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Major characters in to kill a mockingbird
How to kill a mockingbird character analysis essay
How to kill a mockingbird character analysis essay
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How does Harper Lee use characters in To Kill a Mockingbird to communicate that people are misjudged by others in society?
In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee uses characterisation to convey how people are misjudged by others in society. The character of Dolphus Raymond is thought to be a drunk with confused morals. Arthur ‘Boo’ Radley does not get a chance to express his personality, but as the novel progresses Boo’s personality evolves. Tom Robinson’s character in the novel is misjudged by underlying prejudices in society. Through the technique of characterisation the reader is lead to see how society misconceives others.
In Harper Lee’s novel the minor character, Dolphus Raymond, is misconceived by society through the characterisation.
Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird is considered a “rare American novel that can be discovered with excitement in adolescence and reread into adulthood without fear of disappointment” (National Endowment of the Arts). The ideas of racism, hatred, and bigotry run throughout the entire work, and though these are common themes throughout the work, the concepts of isolation and stereotyping are two that can often become overshadowed by Tom Robinson’s guilty verdict. Two characters of the work- Boo Radley and Walter Cunningham- are the characters that the ideas of isolation and stereotyping impacts the most.
In the novel, ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’ by Harper Lee some characters suffer in the hands of justice and fairness more than others. Many characters in the novel are discriminated against such as Calpurnia, Dolphus Raymond, Helen Robinson, Burris Ewell and more. However I will be focusing on the discrimination against Tom Robinson for his race, Walter Cunningham for his low socioeconomic status and Boo Radley for the rumors and supposed mental instability he holds. I chose those three because they are the most prominent and I will discuss how the discrimination against the characters therefore leads to their injustice or unfairness.
To Kill a Mockingbird Harper Lee sheds light upon the controversy of racism and justice in his classic novel, To Kill a Mockingbird. The notion of equality in accordance with the law and the pursuit of justice are hindered by racial discrimination. The essence of human nature is pondered. Are we inclined to be good or in the wrath of evil? The novel reflects on the contrasting nature of appearance versus reality.
The author George Elliot once said “don’t judge a book by its cover.” Appearance can be very misleading, and you shouldn't prejudge the worth or value of something by its outward appearance alone. This philosophical idea has been included in many works of literature, including the timeless classic To Kill a Mockingbird written by Harper Lee. The novel takes place in the town of Maycomb, Alabama during the 1930s. Many citizens of Maycomb tend to make judgements based on outward appearances alone. In the novel, Lee uses minor characters such as Boo Radley, Mrs. Dubose, and Tom Robinson to convey the book’s theme of prejudice.
In society, people are wrongly judged by false impressions, social status and race as well as other factors that influence the self-image of an individual. This is highly significant in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird through the characters of Arthur Radley and Tom Robinson who are innocent victims of prejudice by the people of Maycomb. The first character who represents the conception of misjudgment is Arthur Radley, who is misunderstood by others and dubbed as an intimidating person. Through the rumors being about him, it shows that he is an innocent victim because he just chooses not to associate with society, and people do not respect his way of life because it differs from theirs. The other character who represents this conception of misjudgment is Tom Robinson who is looked hatefully upon by the majority of Maycomb’s people. Through the events of his condemnation from the white community, this demonstrates Tom being as an innocent victim; his skin color defines his destiny in court. But truly, these innocent victims are kind people. The people of Maycomb are too judgmental, not understanding that Arthur Radley and Tom Robinson are truly good people; completely disregarding their real personality.
Ultimately, the minor characters in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird are crucial in rendering the novel a masterpiece. Their individuality is refreshing yet meaningful, as they break the stereotypes that attempt to limit a prejudiced society. Scout herself is deeply influenced by the characters she meets, and the experience only increases her wisdom. Also, the symbols portrayed through minor characters speak volumes about humankind- not only of our flaws but of the promise of change and redemption. In truth, minor characters are of utmost importance in any story, because the world an author creates is only as good as the characters that populate it.
Each character’s personality in the book To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee is intricately described, therefore giving the reader an image or idea of the kind of person he or she is. A picture of the character is formed in the mind with maybe rough edges but a soft heart on the inside. A character’s personality may be oversimplified by drawing shapes in symbolism, but the shapes may be helpful in perceiving the general extent of the characteristics. With a little help from Lee’s descriptions, I have been able to form images in my mind (and draw them on paper) of the personalities of Scout, Jem, Atticus, Dil, Calpurnia, Boo Radley, and Bob Ewell.
Many times in society, people tend to create different stereotypes or view people as “different” or “unusual”. People are constantly judging before considering facts and other valuable information. Sadly, most victims that are being judged are wrongly convicted. The idea of judging and characterizing a person by how he/she looks, seems to be typical and common. Very few people in today’s day and age take the time to discover the true qualities of a person who may be convicted and is either behind bars or being judged for things they have never done. Sometimes, the people who are being as weird, inferior or irrelevant tend to become extremely important and even influential in books, movies and real life. Similarly, in Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, the readers are introduced to Tom Robinson and Boo Radley who are found to be similar in their symbolic representation of a mockingbird, their constant wrath of judgment from may comb citizens and the further development of a theme of kindness and gratitude
First impressions of people are often lasting impressions, especially in the minds of children. Many times these impressions, aided by misunderstanding and prejudgment, cause unjust discrimination against an individual. To kill a Mockingbird depicts the themes of misunderstanding and prejudice that portray Arthur (Boo) Radley as a villain. Through the progressive revelation of Radley's character, the children realize that their negative impressions and fear of him were unfounded. Through gradual stages of change, from total misunderstanding of Boo, to a realization of an error in judgment, to a reevaluation followed by a change of heart, to a growing trust and acceptance of Boo, and finally to an appreciation of his true character, Jem's, Scout's, and Dill's impressions of Radley are dramatically altered.
The author behind the influential and famous novel To Kill A Mockingbird is a woman by the name of Harper Lee. This ingenious woman made magic with only her inventive mind, creative imagination, past experiences and passion for kindness and equality. She was born and raised in a time of prejudice and racism but she always found a way to keep her goodness intact. She never let herself get corrupted or influenced by frivolous and uneducated people. Harper Lee’s influences as a child and views of society as an adult inspired her to fight against the world’s prejudice outlook on life by writing To Kill A Mockingbird, a novel that argues against society’s biased views toward racism.
Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird shows so many characteristics of today’s society. Among thes...
In Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Tom Robinson is accused of rape, while Boo Radley is a recluse who spends his time alone. Two other characters, Miss Maudie and Atticus Finch both instruct Scout not “to kill a mockingbird” (Lee 90). Readers may think that the metaphor represents brave people, because Tom, who is described as a mockingbird, is brave enough to claim that Mayella jumps him and courageous enough to try to escape prison. However, then many characters could be seen as mockingbirds, and the number of them would not make mockingbirds special. By understanding why mockingbirds represent certain characters, readers can see why each person acts the way they do. In Harper Lee’s novel, mockingbirds represents people who are
Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird expresses the ideology that the social standard of a particular individual, classifies their status in the world. Individuals placed in social classes are labeled to create a sense of social identity. The socio-economic class an individual is born into should not be the determining factor of how the individual is regarded and treated, however, their character and personality should be a primary factor in determining how they are thought of in society.
The theme of Harper Lee's To Kill a Mocking Bird is the existence of racism and prejudice in the 1930 – 40's. Harper Lee succeeds in presenting the topic in a manner that is not overly simplistic and thus achieves the task of allowing the reader to fully appreciate the complex nature of unjust discrimination. Harper Lee's inclusion of characters such as Tom Robinson, Boo Radley, Dolphus Raymond and many others, aid the reader to grasp the concept of racism and its central role in the town of Maycomb.
Scout is continuously judged by the ladies of her neighborhood because she refuses to dress and act like a normal girl of her time, but she continues to persevere and live the way she wants. Because the town would rather have Tom Robinson’s case thrown to the dogs, Atticus’s taking of the defense caused many of the people to react negatively to his equal treatment of Tom. When Atticus breaks the stereotype given to people of his calibre, he gives society a chance to hate him. An obvious example of society hating self-thinking people is the situation with Tom Robinson. During his trial, Tom was treated unfairly due to the fact that everyone in Maycomb would trust a white person’s word (no matter how dishonest that white person had been in the past) over a black man’s. In this situation, society refused to think that the stereotypes that they had placed upon Tom were anything but accurate. Boo Radley was another character who faced judgement by other characters within the book. Throughout his lifetime, Boo has been seen as an insane man who is locked up in his house. However, as To Kill a Mockingbird resolves itself, the reader can see that Boo is actually a caring and innocent human being, and that all of the rumors about him were just lies society has told itself. The clown in the aforementioned poem suffered