Jasper Jones Characters

The protagonist of the novel. Charlie is thirteen, almost fourteen years old, and lives in the small town of Corrigan, Australia. For much of the book, he struggles with various fears and insecurities: fear of… read analysis of Charlie Bucktin

Jasper Jones is a half-white, half-Aboriginal fourteen-year-old who enlists Charlie’s help in hiding Laura Wishart’s dead body, thereby setting off the events that make up the novel’s plot. Because he is “mixed caste,”… read analysis of Jasper Jones

A legendary resident of Corrigan who supposedly killed a woman years ago, Mad Jack Lionel is greatly feared by the adolescents and children of the town. Indeed, it’s a common test of courage to steal… read analysis of Mad Jack Lionel

Charlie’s father and Ruth’s husband, Wesley Bucktin is an immensely calm, patient, and intelligent man who loves Charlie enormously. Ruth’s family resents Wesley for eloping with Ruth, and at the time when the… read analysis of Wesley Bucktin

A beautiful girl in Charlie’s grade, and the sister of Laura Wishart. Eliza Wishart is the object of Charlie’s desire throughout the novel. She is intelligent, poised, and witty. Charlie often struggles to… read analysis of Eliza Wishart

Charlie’s close friend, Jeffrey Lu is a twelve-year-old Vietnamese boy who is in the same grade as Charlie and Eliza, having been skipped forward one year. Jeffrey has an absurd, frequently vulgar sense… read analysis of Jeffrey Lu

Eliza’s sister, Laura Wishart is a thoughtful, intelligent girl, but her death by hanging is the event that begins the novel. Prior to her mysterious death, Laura had been in a relationship with Jasper… read analysis of Laura Wishart

A school bully who beats up Charlie for his intelligence and bookishness, Warwick Trent is a member of the Corrigan cricket team, and thus the cause of much grief for Jeffrey Lu. After Charlie… read analysis of Warwick Trent

Laura and Eliza’s father. Pete Wishart is an alcoholic, abusive man who nonetheless serves as the president of the shire (county) that contains the town of Corrigan. Wishart is skilled at hiding his cruelty… read analysis of Pete Wishart

Jasper Jones’s father and Jack Lionel’s son, David Jones was a champion football player as a young man. He fell in love with Rosie, a beautiful Aborigine woman, but though he married… read analysis of David Jones

A beautiful Aborigine woman who marries David Jones and gives birth to Jasper Jones. Rosie later befriends David’s father, Jack Lionel, despite the fact that he’d originally refused to acknowledge her after her… read analysis of Rosie Jones