Topic > Themes of Adversity and Personal Growth in Jasper Jones

Adversity can be a stepping stone to building an individual's identity. The attitude with which the individual faces these challenges allows him to mature and change. Adversity forces individuals to be courageous, to discover themselves and explore the realities around them, allowing them to come to an inevitable realization about their perceptions and their surroundings, allowing them to grow as individuals. Constantly confronting challenges allows individuals to awaken their intrinsic nature to survive. Challenges also enable the transition from childhood to adulthood, thus allowing individuals to transcend the boundaries of existing narrative to discover a new perspective that challenges their pre-existing worldviews. The novel "Jasper Jones" by Craig Silvey explores themes of adversity and personal growth through their characters Charlie Bucktin, Jasper Jones and Jeffrey Lu, constantly throwing them into situations where they need to confront or affirm their social and self-perceptions existing. . The novel demonstrates the necessity of adversity and how it forces individuals to show courage, thus allowing them to understand and change their identity and build new perceptions about their reality. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original EssayContinuous confrontation with an obstacle forces individuals to affirm or confront their stereotype, activating their defense mechanisms to fight or flee, as seen with the characters of Jasper and Jeffrey. Because of the racial stereotypes associated with Jasper, everyone rejecting and scapegoating him, he “has a very bad reputation in Corrigan. He is seen as a thief, a liar, a criminal, a truant”, thus forcing him to shut out the world and wear a mask of masculinity. In Corrigan, “Jasper Jones is able to navigate the world and come out on top, despite the shitty hands he is dealt, shutting everyone out and wearing a poker face, like a superhero mask.” Silvey's repetition of the words "over and over" highlights the constant prejudice Jasper faces in the town, the "mask" hides the inner fear and turmoil Jasper feels in the face of adversity. To survive, Jasper “lives in a bubble, undisturbed by anyone.” The “bubble” metaphor shows Jasper's closed-mindedness and his feeling of being trapped. Laura's death forces Jasper to change his mindset in dealing with her. He then comes to the decision to "leave Corrigan behind forever". Unlike Jasper, Jeffery's optimistic attitude is the main reason for his resilience, Jeffrey faces his racial stereotypes of bad athleticism head on. Silvey demonstrates this through the racial harassment and humiliation Jeffery faces while playing cricket with the local boys, while playing “someone kicks Jeffery's ankle and says, screw it cong. Jeffrey stumbles, but keeps going with his head held high. the use of colloquial language showcases Corrigan's bigotry, transporting the reader into Jeffrey's perspective. "Jeffery is...resilient" in the face of adversity, addressing his racial stereotype of bad athleticism as seen when "In unison those boys, they shouted, 'Shot, Cong!'" this event demonstrates this through the use of his alethcism and optimism Jeffery managed to take control of his stereotype and turn his derogatory “nickname” into a term of approval. In the face of adversity, Jeffrey developed an ambition to change and challenge assumptions.