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Theme of harper lee to kill a mockingbird
Theme of harper lee to kill a mockingbird
Theme of harper lee to kill a mockingbird
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Maycomb, a tired, slow moving town, has minimal events occurring. The town’s rumors and gossip circulate around allowing it to endure. Childness and livelihood are present through the novel for characters, but not for the Finch children. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee thoroughly examines the thematic development of innocence being robbed and how Jem, Scout, Tom Robinson, and Arthur “Boo” Radley’s innocence is stripped during events such as the Tom Robinson trial, along with when Bob Ewell attacks Jem and Scout. Jem’s innocence is first divested after the verdict of the Tom Robinson trial. During the trial, Jem assumes, thinking that the jury would be fair and acquit Tom Robinson by viewing him as a peer in the community. Jem is confident …show more content…
During the tussle between Bob Ewell, Jem, and Scout, her innocence is abducted from her and “Stunned, I stood there dumbly” (Lee 351). Bob Ewell jumps and attacks Jem and Scout because of revenge. He is driven and fixated on revenge from the trial from the embarrassment that Atticus causes. Scout sees the faults in the world and comes in contact with them. She understands the world is not all about “rolling in a tire” or playing made up Boo Radley games. From this moment, Scout matures very quickly and sees the world is not pure. She now is levelheaded and learns that not everything is evil. She accepts Boo Radley as though they are close friends with the greeting, “’Hey, Boo,’ I said” (Lee 362). Scout tries to protect those who do not or should not get any unwanted harm. When talking with Atticus and Heck Tate, she realizes what is right and wrong and Protects Boo by saying “’Well, it’d be sort of like shooting’ a mockingbird, wouldn’t it?’” (Lee 370). Scout sees the civil justice between accusing a man of something they did not do, which would strip them of their innocence. Scout gets Boo acquitted and saves him from uncomfortable
"She had her own views about things, a lot different from mine, maybe.son, I told you that if you hadn't lost your head I'd have made you go read to her. I wanted you to see something about her-I wanted you to see what real courage is instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand" (128). Scout's change of maturity level is defined by a progression towards understanding Atticus' life lessons, which halt at the ending chapters of the book when Scout recognizes Boo Radley as a human being. After the night when Bob Ewell's life ends, Boo Radley exposes himself as a kindhearted man who Scout can relate with.
In the town of Maycomb, a man who stands up against racism forever changes people’s views on racism. Scout, Jem and Atticus Finch all stand together against racism and prejudice in the tiny town of Maycomb. In To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, in the town of Maycomb, prejudice is a disease, but Jem, Scout, and Dill are immune to this illness because of the people who raise them. For example, when Cecil and Francis told Scout that Atticus was a disgrace to defend Tom Robinson, even though Francis is Scout’s cousin. When Scout and Jem hear the verdict of Tom’s case, they both cry and are angry about the sentence while the rest of the town is ecstatic.
Childhood is a continuous time of learning, and of seeing mistakes and using them to change your perspectives. In the book To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee illustrates how two children learn from people and their actions to respect everyone no matter what they might look like on the outside. To Kill A Mockingbird tells a story about two young kids named Scout and her older brother Jem Finch growing up in their small, racist town of Maycomb, Alabama. As the years go by they learn how their town and a lot of the people in it aren’t as perfect as they may have seemed before. When Jem and Scout’s father Atticus defends a black man in court, the town’s imperfections begin to show. A sour, little man named Bob Ewell even tries to kill Jem and Scout all because of the help Atticus gave to the black man named Tom Robinson. Throughout the novel, Harper Lee illustrates the central theme that it is wrong to judge someone by their appearance on the outside, or belittle someone because they are different.
Jem knew from the start that Tom Robinson had no chance in winning a case against the Ewells. However, he deluded himself into thinking that that maybe the jury will be accepting and open-minded in that one case. Of course, that’s not what happened in the end; Tom Robinson is found guilty, causing Jem to question whether or not Maycomb is really the same as he remembered it from his childhood. This change in Jem especially shows when Scout comes to ask him about Hitler’s hatred towards all Jewish people during the Holocaust; Scout ends up comparing what her teacher said in class versus what that same teacher said outside the courthouse after the trial, and Jem was instantly reminded of the verdict:
To Kill a Mocking Bird (referred to as ‘TKAMB’ hereafter) is a novel set in the 1930, South
She turns from a tomboy who does not understand basic feelings and emotion, into a feminine lady, who learns compassion for the people surrounding her. In the beginning of the book, Scout was not able to understand why Boo Radley was locked up in the house. Was it because he was scared? Or because he was delusional? Or because he has no friends? She had no clue. As she grows to become more feminine, she starts to show more empathy. When Scout and Jem are attacked by the vicious Mr.Ewell, Boo steps in. Later, the two meet for the first time, and Scout starts to emphasize with him.“ I led him to the chair farthest from Atticus and Mr.Tate. It was in deep shadow. Boo would feel more comfortable in the dark”(364). Boo Radley has not seen the sun in over a decade, which has made him frightened in the sun. Without any social conversations for over a decade, he is revealed to be very shy among the men . Scout, able to understand his feelings, kindly leads him to the chair in the shadows, where Boo was able to settle in more easily. She did not have to do it, but with learning how to change, she was able to empathize with
Harper Lee’s only book, To Kill a Mockingbird, is the stereotypical tale of childhood and innocence, yet it successfully incorporates mature themes, like the racism in the South at the time, to create a masterpiece of a work that has enraptured people’s minds and hearts for generations. According to esteemed novelist Wally Lamb, “It was the first time in my life that a book had sort of captured me. That was exciting; I didn’t realize that literature could do that” (111). Scout’s witty narration and brash actions make her the kind of heroine you can’t help but root for, and the events that take place in Maycomb County are small-scale versions of the dilemmas that face our world today. Mockingbird is a fantastically written novel that belongs on the shelves of classic literature that everyone should take the time to read and appreciate for its execution of style and the importance of its content.
During the trial, Jem has steadfast faith that the jury will not find Tom guilty. He believes that the undeniable evidence pointing toward Bob Ewell means that the jury has to acquit Tom of all charges (Lee 270). He has such great faith in the jury, that the verdict nearly crushes him. Scout remembers that “Judge Taylor was polling the jury: ‘Guilty… guilty… guilty… guilty…’ I peeked at Jem: his hands were white from gripping the balcony rail, and his shoulders jerke...
Harper Lee uses various characters and themes in her novel, ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’, to investigate, at a great extent, the contrasting life values and lessons learnt in different parts of the Maycomb community. Through the use of authorial intrusion by the present day Scout, we learn that the life lessons that she learns as a child, stay with her for the rest of her life. This bildungsroman novel highlights the themes of growing up and learning from other’s actions, having courage in tough situations and dealing with racism in the town.
In the story, “To Kill a Mockingbird”, Atticus told Jem and Scout to not kill mockingbirds as Miss Maudie explains that they are innocent and sing their hearts out for Maycomb (10. 90). Atticus also said to his children: “ Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can can hit ‘em, but remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird” (10.90). Throughout the story, the two characters that portray as the mockingbirds are Tom Robinson and Boo Radley. I think that they’re the most important characters because they were completely innocent even though they were falsely accused by the people of Maycomb. That is why we shouldn’t make assumptions and believe in rumors without getting to know that these people are innocent.
However during the trial, the Reverend Sykes expressed concern that Scout’s innocence needs to be preserved watching and Jem replies. “Aw hush. She doesn’t understand it, Reverend, she ain’t nine yet” (197). This evidence shows that before the trial, Scout was at least partially innocent, and Jem knows that. Harper Lee uses Jem and Scout's involvement with the trial to demonstrate how they lose their innocence. Jem and Scout lose some of their innocence when they are involved in the lynch mob. Scout says the following quote when she, Jem and Dill stumble upon the lynch mob that is trying to lynch Atticus and Tom because they are racist. “Hey, Mr. Cunningham. How’s your entailment gettin’ along… Don’t you remember me, Mr. Cunningham? I’m Jean Louise Finch” (174). In a massively racist day and age, Jem and Scout are exposed to racism in the most obvious way: through a lynch mob targeting their father. This quote shows how Scout is still innocent as she comes into the situation. Scout narrates this next quote when she springs into the middle of a lynch mob and realizes how stupid she was. “There a smell of stale whiskey and pigpen about, and when I glanced around I discovered that these men were strangers” (172). This evidence shows that Scout was innocent and didn't know that the group was a lynch mob. Bob Ewell’s death had a very large impact on Jem and Scout's innocence. The sheriff, Mr. Heck Tate says the following quote after he finds Bob Ewell dead under a tree, in the woods after he attempts to kill Jem and Scout. Bob Ewell’s lyin’ on the ground under that tree down yonder...He’s dead Mr. Finch” (p305). This quote is the moment the children are first really confronted with death. This causes them to lose their innocence because they realize that people want to kill each other sometimes and thats messed up. Scout says this when she contemplates about what happened to Bob Ewell. “I could think of nothing but Mr. Bob
Loss of Innocence in Killing a Mockingbird Maycomb was an old town, but it was a tired old town when I first knew it. In rainy weather, the streets turned red slop; grass grew on the sidewalks, the courthouse sagged in the square. " (Lee 9). This environment, as Scout Finch accurately describes, is not conducive to young children, loud noises, and games. But, the Finch children and Dill must occupy themselves in order to avoid boredom.
As the book comes to a close, readers can see just how mature and empathetic Scout has become. After Scout and Jem, Scout’s brother, are saved by Arthur “Boo” Radley, the town shut-in, Scout walks Boo home and after he walks back into her house, she turns around and just stares out at the street from Boo’s point of view instead of from her own. Her father taught her that you should
Scout starts to understand people’s needs, opinions, and their points of view. In the beginning, Scout does not really think much about other people’s feelings, unless it directly pertains to her. Jem and Dill decided to create a play based on the life of one of their neighbors, Boo Radley. According to neighborhood rumors, Boo got into a lot of trouble as a kid, stabbed his father with scissors, and never comes out of the house. The children create a whole drama and act it out each day. “As the summer progressed, so did our game. We polished and perfected it, added dialogue and plot until we had manufactured a small play among which we rang changes every day” (Lee 52). Scout turned Boo’s life into a joke, something for her entertainment. She did not think about how Boo would feel if he knew what they were doing. Near the end of the book, while Boo was at the Finch house, Scout led him onto the porc...
Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, follows Jean Louise (Scout) Finch around her hometown of Maycomb and shows the trials and tribulations that come along with living in a small town. Throughout the novel, Scout begins school, makes new friends and enemies, Maycomb is shocked by the accusations of the rape of a girl, and the mystery of Boo Radley stalks the children of Maycomb. Tension is a common theme that is found throughout the novel, showing the reader of the racial and class prejudice, mistrust, and suspicion that lingers over the town which is set in 1930s Alabama. Some aspects of the novel which relate to this are the case of Tom Robinson, the way the schooling system runs in Maycomb and the mystery of Boo Radley to the younger people of the community.