Jasper Jones
Introduction + Context
Plot Summary
Detailed Summary & Analysis
Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9
Themes
All Themes Fear Racism and Scapegoating Understanding, Innocence, and Sympathy Appearances and Secrets Escape, Guilt, and Writing
Quotes
Characters
All Characters Charlie Bucktin Jasper Jones Mad Jack Lionel Wesley Bucktin Ruth Bucktin Eliza Wishart Jeffrey Lu Laura Wishart Warwick Trent Pete Wishart David Jones Rosie Jones
Symbols
All Symbols Batman versus Superman Peaches “Sorry”
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Jasper Jones

by

Craig Silvey
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Mad Jack Lionel Character Analysis

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 peach pits from the tree on his property. Toward the end of the novel, Charlie and Jasper discover that Jack is Jasper’s paternal grandfather. Jasper’s father, David, resented Jack for refusing to accept Rosie, his wife, for being Aboriginal. Later, Jack accidentally caused Rosie’s death by driving her to a hospital and getting into a bad car crash. As a result, David never tells Jasper that Jack is his grandfather. Charlie comes to see Jack as a sad, lonely man, worthy of his sympathy and compassion.

Mad Jack Lionel Quotes in Jasper Jones

The Jasper Jones quotes below are all either spoken by Mad Jack Lionel or refer to Mad Jack Lionel. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Fear Theme Icon
).
Chapter 7 Quotes

I don’t know who this man is, but he didn’t kill anybody. I’ve done everything wrong. Mad Jack Lionel isn’t a criminal. He’s probably not even mad. He’s just old and sad and poor and lonely.

Related Characters: Charlie Bucktin (speaker), Mad Jack Lionel
Understanding, Innocence, and Sympathy Theme Icon
Page Number: 241
Explanation and Analysis:

We’d gone to confront Mad Jack Lionel about murdering Laura Wishart only to find that he was driving the car that killed Jasper’s mother. The world isn’t right. It’s small and it’s nasty and it’s lousy with sadness. Under every rock, hidden in every closet, shaken from every tree, it seems there’s something horrible I don’t want to see. I don’t know. Maybe that’s why this town is so content to face in on itself, to keep everything so settled and smooth and serene. And at the moment, I can’t say as I blame them.

Related Characters: Charlie Bucktin (speaker), Jasper Jones, Mad Jack Lionel, Laura Wishart, Rosie Jones
Fear Theme Icon
Understanding, Innocence, and Sympathy Theme Icon
Escape, Guilt, and Writing Theme Icon
Page Number: 244
Explanation and Analysis:
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Mad Jack Lionel Quotes in Jasper Jones

The Jasper Jones quotes below are all either spoken by Mad Jack Lionel or refer to Mad Jack Lionel. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Fear Theme Icon
).
Chapter 7 Quotes

I don’t know who this man is, but he didn’t kill anybody. I’ve done everything wrong. Mad Jack Lionel isn’t a criminal. He’s probably not even mad. He’s just old and sad and poor and lonely.

Related Characters: Charlie Bucktin (speaker), Mad Jack Lionel
Understanding, Innocence, and Sympathy Theme Icon
Page Number: 241
Explanation and Analysis:

We’d gone to confront Mad Jack Lionel about murdering Laura Wishart only to find that he was driving the car that killed Jasper’s mother. The world isn’t right. It’s small and it’s nasty and it’s lousy with sadness. Under every rock, hidden in every closet, shaken from every tree, it seems there’s something horrible I don’t want to see. I don’t know. Maybe that’s why this town is so content to face in on itself, to keep everything so settled and smooth and serene. And at the moment, I can’t say as I blame them.

Related Characters: Charlie Bucktin (speaker), Jasper Jones, Mad Jack Lionel, Laura Wishart, Rosie Jones
Fear Theme Icon
Understanding, Innocence, and Sympathy Theme Icon
Escape, Guilt, and Writing Theme Icon
Page Number: 244
Explanation and Analysis:
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