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To kill a mockingbird a character study essay
Racism in harper lees to kill a mockingbird
Racism in harper lees to kill a mockingbird
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Harper Lee’s story, To Kill a Mockingbird, takes place during the Great Depression. Throughout the story, the innocent characters Scout and Jem learn about what it is like to live in the Southern town of Maycomb, Alabama during the 1930’s. The children enjoy being kids and especially spying on the suspicious and mysterious character Boo Radley. Later in the book, the two children learn about the inequality between African American and white citizens through a trial that takes place. The trial points all evidence on the side of Tom Robinson, an African American, yet he is still convicted due to the inequality between the races. The two both quickly mature due to these events, but it's obvious these incidents personally hit Jem the hardest. From gaining a new understanding of the realities of the world, it has changed Jem for the better and worse. One theme the story illustrates …show more content…
First off, he and his sister Scout don't enjoy playing together anymore. Jem has decided to create some space and break off the bond between him and his sister, as if a giant age gap grew between the two of them. Secondly, he has started to treat Scout differently as if she was a little girl to him, “ Jem was suddenly furious. He leaped off the bed, grabbed me by the collar and shook me. ‘ I never wanta hear about that courthouse again, ever, ever, you hear me? You hear me? Don’t you ever say one word to me about it again, you hear? Now go on!’.”(Lee 330) This shows Jem has matured and yells at Scout has if he were a father to her. He also shows that the courthouse and trial is also a tender subject for him, like a scab being reopened. Finally, Jem shows he has lost his innocence by also losing his interest for Boo Radley. Jem now seems to think of spying and fantasizing about Boo as a childish trait. He seems to just leave his earlier obsession of Boo alone and the mystery of Boo’s presence
Jem had changed throughout the story from acting like a child and doing things that children do to becoming more mature and taking part in the community. When Dill had ran away from his mom and stepdad during the summer Jem and Scout had found him under the bed in Scout’s room. Scout was planning to hide him in her room: however, Jem had other plans. “Dill’s eyes flickered at Jem and Jem looked at the floor. Then he rose and broke the remaining code of our childhood. He went out of the room and down the hall. “Atticus, can you come here a minute, sir?” (pg. 74) For years, Jem and Dill had been the best of friends. Dill had found Jem trustworthy, however, Jem was willing to do what was right even if it means losing a friends trust. Towards the end of the summer, when Dill was getting ready to leave Jem felt that it was necessary that Dill should learn to swim. He has spent the next week going to the creek to teach him. "Jem had discovered with angry amazement that nobody had ever bothered to teach Dill how to swim, a skill Jem considered necessary as walking. They had spent two afternoons at the creek, they said they were going in ...
When children grow up, they face difficult problems, and. they learn to cope and take responsibility. To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, is a flashback about two kids that spans over a few years. Jem ages from ten to thirteen over the course of the novel, and undergoes much change, as his sister describes him. Over the years, he is exposed to issues adults face, and eventually shows an understanding of racism and innocence. As Jem grows up, his view on courage also changes. Jem follows his father's footsteps, and gets much of his knowledge from him.
The novel “To Kill a Mockingbird” takes place in the 1930s during the depression. It is narrated by a young girl named Scout. Some of the main characters are Jem, Scout's brother, and Atticus, Scout and Jem's father. Throughout the novel the theme of racism is displayed through the book. Jem ,Scout, and their friend Dill are fascinated about a character named Boo Radley or Arthur Radley.
One of the ways Jem changes is by becoming more mature.Jem proves that he is maturing when the kids find Dill under Scout's bed and the first thing Jem says is “let your mother know where you are" and tells Atticus that he was there.This shows that Jem is starting to think like an adult and didn't care about breaking “the remaining code of childhood”. Even though it would mean Scout and Dill getting mad at him he still did it because he knew it was the mature thing to do.This shows that Jem cares more about doing the right, mature thing and less about having Scout and Dill mad at him.
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.
When something serious happens that would normally not happen until adulthood, it forces a child to “grow up” such as going through a loss or another difficult time. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, numerous situations occur which cause Scout and Jem to mature and “come of age”. Throughout the book, Scout and Jem face several complicated situations, for example, there are many cases in which people verbally attack Scout and her family. Scout has to learn to control her anger and to not get in fights with those who provoke her. In the novel, Scout and Jem encounter numerous circumstances which cause them to mature and “grow” such as reading for their neighbor, the trial for which their father is a lawyer, and having to defend
That does not mean he is only maturing because of his age though. The ways Jem is seen treating Scout as he gets older, is noticeable that he is going through puberty. An example of this type of act from Jem is when he wants to stay in his room and have privacy. Scout thinks, “Jem was twelve. He was difficult to live with, inconsistent, moody. His appetite was appalling, and he told me so many times to stop pestering him” (Lee 153). This quote explains Jem is growing through puberty and this causes Jem to do more boy like things, like stay in his room and want to play football. Scout also notices that, “His eyebrows were becoming heavier, and I noticed a new slimness about his body. He was growing taller” (Lee 301). After scout sees this, Jem shows Scout his chest hair which is another sign of his physical body growing older. He also is showing Scout his chest hair because he is proud of it and that he is growing older. Because Jem is growing up he thinks differently too, and it changes how he acts. One act of Jem’s is that he defends his father's name. When Mrs. Dubose calls Atticus a n-word lover for defending Tom Robinson, Jem destroys her flowers. Later at the end of the story Jem becomes more brave when Bob Ewell attacked him and Scout. Jem is brave in this situation because when Bob is attacking Scout, Jem protects her and tries to stop Bob from hurting
There is one event in particular that causes Jem to doubt the morality of the world as he becomes enraged with life. That moment makes Jem realize how cruel life can be and learns about racism and inequality. Jem starts to cry after finding out Tom Robinson was seen as guilty despite obvious evidence of not doing the crime. Scout narrates that she and Jem “made our way through the cheerful crowd” as Jem mutters “it ain’t right” (Lee 284). This causes Jem to realize how the world has people who are unfair and downright cruel, his enjoyment of life gradually fades and is miserable after leaving the
Jem is growing up all the time. This can be seen when he stops Scout
The novel "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee is a simplistic view of life in the Deep South of America in the 1930s. An innocent but humorous stance in the story is through the eyes of Scout and Jem Finch. Scout is a young adolescent who is growing up with the controversy that surrounds her fathers lawsuit. Her father, Atticus Finch is a lawyer who is defending a black man, Tom Robinson, with the charge of raping a white girl. The lives of the characters are changed by racism and this is the force that develops during the course of the narrative.
The novel To Kill a Mockingbird is an exquisite example of the impact of prejudice and discrimination on a small Southern town post-Depression. On Harper Lee's novel, Telgen states, "Comprising the main portion of the book's examination of racism and its effects are the underlying themes of prejudice vs. tolerance: how people feel about and respond to differences in others" (292). The motif of discrimination in this story is strongly supported by numerous examples, events, and seemingly unimportant anecdotes described throughout the novel. To Kill a Mockingbird expounds upon the ideas, thoughts, and interpretations of Jean Louise Finch (also known as Scout) and her older brother Jeremy "Jem" Finch. As the siblings live out many adventures and mature, both in years and in experience, they start to learn and recognize the prejudices occurring in their town. While they were brought up by Atticus Finch, their father- a man who strongly believes in the equality of all- others in the town of Maycomb do not have these same views. These differences lead to many problems throughout Scout's narration. This best-seller greatly expresses the repercussions of discrimination and prejudice of gender, race, and class.
...n in the book When Jem’s a bit older she gave a description of what it was like to live with him. “He was difficult to live with, inconsistent and moody, said Scout”. From this stage she realised that he didn’t want to play with her like a little kid anymore, he wanted to grow up and be more of a man.
Scout describes, “Jem was growing. I must be patient with him and disturb him as little as possible…overnight, it seemed, Jem has acquired an alien set of values,” (Lee 153). At this point, it’s explained that Jem was maturing and acting differently. Scout needed to understand that he was going though rough times and not to bother him. On the other hand, Scout, being only six years old, doesn’t have such a dramatic inner change; all that happens in the relationship is because of Jem.
When Scout, Jem, and Dill are at the court, Jem learns that Maycomb county isn’t what he thought it was. When the jury announced their decision, Jem was shocked because he thought that Atticus had won the trial for Tom. Jem is affected for months, and Atticus explains that, “the older you grow, the more you’ll see it. The one place where a man ought to get a square deal is the courtroom, be he any color of the rainbow, but people have a way of carrying their resentments to the jury box” (Lee ??) Jem matured because Maycomb was not a fair place for all and realizing this forced him grow up in a
To Kill a Mockingbird Final Essay In the novel “To Kill a Mockingbird,” Harper Lee shows the development of several characters during the Great Depression. Maycomb county, in southern Alabama, had recently accused a negro man of raping a white woman, creating tension and destroying trust between neighbors. Jem, stuck in the middle, evolved from a wide-eyed boy, oozing innocence, to a practical, realistic, young man. Throughout this journey, the idea of an unjust world is clearly expressed. When the story first began, Jem’s idea of bravery consisted of not wussing out on a dare.