The town of maycomb, a small rural town in Alabama, very similar to my own, becomes the center of the story when Jem and Scout have to face it with developing, maturing, eyes. In the story To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Jem and Scout go from seeing their town as a home for them with old history and new excitement, to seeing the truth behind the history, and the people in the town. In the story, Jem and Scout’s father, Atticus, takes on a court case, defending a colored man, and the townspeople are not happy with this. The drama with the case, the kids’ friend dill, and some other dramatic events in the town, leave Maycomb with new eyes. Without the key factors of the town, the story of the mockingbird, would have had a distinctly different outcome. …show more content…
In the beginning of the book, Jean Louise tells us all about the town of Maycomb, about the people, the buildings, the things, that make Maycomb diverse.
When telling about the people, she said “ They formed the nearest thing to a gang ever seen in Maycomb,” this gives off the image that the town is a nice place to live, there are not gangs, and so assumably little violence. Scout also tells about what the people of Maycomb due, she gives us insight into both the Radleys and the average townsfolk when she told the reader that “ They did not go to church, Maycomb’s principal recreation, but worshiped at home.” This information gives the sway that being religious is a big part of how the town runs. If someone doesn’t go to church it is very out of place and unusual, religion is valued more that almost anything in the town including education. All of these details that scout provides, show an image of their town; a town that is small and everyone knows everyone. There isn’t much excitement and your family name is everything. This Scout and Jem’s home, this is their small town, and their big
world. As we learn more about Scout and Jem, we also learn more about the people the reside within the town. There are five other characters that make an impression on the Finch kids. The first is a woman by the name of Maudie Atkinson, she is a middle age woman who lives on their street. She allows the kids to play in her yard and quite enjoys the company of Jean Louise. Throughout the story Miss Maudie helps Scout to grow up and learn more about the real world. The next character who helps Jem and Scout is Heck Tate, the sheriff of Maycomb, his character shows the children that their father, Atticus, could fire a gun to a perfect shot. He also provides the town with a sense of security, as he is the only sheriff Jean speaks about. The third character that helps the Finches grow is Stephanie Crawford. She is the young woman that Dill, the kids’ friend, comes to stay with every summer. She loves to gossip and all of the town knows it. At times it appears that Scout doesn’t care for Miss Stephanie very much, however you can tell that by the end of the book Scout does respect her quite a bit. Another character that plays a big part in how Scout and Jem grow up is Robert Ewell. The Ewell family is known in town for not being as respectable as most. They live in a small run down home near the black part of town, they don’t keep clean, nor do they attend school. Robert Ewell is the father and he treats his kids poorly, he shows the children how bad people can be, the Finch kids learn about how bad the people they’ve known their whole lives. The final person who goes with the kids is Calpernia. Cal is a black woman who works for Atticus and the children, she helps to cook and clean, but she also helps keep Scout company when Jem leaves her out. She teaches the kids respect and shows them that African Americans are not different than they are. All of these townspeople help to mature the Finches, they bring new views to their eyes. Scout and Jem grow up a lot in the three years that the book takes place. They learn that they don’t have the right to be better than anyone else, and that injustices happen. Though they figure out information on their own without the town, and the people in it the Finch kids wouldn’t have uncovered the true messages that came from the trial.
The novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, takes place in the 1930s in a small Alabama county called Maycomb. The novel is about the Finch family of three. Atticus, the father, Scout the older brother and Scout the younger sister, who acts like a tomboy. Scout may be a lady, but does not like to act like one, she likes to play and get dirty with her brother. Being young, both children learn lessons throughout the novel by many different residents, such as, Calpurnia, the maid, Miss Maudie, the neighbor, and their father, Atticus. In Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird various citizens in the town of Maycomb play an important role in the lives of Jem and Scout Finch
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.
To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, is a courageous tale of leadership and gallantry. This book voices the story of a young girl, Scout, and the town of Maycomb. In the book To Kill a Mockingbird there are numerous quotes to which you should bring to your attention. By far, the most important quote describes what Boo Radley experienced all those years he was locked away in his house, “A boy trotted down the sidewalk dragging a fishing pole beside him. A man stood waiting with his hands on his hips. Summertime, and his children played in the front yard with their friend, enacting a strange drama of their own invention.…. Fall, and his children trotted to and fro around the corner, the day’s woes and triumphs on their faces. They stopped at an oak tree, delighted, puzzled, and apprehensive. Winter, and his children shivered at the front gate, silhouetted against a blazing house…. Summer, and he watched his children’s heart break. Autumn again, and Boo’s children needed him. Atticus was right. One time he said you never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them. Just standing on the Radley porch was enough” (Lee 236-237). All those years he has watched as Scout and Jem grew up. All those years he imagined they were his own. Characterization is significant for the reason that Scout realized Boo Radley isn’t the irrational murderer, he is portrayed to be; he is pleasant and generally cares for the children.
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
Maycomb is a fictional town in which we are exposed to the brutality of people. We follow Scout and Jem’s journey, which slowly reveals to us that the world is not a fair place and if anything, that the world can be quite cruel. This is shown through the ways in which characters act in a despicable manner towards others. Tom Robinson’s trial further gives us an insight as to the lies and racism that people are capable of. We are constantly confronted with the harsh reality that that the world is made up of numerous people that are filled with hatred, fueling them to act inhumanely towards others. Yet, at the end of the novel we are given a glimmer of hope as both Jem and Scout understanding this predominant concept, means that the next generation of Maycomb citizens may well be more compassionate towards one another
In the novel,”To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee, the characters Scout and Atticus have several similarities and differences. One such similarity is that they both have the ability to view situations from different perspectives. When Scout walked Boo home, she was able to see the world from Boo’s perspective. Another similarity is that they both aren’t prejudice.The two also are able to use their words effectively. After Scout moves away from fighting, she gains the ability to effectively use her words as Atticus can. Aside from their similarities, these characters have several differences.
Jem is growing up all the time. This can be seen when he stops Scout
Imagine just two young kids maturing within a matter of years. Imagine that same two kids, experiencing or understanding things that they aren’t meant to at a young age. Jem and Scout were just like that. They have experienced many things that they shouldn’t have at their age. Scout on the other hand, seems to be the one maturing the most. Throughout this whole essay, you will learn about Jem and Scout’s attributes, personality, and how alike or different they are from each other.
The town of Maycomb, filled with racist views which exposes the kids to the racist views of close friends such as Dill Harris, family members such as Aunt Alexandra, and neighbors such as Mrs.Dubose. Limited to so much time with the kids, Atticus tries his best to equip Scout and Jem with the ability to look past the disease, by having Scout and Jem look past, “Maycomb's usual disease” increases their father's attempt to persuade anyone's views to racial equality.
Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird takes place in Alabama during a crucial time in American history. The book is told from the point of view of Jean Louise “Scout” Finch, and revolves around her and her brother Jem while they are growing up. While they are growing up, they learn many life lessons that are shown by different milestones. Lee uses many symbols in the novel to represent the maturing of Jem and Scout.
A small city nestled in the state of Alabama, Maycomb has got its faults, just like any other place in the world, but one of its main faults or (pg.88) “Maycomb's usual disease,” as Atticus calls it in the book is prejudice. Jem and Scout learn a lot about prejudice when a black man named Tom Robinson is accused of raping a white woman named Mayella Ewell and their father, Atticus, is called on to be his lawyer. They realize the hate that people have buried deep within their heart when they see a black man accused of doing something only because of his color. On pg.241, Scout starts understanding this and thinks, “Atticus had used every tool available to free men to save Tom Robinson, but in the secret courts of men's hearts Atticus had no case. Tom was a dead man the minute Mayella Ewell opened her mouth and screamed.” As the case continues, up until the death of Tom Robinson, Jem and Scout learn more and more about prejudice and how the hate that people have towards others causes them to take wrong actions. They also see how unfair it is that a white man can get treated better and think of himself better than a black man only because he was born white. This prejudice and the trial cause Jem and Scout to get in argum...
It can be seen, that the language used in To Kill a Mockingbird novel is simple though it deals with critical issues in the society such as racial inequality and rape. Harper Lee bases the story in small town known as Maycomb during Great Depression period. The novel focuses on Jean Finch also known as Scout who lives under the care of her brother Jem and their father Atticus. The children befriends Dill who normally visits his aunt every summer. Scout, Jem and Dill are fascinated and terrified by their neighbor Boo who residents of Maycomb
Harper Lee grew up in Alabama in a time when racism was rampant and the people were merely sustaining an adequate life due to the Great Depression. The story is set in the rural town of Maycomb, which is a place where, “there was no hurry, for there was no place to go, nothing to buy and no money to buy it with...” Maycomb is a slow paced, hot, poverty-stricken Alabaman town with outdated infrastructures where people had old-fashioned values and traditional views. These factors then spread an outbreak of fear, which dramatically steers the course of the novel.
The relationship between two people is shown through their actions. In the film “To Kill a Mockingbird” Scout and her family go through some tough times dealing with the trial of Tom Robinson. Atticus is defending Tom Robinson, a black man that is accused of rape, which causes Atticus and his family to face some challenging obstacles. These events cause Scout to have a very close relationship with her father, Atticus, and her brother, Jem, Their relationships are shown through the way they act. In direction Robert Mulligan’s film”To Kill a Mockingbird” Scout’s relationship with her family is revealed through their actions.