Jasper Jones Challenges Society’s Dominant Ideas
Within society many ideologies are embedded into the make-up of the population and assemble a perceived reality. Craig Silvey’s, Jasper Jones, challenges many dominant ideas that were rife during the 1960’s. Set in the small, outback, mining town of Corrigan, racial prejudice is rampant. Silvey manipulates many of his characters to defy the attitudes, values and beliefs at the time, challenging the dominant idea of race. The novel also demonstrates the stratification of class effectively and the limitations that society expects due to class structures. Again, Silvey works his magic by challenging society’s expectations of class through the behaviour and attitudes exhibited by characters across different class structures. Gender expectations are continually redefined in today’s society yet in the 1960’s they were rigid and clear, the traditional stereotype of masculinity and femininity were engrained in society which Jasper Jones discloses and contests; craftily structuring a tale of self-discovery and acceptance.
In Western civilised society, class structure, is what defines individual status in the community. It is a perception that the more wealth one attains the more powerful and influential the person. This in turn supports the notion that the wealthy and powerful people of society have sound embedded morals, values, beliefs and attitudes that excel others. Jasper Jones challenges the notion of class through the development of its characters; Mr Wishart and the relationship between Jasper and Laura. Mr Wishart, the mayor of Corrigan, is a respected, wealthy, authority figure within the town. Although, nothing is ever as it appears in the novel and the audience soon learns that Mr Wishart is solely responsible for the fate of his daughter, Eliza, and his family. Mr Wishart challenges the dominant idea of class, his role in society is important and powerful yet he defies the trust the people of Corrigan have in him by abusing his power and alcohol, and taking advantage of his daughter. Mr Wishart challenges the dominant idea of class as he is expected to be a man that others trust. Even after Laura told her mother, in front of her father, the crimes he had committed, he denied everything, “She defended him. She stood there and called Laura a liar. Her own daughter. And him? He sat at the table, quiet and calm. The shire president.” (p. 340). Afterwards, later in the evening, he burst into her room and without remorse he attacked her again. The fact that this was occurring in a family with such prestige and respect within the community, it is no surprise that Laura turned to Jasper Jones for solace and comfort, in doing so the novel again challenges society’s dominant idea of class, as Jasper stems from poverty, he is a half-cast and an outcast, yet he is the one who provides Laura, a women of prosperous heritage, comfort and protection.
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CONCLUSION
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