Just as hunters can kill mockingbirds in sports, people can kill innocence or other individuals who are innocent. This correlation is well illustrated in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird. The author incorporates symbolism and point-of-view to illustrate her point that innocence is a very fragile quality that can be destroyed easily by humanity’s actions and words. In this novel, there are several cases where a harmless and naive person is exposed to the evils surrounding him, and thus, his or her innocence is destroyed—either by adult realities or society itself.
Harper Lee makes an excellent choice in narrating the book through Scout’s perspective to depict how Maycomb altered the young girl’s simple and childlike view of the world by creating
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Because of this youthfulness and initial lack of knowledge, Scout starts to uncover the truth about the injustice that exists in the world and the evils of society, causing her childhood innocence to fade away slowly. For example, she doesn’t comprehend why students in her school ridicule Atticus for defending a Negro. Her pure set of eyes just don’t see the wrong in what her father is doing: “Then why did Cecil say you defended niggers? He made it sound like you were runnin’ a still” (Lee 75). Doing his best to preserve her innocence since she isn’t old enough, Atticus tries to explain to Scout that there is really nothing wrong, but the people of Maycomb just see it as a disgrace. Nevertheless, some of her naivete is still lost when she later on realizes the harsh truth of being called a “nigger-lover” from Atticus himself: “’Scout,’ said Atticus, ‘nigger-lover is just one of those terms that don't mean anything—like snot-nose. It's hard to explain—ignorant, trashy people use it when they think somebody's favoring Negroes over and above themselves. It's slipped into usage with some people like
Throughout time the weak and innocent are often picked on for many reasons this is best explained by Atticus, “It is a sin to kill a mocking bird.”. The central idea of this book is not to prey on the innocent and harmless because they are often misunderstood. This idea is illustrated, and developed through many different characters such as Boo Radley, Scout, and Tom Robison all harmless characters, but misunderstood like the mockingbird.
Black people during the time period of To Kill a Mockingbird are very often looked at as a minority, and people who do not matter at all, kind of being treated like animals. The way that they are used as slaves and have a different section for almost everything one can think of (table, courthouse, etc.) is simply absurd. There is no respect for them in To Kill a Mockingbird, and no one takes a minute to go in their shoes and realize that they are humans just like any white person. Black people are so frowned upon in this period of time that “once you have a drop of Negro blood, that makes you all black.”(Lee, ?) From what is said here, it can be inferenced that being black is something that one would never want to be, and even being associated with them would destroy one 's status in society. An evident way that negroes are looked down upon as opposed to the way that Aunt Alexandra treats and refers to them. She gets mad at Atticus because “he 's turned out a nigger-lover [and] we 'll never be able to walk the streets of Maycomb agin. He 's ruinin ' the family, that 's what he 's doin '."(Lee, ?) When she is talking about Calpurnia, as well as her feelings for her, she is very misunderstanding and distasteful to
Innocence evidently comes with birth and is kept through existence as time moves forward, but it soon becomes corrupted with specific life changing occurrences. In the film To Kill a Mockingbird directed by Robert Mulligan, which is based upon the novel “To Kill a Mockingbird” written by Harper Lee, there are three prominent characters in which innocence is rendered within. The three characters are Jem Finch, his sister Scout or Jean Louise Finch, and their neighbor Boo Radley or Arthur Radley. They each possess a different form of innocence because of the diverse personalities and consequently have their innocence obliterated in distinct ways. The
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.
In the book, To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, the story is told by a young girl called Jean-Louise Finch but also known as Scout aged five at the start of the book almost turning six who in the book is quite unique as she could read at the age of six and understand her fathers profession as a lawyer. The story is about Scout growing up in the southern state of Alabama in a small town called Maycomb with her brother Jem and her father called Atticus who is the lawyer. The main theme of the book is about Atticus defending a black man called Tom Robinson and he is accused of raping a white girl called Mayella Ewell and how it affects her, in the book she learns about racism and prejudice and the struggle of black men in life and she also learns about the ways of life and family traditions. The book is set in the late 1930’s so racial discrimination is at its peak in the southern states of America.
Scout learns that by yielding to prejudice, we often hurt and cause strife unto others. For example, Scout is harassed and becomes the target of insults when her father decides to defend Tom Robinson, a black man accused of raping a white woman. This is a plajurized essay. The hate felt towards black people by the majority of the Maycomb citizens causes them to bother and harass those who attempt to befriend the black people. Forgive me for stealing this essay. Scout realizes that the only reason she must undergo this torment is that her father is defending a black man, which has become taboo because of the corruption that racism has caused in many people. In addition, Scout watches Tom Robinson undergo unfair treatment and false accusations. Please dont tell my parents I stole this essay. Although Atticus provides the jury and the people of Maycomb with overwhelming evidence benefiting Tom, and ultimately proving him innocent, this is not enough to overcome the powers of hate and racism. Scout watches as the jury deliberates and convicts Tom Robinson of murder because he is a black man. This is a stolen essay. Although Scout witnesses a myriad of injustices occurring against black people, she also sees an exiguity of kind and compassionate movements towards black people.
Innocence is defined as the state of being not guilty of a crime or other wrong act. The definition does not have any exceptions depending on race, age, gender or other physical characteristics. Yet in the south, the innocence of a guilty white man, is more important than the innocence of an innocent black man. In the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, is about a young girl named Scout who lives in Maycomb County, Alabama. The novel is separated into two parts, the first part is about the adventures of Boo Radley. While the second part is about the trial of Tom Robinson. In the first part of the novel, Scout along with her brother Jem and her friend Dill investigate the mysterious life of their neighbor, Boo Radley. Boo has not left
In To Kill a Mockingbird, Innocence is a topic that is discussed and displayed throughout the story and is very important to having a complete understanding of the book. People’s view on innocence is something that is very subjective and it varies between every person. Through point of view, symbolism, and conflict, Harper lee shows that people’s perception of innocence changes as they grow up.
In the book To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee tells the story of coming-of-age and the loss of innocence through the character Jem. Through recurring events, Jem is faced with the realization of society’s injustice, and is left questioning the world he lives in. During a time of rampant racial discrimination and prejudice in the south, Jem transforms from naivety to maturity.
This is a crucial time to have gained the children’s respect – just before the trial began. However, the main example of innocence in the novel is also in Chapter 1. 10, when the children are given air rifles for Christmas. Atticus says ‘Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit ‘em, but. remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird’. The mockingbird represents innocence.
Life is like a forest, if a tree doesn't get enough sunlight it will die. in this case the sunlight and soil is Atticus and the sampling is Scout. Just as a sapling needs sunlight and nutrients, a growing child needs a wise adult. Maycomb is like a tree without sunshine and Atticus is keeping the town alive. He is trying to keep life fair and just for everyone in the town but not always succeeding. In this unfair society, one is usually faced with a restrictive social ladder that restrains its occupants into stereotyped categories. In this type of pessimistic backdrop, it is only natural to copy the actions that surround you. Set in the small sleepy town of Maycomb,Alabama, a court case arises bringing out the worst in everyone in the town. Atticus' wise teachings, Scout meeting both the black people in church and Boo Radley, and discovering the way Maycomb thinks of others helps Scout, older and wiser.
The illusion of innocence is deeply instilled in the outlook of children. Reality soon takes its grip as kids begin to grow and mature, and they lose their pure qualities that they have once possessed. Their father Atticus shelters Jem and Scout from the town’s disease, teaching them the act of sympathy and how to distinguish the good aspects over glaring at the imperfections of people. The loss of innocence portrayed in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird is exposed as the lives of Jem, Scout, and Dill go through their racist and prejudice society, learning how the worlds dreamlike qualities is nothing more than just a childhood fable. The children’s judgment of people and society quickly sheds as Lee displays the harsh realities to Jem, Dill,
When one is young, one is oblivious to the harsh realities of life. The imperfect human nature, suffering, and trauma can influence a child’s view of the world and the people in it. In her novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee tells a story about the coming of age of Scout, a young girl living in the post Civil War South, in a context of racism, violence and aggression. As Scout faces these new experiences, she relies upon her African-American nanny, Calpurnia, her reclusive neighbor, Arthur Radley, and her father, Atticus Finch to help her through it all. In the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee uses the characterization of Scout to illustrate that when a naive child is exposed to traumatic, adult situations, they may develop a deeper and a more mature understanding of the people who influence them in their life.
In a society surrounded by corruption, racism, and cruelty it is rare to find purity. Innocence is constantly being destroyed. For this reason, the harmless citizens need to be treasured and protected. Harper Lee 's classic novel To Kill a Mockingbird portrays the injustices of the 1930 's that expose the innocent to the mal of the society’s intentions. Some characters in the novel are characterized as harmless and pure and are symbolized by mockingbirds. It is then stated that killing a mockingbird is a sin, therefore meaning that killing innocent people is also sin. Lee’s eye-opening novel reminds the reader that one should protect the beauty of the innocence by not allowing
Harper Lee utilised narrative voice and structure through the exploration of Scout’s perspectives and thoughts to portray the loss of innocence. Loss of innocence was explored throughout the novel ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ by Harper Lee through the use of symbols and analogies. The main characters discussed and portrayed in the book were Tim Johnson, the Mockingbirds and Boo Radley. Tim Johnson was a neighbourhood dog who appeared down the Finch’s street one day, but looked very ill and was rabid. Calpurnia, the black maid working at the Finch’s, rang Atticus and he shot it.