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Literature essay on the theme of good and evil
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To Kill a Mockingbird: The Coexistence of Good and Evil
“Mr. Cunningham’s basically a good man//He just has his blind spots along with the rest of us” (210) This quote from To Kill a Mockingbird By Harper Lee (in a deeper meaning) says that people are good, but coexist with the evil within. Which brings me to believe that In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee uses foreshadowing and symbolism to develop a larger theme to readers that good and evil can coexist, inside all of us.
Lee acknowledges the theme when she says,“They’re certainly entitled to think that and entitled to full respect for their opinions but before I can live with other folks I’ve got to live with myself. The one thing I don't abide by my majority rule is a person's confidence”
(268) Mr. Dolphus Raymond, a wiser resident of Maycomb, knows that everyone has good and evil sides. Everyone thinks he is a bad person because he chooses to live with [negroes] rather than live with the majority white community, though everyone blames this on his (what seemed to them) drinking problem. Although, in reality Dolphus Raymond is a good person for accepting both races and living peacefully and disregarding the fact that he looks like a drunk to the community. This says that to both races see him on different perspectives. Moreover, Dolphus symbolizes innocence and good, but everyone sees him as a bad person. “I said I would like it very much, which was a lie, but one must lie under certain circumstances and at all times when one can’t do anything about them” (171) This line shows that lying, which, clearly is never a good thing, is bad. Granted that, Scout lies for a good reason, and inside her she knows it's bad but she continues to do it anyway, which brings me to believe that the coexistence of good and evil need to work together. Both Jem and scout start at the beginning of the book as two very innocent children who believe that everything is good until later in the story when the children realize that not everything is as good as they thought when they saw that Tom Robinson was clearly convicted because he was black disregarding the evidence that he was innocent. Lee implies that evil and good coexist when Jem says,”It's like bein’ a caterpillar in a cocoon, that’s what it is//I always thought maycomb folks were the best in the world, least that's what they seemed like” (288) this means that the goodness of Maycomb was there; it was when every had a (in the words of Atticus) “blind spot” they coexistence of evil shined through. The caterpillar Jem speaks about symbolizes Maycomb and how closed it is, how everything was shielded from the rest of the world, but when the time came, [they] realized the true brutality of good and evil. It is clear to see that evil and good coexist inside of all the residents of Maycomb, as it was slowly revealed throughout the course of the story. All of the people in Maycomb had good and evil inside of them, which, in conclusion good and evil lives within all of the residents.
Harper Lee, the author of To Kill a Mockingbird, communicates a central idea that society has good and bad qualities by using an epigraphic symbol and dynamic characterization of the novel’s protagonist, Scout. The theme of To Kill a Mockingbird is that individuals affect society in both good and bad aspects. Lee demonstrates this idea by utilizing a mockingbird as the primary symbol of the novel and characterizing Scout to reveal and understand that both good and bad exist in the world. Scout learns that all a mockingbird does is good, it sings, but never does anything that people hate (Lee 90). In the novel, mockingbirds ...
...character foils within Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, each pair symbolizing the good and evil that lies within Maycomb County. Boo and Nathan Radley, though brothers, look at life in contrasting ways. Walter Cunningham Jr. and Burris, though classified the same in terms of society, stand for opposite morals; and Miss Maudie Atkinson and Miss Stephanie Crawford, both respected women in Maycomb, are nothing alike in terms of character. The philosophical meaning behind character foils present not only in this novel, but other works of literature, can be seen as the balance within the universe; with every good thing, comes a bad thing that counterweights it. “The ingredients of both darkness and light are equally present ...The madness of this planet is largely a result of the human being's difficulty in coming to virtuous balance with himself” (Gilbert 251).
The main theme in To Kill a Mockingbird is the coexistence between good and evil. "There are just some kind of men who—who're so busy worrying about the next world they've never learned to live in this one, and you can look down the street and see the results.” (Lee 60) This quote demonstrates a sense of wisdom and cleverness which contrast the other
...t and dark, art and pain, choice and regret, cruelty and sacrifice.” [Libba Bray] The character “foils” within Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird add a real meaning of development, and complexity in the story that grasps the readers attention. It can be seen that each pair of characters are present in a way that the readers are able to show the contrast between each pair and can acknowledge and recognize a “good” character from a “bad” one. This contrast is most evident in the way each character deals with a situation. It is essential that, as readers, we do not assume that certain characters are the same due to some of the likeness that they have because each person has their own personality that creates the true image of their individual that is being described. In this world, there will be both good and evil because that is what creates balance in the world.
"Our greatest evils flow from ourselves" (Tripp 192). This statement, by Rousseau, epitomizes many points of evil that are discussed in Harper Lee's novel, To Kill A Mockingbird. In our world, we constantly come face to face with evil. Evil presents itself in many forms, including prejudice, alcoholism, drug abuse, irresponsibility, and violence against others. The most prevalent faces of evil in To Kill A Mockingbird are prejudice, alcoholism, and gossip.
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.
Harper Lee uses symbolism extensively throughout To Kill a Mockingbird,, and much of it refers to the problems of racism in the South during the early twentieth century. Harper Lee's effective use of racial symbolism and allegory can be seen by studying various examples from the book, namely the actions of the children, of the racist whites, and of Atticus Finch.
Throughout the novel Harper Lee explores the racism, prejudice, and the innocence that occurs throughout the book. She shows these themes through her strong use of symbolism throughout the story. Even though To Kill a Mockingbird was written in the 1960’s, the powerful symbolism this book contributes to our society is tremendous. This attribute is racist (Smykowski). To Kill a Mockingbird reveals a story about Scout’s childhood growing up with her father and brother, in an accustomed southern town that believed heavily in ethnological morals (Shackelford).
Change is something everyone goes through in life, whether it is for the better, or for the worse. Change can be a result of one’s personal behavior, and other times it is from one’s surroundings. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (1960), starts off with a young girl named Scout who is not your average lady. She wears breeches, and swears despite her young age. As Scout ages, her personality progresses and she starts to look through different perspectives, opening her eyes past Maycomb.This is only possible with the help of her family and her neighbors. She learns how to empathize with others, all the while dealing with struggles of her own. Scout’s young childhood atmosphere and role model’s make her depict on who she truly is, eventually
In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, many different themes come into view. One major theme that played a big role in the character’s lives is racial prejudice. Racism is an unending problem throughout the book. The song “Message from a Black Man” by The Temptations has many similarities to the theme of racial discrimination. Therefore, both the novel and the song prove that racism was a great obstacle for some people at a point.
I’m Brook, and will be telling you about the movie To Kill A Mockingbird. The book To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee was published in 1960, the film came soon after in 1962. As you're reading this essay I will tell you about the plot of the movie, the conflicts in the film, my opinion of the movie, and about my favourite character. The story is told from the perspective of Scout, she narrates the film as a flashback.
In the book to kill a Mocking Bird the story takes place in Maycomb, Alabama. Maycomb County’s setting was different depending on the weather. During the rainy weather grass was growing on the sidewalks, and the streets turned to red slope. During the hot days there were flies under the shade. The setting is important because the time of the book was when the Southern states where still racist, and they were living a poor life style. Another way the setting is important to the time of the book because winter comes to early, and it snows, so the neighbors want there flowers protected and the kids want to make a snowman so it works out for everyone.
all, if Aunt Alexandra could be a lady at time like this, so could I.
Everything has two sides. Nothing is wholly good, and nothing is wholly bad. It is always a mixture of the two that is found in reality. In To Kill a Mockingbird, it is apparent that the children are not showing racist qualities; that is, they’re not racist. On the contrary, Mrs. Dubose, a lady in the children’s neighborhood, blatantly shows racist qualities. Even Scout and Jem’s aunt, Aunt Alexandra, displays racist tendencies. In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, it is shown that a town consists of both good and bad.
“I don't know, but they did it. They've done it before and they did it tonight and they'll do it again and when they do it-seems that only children weep.” (285) In To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, duality is used to exemplify good and evil coexisting with each other. The two main characters in the book, Scout and Jem, are siblings. They live in Maycomb County, a small town in which many people of dual personalities exist. These people show that good and evil do in fact coexist with one another. Scout and Jem change as they grow older. By the end of the book, Scout starts to learn that not everybody is innocent and good. On the other hand, Jem becomes more like his father, in understanding that wherever good exists, so does evil. The idea