He wonders about whether one can be closer or further away from a wrong, and how that affects culpability. He is terrified of the situation he has found himself in, but feels irrevocably involved once he has helped Jasper throw Laura's body into the dam. When Jasper takes him to see Laura's body at the beginning of the novel, Charlie himself has to deal with this question. This seeming need for scapegoats underlines one of Jasper Jones' main themes: the problem of culpability and how individuals and society bear blame. Lu is also attacked and called racial slurs by Corrigan townspeople. Lu is attacked by another member of the community, who blames her for the death of her son who died in the war. The novel is set in the hight of the Vietnam war. Likewise, Jeffrey and his family are also scapegoated and alienated in Corrigan due to their Vietnamese heritage. Jasper Jones becomes the perfect scapegoat, as he represents the stereotypical “bad boy.” But Jasper himself is not innocent in this regard, creating a scapegoat for himself in the person of Mad Jack. Every society has its scapegoat, to whom they transfer their collective guilt in order to unload their own culpability. As Charlie notes, "For some folks, it's easier to condemn another man than have the strength to right your wrongs" (213).
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