ell as irrational and horrific transgressional thoughts. Authors generally write in this genre to point out social issues that plague the South and draw attention to the ideas that make people feel uncomfortable, yet are unable to look away from. One of the more modern writers in this genre is Craig Silvey, an Australian novelist who wrote Jasper Jones, a coming-of-age-novel, following Charlie Bucktin on his journey alongside Jasper Jones in discovering the happenings that lead up to the death of Laura Wishart, and uncovering the true nature of the people of Corrigan.
One of the key aspects of Southern Gothic literature is the marginalisation of a person or group, treating them as peripheral or insignificant. This is seen in the treatment of the two characters Jasper Jones and Jeffrey Lu, who are racially discriminated against by members of the town due their ethnic background. The characterisation of both these characters assist in reinforcing the theme of racial prejudice, allowing the reader to perceive the mistreatment both Jasper and Jeffrey endure. Jasper Jones, a “half-caste” is looked down upon, blamed for any wrongdoing or crime in the town, often described as “A Thief, A Liar, a Thug, a Truant”, the conclusive nature of this judgement is shown in its capitalisation of the demeaning words. On the night of Laura Wishart’s murder, Jasper seeks out Charlie’s help when he finds Laura’s limp body hanging from a tree. Charlies idea is to contact the police but Jasper disagrees, saying “Bloody hell. Listen, Charlie, we can’t tell anyone. No way. Specially the police. Because they are gonna say it was me. Straight up. Understand?” Jasper’s reaction to the situation depicts his awareness...