrast

#49: “But I hoped you might see things from my end. That’s what you do, right? When you’re readin. You’re seeing what it’s like for other people.” Chapter 1 Characters: Jasper Jones Techniques: Allusion ( To Kill a Mockingbird ), dialogue, eye dialect

#50: “Jasper Jones has lost his girl… It seems so infinitely sad to me, I can’t even imagine. To lose someone so close, someone he had his hopes pinned on… But Jasper Jones has to keep that poker face. He has to throw that cloak over his heart. I wonder how much of Jasper’s life is spent pretending he doesn’t give a s***.” Chapter 5 Characters: Charlie Bucktin Techniques: Figurative language, emotive language

On the hunt for quotes from other texts aside from Jasper Jones?

If you’ve found this article useful, you should check out our list of quotes for the following texts:

• The Merchant of Venice
• Frankenstein
• Lord of the Flies
• Blade Runner
• Pride and Prejudice
• To Kill a Mockingbird
• Never Let Me Go
• The Tempest
• Things Fall Apart
• One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
• The Great Gatsby
• The Memory Police

Are you looking for some extra help with your analysis of quotes from Jasper Jones?

We have an incredible team of english tutors and mentors.

We can help you master your analysis of quotes from Jasper Jones by taking you through the summary, context, key characters and themes. We’ll also help you ace your upcoming English assessments with personalised lessons conducted one-on-one in your home, online or at one of our state of the art campuses in Hornsby or the Hills!

We’ve supported over  8,000 students over the last 11 years , and on average our students score mark improvements of over 20%!

To find out more and get started with an inspirational tutor and mentor,   get in touch today  or give us a ring on  1300 267 888!

Maitreyi Kulkarni  is a Content Writer at Art of Smart Education and is currently studying a Bachelor of Media and Communications (Public Relations and Social Media) at Macquarie University. She loves writing just about anything from articles to poetry, and has also had one of her articles published with the ABC. When she’s not writing up a storm, she can be found reading, bingeing sitcoms, or playing the guitar.

• Topics: ✏️ English , ✍️ Learn

Related Articles

The complete guide to writing an analytical essay for qcaa english, how to write an analytical written response for your qcaa english exam, how to create a written response for a public audience for qcaa english, 45,861 students have a head start....

Get exclusive study content & advice from our team of experts delivered weekly to your inbox!

Looking for English Support?

Discover how we can help you!

We provide services in

Jasper Jones

Craig silvey, ask litcharts ai: the answer to your questions.

Jasper Jones has a terrible reputation in Corrigan. He’s a Thief, a Liar, a Thug, a Truant. He’s lazy and unreliable. He’s feral and an orphan, or as good as. His mother is dead and his father is no good. He’s the rotten model that parents hold aloft as a warning: This is how you’ll end up if you’re disobedient. Jasper Jones is the example of where poor aptitude and attitude will lead.

“Bloody hell. Listen, Charlie, we can’t tell anyone. No way. Specially the police. Because they are gonna say it was me. Straight up. Understand?”

I am dizzy and sick. And it’s as though touching her has sealed my fate. I am in this story. She can’t be ignored. She’s real. I’ve touched her now. I’ve been privy to her last moments of heat, her last wisps of smoke.

I wish I could tell Jeffrey everything. I really do. I wonder what it is about holding in a secret that hurts so much. I mean, telling Jeffrey doesn’t change anything, it doesn’t take anything back. It’s just information. It doesn’t dredge that poor girl from the depths of the dam, doesn’t breathe her back to life. So why do I feel like I need to blurt it all out?

He doesn’t need superpowers. That’s my point. You’re an idiot. He can hold his own. He has an alter ego. He has a costume. He fights for Truth and Justice. He has arch enemies. And he does all this without any weird mutations. He’s just really determined. That’s what makes him interesting. The fact that with enough dedication and desire, we could all be Batman. Bat men . Bat people . And that’s what makes him the best.

How was it that Gertrude Baniszewski could seduce so many children into committing these acts? How could they turn up, day after day, to do the unspeakable? And how could they return home of an evening, no words of shame or remorse tumbling out of their mouths? What did Sylvia Likens do to deserve this? Or was it just shit luck and chance?

I think about Eliza’s manner. So dry and centered. So matter-of-fact amid the panic. I watch her climbing the garden steps to their front door, holding her weeping mother. Someone is there to meet them with an outstretched hand and a look of concern. I shrink behind the branches. And then, swift as a knife, it occurs to me. A rash of sparks coats my skin. My heart almost leaps from my chest, and my brick slides.

Eliza Wishart knows something.

It’s occurred to me that one day she might not come back at all. She might simply refuse. I know her family pressure her. I know they coddle her with self-serving concern, that they constantly remind her of the things she’s missing, the things they feel she deserves. And I don’t really blame her for being seduced by it. It’s what she grew up with, I guess.

Strangely, of all the horrible things I’ve encountered and considered recently, dropping a bomb seems to be the least violent among them, even though it’s clearly the worst. But there’s no evil mug shot, no bloody globe. It’s hard to figure out who to blame. There’s something clean about all that distance. Maybe the further away you are, the less you have to care, the less you’re responsible. But that seems wrong to me. It should be in the news. It’s wrong that they died. But if they weren’t Jeffrey’s family, would I care so much? That’s hard. Probably not, I guess. I mean, if you took every bad event in the world to heart, you’d be a horrible mess.

Jasper Jones has lost his girl, maybe his best friend, too. His only friend. It seems so infinitely sad to me, I can’t even imagine. To lose someone so close, someone he had his hopes pinned on. Someone he was going to escape with, start anew. And to see her, right there, as she was. Right where I’m sitting. What a horrible series of events this has been. But Jasper Jones has to keep that poker face. He has to throw that cloak over his heart. I wonder how much of Jasper’s life is spent pretending his doesn’t give a shit.

I had to make things work when I could. Soon as you can walk and talk, you start makin your own luck. And I don’t need some spirit in the sky to help me do that. I can do it on my own. But, see, that’s what I reckon, Charlie. It’s that part inside me that’s stronger and harder than anything else. And I reckon prayer is just trustin in it, havin faith in it, just askin meself to be tough. And that’s all you can do.

I look over at An Lu, who is returning to his home, his hands behind his back, his chin on his chest. I wonder what he’s thinking. There’s something about his posture that convinces me he’s judging me poorly. I feel so ashamed, I feel like everyone in this town is disappointed in me. And that’s when I resolve it, with my father’s hand on my back. When Jasper Jones goes, when he leaves town after this mess is over, I’ll be going with him. I’ll be leaving too. Leaving Corrigan behind. For good.

I was terrified, but something kicked in me. I discovered a gift for lies. I looked straight at them and offered up the best story I could muster. It was like I’d clicked opened my suitcase and started spinning a thread at my desk. Weaving between the factual and the fictional. It was factitious. And Jeffrey was right, it was all in the delivery. I had them. I’d reeled them in. They all nodded like it was the truth, writing it down on a yellow pad.

Mostly, I spent the time writing. Almost obsessively. Every day and every night. It’s the thing that gave me company. Along with reading, it’s what got me out of the house without them being able to stop me at the door.

The next ball Jeffrey punches through cover, zipping through for two runs. And it’s with complete disbelief that I hear real encouragement from the sideline. His teammates. In unison those belligerent bastards, yelling, “ Shot , Cong!” across the field, at once turning an insult into a nickname.

“Go home! ” my father explodes. He stands up, tall and intimidating. He glares with real anger. And I can’t help but feel a blush of pride, seeing it. I’ve been wrong about him.

We’ll be like Kerouac and Cassady. We could steal away in boxcars, ride all the way across the country. Melbourne, Sydney. Every town in between. I could document our adventures. Maybe one day I could get our story published under a nom de plume. I’d have to move to New York City. The famous writer who fled from his hometown and shunned the limelight.

I don’t know who this man is, but he didn’t kill anybody. I’ve done everything wrong. Mad Jack Lionel isn’t a criminal. He’s probably not even mad. He’s just old and sad and poor and lonely.

We’d gone to confront Mad Jack Lionel about murdering Laura Wishart only to find that he was driving the car that killed Jasper’s mother. The world isn’t right. It’s small and it’s nasty and it’s lousy with sadness. Under every rock, hidden in every closet, shaken from every tree, it seems there’s something horrible I don’t want to see. I don’t know. Maybe that’s why this town is so content to face in on itself, to keep everything so settled and smooth and serene. And at the moment, I can’t say as I blame them.

This is what happened. And I’ve got to get it out quick, I’ve got to loosen the valve on it and let it go, fizzing and spraying, because it’s too hard, it’s too heavy, it’s too much. I can’t hold on to it for too long because it’ll burn. Do you understand? It’s the knowing. It’s always the knowing that’s the worst. I wish I didn’t have to. I want the stillness back. But I can’t. I can’t ever get it back. So. Thisiswhathappened.

I also have a suspicion that Eliza might be less concerned with what’s right, less concerned about uncovering the truth, than she is about ensuring that she and Jasper Jones, and maybe her father, too, are meted out the penance that she feels they each deserve. I think she wants to do something with all this blame and hurt. I think she just wants to tie rocks to all their feet.

It’s so smart and sad and beautiful that I’m not even jealous. And I have a warm feeling in my belly that says someone important is going to believe in it. That one day I’ll see my father’s name on a straight spine on a bookstore shelf, standing proud and strong and bright.

But what no spectator that day will ever know or anyone who will later lend their ear to an account, is that it requires more courage for me to tentatively bend and snatch up that rotten fruit from amid that sea of bees. My hands tremble. I can barely work my fingers. But I get them.

And for some reason I’m reminded of Eric Cooke, haggard and angry, at the moment they finally asked him the question. I just wanted to hurt somebody , he replied. But that was never the whole story, was it? Only he could have known that, and he held his secrets tight in his fist, in his chest. And there’s always more to know. Always. The mystery just gets covered in history. Or is it the other way around. It gets wrested and wrapped in some other riddle. And I think of Jenny Likens, who also watched her sister die, who said nothing until the end, who got brave too late.

Get the Reddit app

A subreddit for those who enjoy learning about flags, their place in society past and present, and their design characteristics

Flag of Elektrostal, Moscow Oblast, Russia