Jasper Jones: Chapter 9 Summary & Analysis

It is the first day of school in Corrigan, and all the children talk about the events of the summer, especially Laura’s disappearance. There are also two other children, the Beaumonts, who live in a neighboring town and have been kidnapped. Jasper hasn’t shown up for school, or even checked his name for the football team. Jeffrey has become a popular student due to his cricketing, and is now a regular member of the cricket team. Warwick Trent has returned to school, having been held back another year.

At the moment, Charlie is walking to Jack Lionel’s property, surrounded by a group of schoolboys. Charlie has made a bet with Warwick—if he can sneak onto Jack’s property and steal more than four peaches, he’ll be granted “immunity” from Warwick’s bullying and beatings for an entire year. If he fails, Warwick will tie him to Miners’ Hall overnight and throw eggs at him.

Jeffrey, Eliza, and Charlie walk close together, followed by schoolboys. Charlie longs to kiss Eliza, but he knows that he can’t in public. As Eliza turns to walk back to her house, Charlie asks if he’ll see Eliza tonight, and Eliza replies that she might see him earlier—she has a surprise for him. After Eliza walks away, Jeffrey asks Charlie how he plans to steal fruit from Mad Jack. He offers to accompany Charlie, but Charlie insists that this isn’t necessary. He promises Jeffrey the peach pits he’s going to collect.

At Mad Jack’s house, Warwick orders Charlie to claim his peaches. Charlie climbs over Mad Jack’s fence easily, and walks forward, knowing that Warwick never expected him to make it this far.

Charlie approaches Jack’s house and goes around the back, where Jack is sitting on his back porch. Jack greets Charlie warmly, and Charlie returns the greeting. Charlie asks if Jack has any peaches, and Jack replies that all his peaches have been stolen or pecked apart by birds. Careful to keep Jack on the back porch where the students can’t see him, Charlie asks Jack if he can take some of these ruined peaches—Jack cheerily obliges, saying that Charlie is free to take any of the dirty peaches lying on the ground. Charlie looks down and sees old peaches covered in insects. He’s afraid to touch them because of his dislike of insects, but Jack insists that he has nothing to be afraid of—the bees have consumed so many of the peaches that they’re “lickered up” and harmless. Charlie is about to pick up the peaches when he realizes that his return won’t be as heroic as he’d hoped—Warwick will ask him why he took so long, and why he’s found only dirty peaches. Charlie asks Jack for a favor—in return, he’ll come by to cook Jack dinner on Sunday.

A moment later, the schoolboys see Charlie emerge from behind Mad Jack’s house, holding five peaches. Charlie notes with amusement that it still took courage for him to grab the peaches, since it meant touching insects. As Charlie returns from the back of the house, Mad Jack bursts out of the front of his house, carrying a shotgun and yelling. Charlie turns, snatches the shotgun out of Jack’s hands, throws it on the ground, and pushes Jack to the ground. Jack gives a theatrical wink as he keels over, and Charlie whispers that he’ll see Jack on Sunday. With this, Charlie walks away from the house in triumph.

Charlie returns to the crowd of students, and they immediately begin asking him questions about Mad Jack. Charlie notices with satisfaction that Warwick Trent is hanging back—clearly, Charlie has beaten him. Charlie plans to give Jeffrey three peach pits, Eliza one, and then keep one for himself. As the students slap Charlie on the back in congratulations, someone points to the town—there is a plume of smoke coming from the city center, meaning that a house is probably on fire. Immediately, the students run toward the fire. Charlie drops his peaches and runs, too.

Charlie runs toward the source of the fire. He realizes that the fire is coming from Eliza’s house. Neighbors and firefighters run around the house, yelling and screaming. With enormous relief, Charlie sees Eliza sitting outside the house, completely unharmed. Charlie also sees Eliza’s mother, also unharmed, and her father, in an oxygen mask and bandages, but still alive.

Charlie realizes that Eliza is looking at her house with completely calmness. He thinks about the murderer he’s read about, who said, “I just wanted to hurt someone.” He thinks about Jenny Likens, who had the chance to save her sister but failed, and then must have spent the rest of her life struggling with her guilt.

Charlie hears neighbors talking about how the fire might have started—it could have been a cigarette or the stove. After only a few moments, Charlie hears Jasper Jones’s name. Charlie then reveals that he’s known that Jasper Jones is gone from Corrigan. He realizes this a few weeks ago, when he was playing cricket with Jeffrey. At that moment, Charlie stared up at the sky and felt, as if by ESP, that Jasper was leaving. Charlie thinks that the police will be looking for Jasper soon enough, but they won’t find him—he is too clever.

Charlie walks up to Eliza, who continues to look calmly at the flames. Thinking that he finally has “the right words,” he bends to her and whispers them in her ear.