The distinct novel demonstrates the harsh climate of xenophobia, cultural stereotypes and destructive racism that existed, as well as the fictional, patriarchal town of Corrigan. Against the social unrest of the Vietnam War and the Aboriginal rights movement, Silvey explores themes of community, conformity and discrimination, which remain true and are personified by the multifaceted characters of "Jasper Jones." The introduction to "The Australian Temperament" by Peter Goldsworthy, and similarly the summary of Jasper Jones by Tony Birch, recount the fundamental ideas of the novel and of Australian society both in the present and in the past. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The cultural elements and ideas of Jasper Jones are greatly influenced by the opinion of most Australians in the 1960s, which are extensively discussed in Peter Goldsworthy's Introduction. Embedded in Silvey's text are several accounts of racism, such as those of Jeffery Lu and Jasper Jones. Jeffery Lu is an Australian-born Vietnamese boy and Charlie's only friend, who "enhances" his intellect, which, due to the Vietnam War, would have been extremely rare and controversial at the time. Jeffery is constantly bullied and harassed at school because he is Vietnamese, and no matter how much he perseveres to fit in with the other kids, the only time he is encouraged or admired is when he is covered in gear and clothes to the point of being anonymous. – on the cricket pitch. When he plays sports, Jeffery feels he belongs, but when he takes off his helmet he is bombarded with insults, threats and physical bullying. Jasper shares this minority attribute with Jeffery, being an Aboriginal-Australian. Jasper is the town's scapegoat, portrayed as "A thief, a thug, a liar, and a sailor", and is horribly mistreated by almost everyone due to his false reputation in Corrigan. His status in the town is so low that Jasper is actually used as an example to the children of how they would end up having bad attitude and attitude, which Silvey uses excellently to demonstrate how extremely discriminatory some Australian communities were in the 1960s . Charlie is physically depicted as a typical Australian boy, although he is still an outcast, due to his intellect. Strangely, he doesn't like playing sports like his schoolmates, but reads books for fun, which is despised by everyone because sports are social capital, not intellect. Major world-scale events that occur in Jasper Jones, such as the Vietnam War, mostly accurately coincide with the actual dates. Silvey uses these events to perpetuate the realism of Corrigan's fictional town, as it is based on the town of his childhood. They provide the narrative with an additional 'layer', for example Silvey includes conscription: as the war rages, three of Corrigan's men are conscripted into the army. The 1960s were also the era of Aboriginal rights activity, which included the Aboriginal Rights Movement of 1965. The coincidence with the Vietnam War further explains why Jeffery Lu is bullied so extensively , as a Vietnamese-Australian would have been extremely rare in that country. Australia, and could have been considered a spy, or simply scorned for "supporting" the Australian opposition in the war, when in reality he is on no one's side. This theme is further perpetuated by the White Australia Policy which was still in place until 1965, and Silvey exploits this to create depth for the characters Jasper and Jeffery, which certainly 2016