Loss Of Innocence In How To Kill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee

557 Words2 Pages

Harper Lee decided to tell How to kill a Mockingbird from the eyes of Scout, because Scout's young age and innocence makes her have a clean way of thinking when an event comes up. In general, Scout observes, but has no opinion of the scenes that develop. The story is also being seen through Scout’s eyes because as a kid, she can see the smallest bit of goodness in someone. For a kid, it is easier to see the dark side of somebodies character. Innocence is an important asset in life. Innocence also shows how sometimes not knowing can be better for people at some points.

Symbolism is used to show how the Mockingbird resembles innocence throughout the whole story. Loss of Innocence can be shown by many characters throughout the story. As Miss Maudie said, "Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. They don’t eat up people’s gardens, don’t nest in corncribs, they don’t do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That’s why it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird." Miss Maudie is basically saying that killing a mockingbird is seen the same as killing someone who is as eq...

Show More
Related

  • Examples Of Figurative Language In To Kill A Mockingbird

    509 Words  | 2 Pages

    The symbolism of the mockingbird plays a huge role in the development of the theme in the novel. The mockingbird symbolizes innocence. In the book, it is believed that it is a sin to kill a man mockingbird because they bring about no harm, only beautiful music to enjoy. In the same sense, killing a mockingbird would be the equivalent of evil defeating good. This is represented multiple times in the novel through characters like Atticus Finch, Boo Radley, and Tom Robinson. All of whom try to bring about the good in people rather than focus on the evil in the community.

    Read More

  • What Does The Flowers Symbolize In To Kill A Mockingbird

    1095 Words  | 3 Pages

    To Kill A Mockingbird has many symbols that have a thematic significance. Flowers and “Mockingbird” type characters are the main types of symbols. To begin, the flowers represent the racism and prejudice that lies within the tight community of Maycomb, Alabama. One instance of the flowers being used as symbolism is when Camellias

    Read More

  • Loss of Innocence in Raisin in the Sun and To Kill a Mockingbird

    1968 Words  | 4 Pages

    Recently, I have read both a Raisin in the Sun and To Kill a Mockingbird, both considered literary classics. They share a number of similar themes and character that face similar situations. Ultimately, they have extremely different plots, but address the same issues; some that were common around the time they were published, and some that carry relevance into current times. What I wish to bring to light in this essay is that in both novels, there are many characters that lives’ hit a shatter-point in the course of the story. This shatter-point is where the characters’ lives are irrevocably changed, sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse. What I’m going to explore is how these characters cope with the emotional fallout of what the aforementioned shatter-point left in its wake.

    Read More

  • Is Scout a Reliable Narrator in To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee

    1231 Words  | 3 Pages

    First of all, Scout allows the reader to focus more on the exterior of situations. Children tend to experience things differently from others. Events that take place in society may be of great importance to adults and mean nothing to children. Things of importance differ between children and adults. But sometimes, a child’s perspective may be the best way to look at things. In To Kill A Mockingbird, the whole town was talking about Tom Robinson’s trial, especially since he was African American and Atticus, a white man, was to be his lawyer. According to reviewer Edwin Bruell in Racism in Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird, “[To Kill A] Mockingbird, he tells us, is about the townspeople, not about Robinson” (Mancini 101)....

    Read More

  • Loss of Innocence in To Kill a Mockingbird

    2420 Words  | 5 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • To Kill A Mockingbird Innocence Theme

    1079 Words  | 3 Pages

    First off, the book being narrated by Scout’s point of view shows how her view of innocence matures and changes as the she grows up. In the beginning of the story, Scout and Jem don’t really see injustices and thinks the world is fair and always a happy place. They have the normal false perception of childhood innocence that shape their

    Read More

  • Innocent Victims in To Kill a Mockingbird

    872 Words  | 2 Pages

    Who would want to kill a mockingbird that sings and keeps people at peace? Only mean and cruel people for example Bob Ewell, a drunk and abusive father. This symbol of mockingbird appears in the story many times. According to Merriam-Webster’s Middle School Dictionary a mockingbird is a songbird of the southern U.S. that is noted for the sweetness of its song and for imitations of the notes of other birds (482). The symbol of killing a blameless bird is repeated through out the story when Harper Lee describes Boo Radley, Tom Robinson, and Calpurnia. The following words of Atticus to his children explain it “…but I know you’ll go after birds. Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit ‘em, but remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.” (Lee 90). To Kill a Mockingbird, is the expression of the mocking bird and some people as innocent victims.

    Read More

  • Examine the Themes of Innocence and Experience in To Kill a Mockingbird

    866 Words  | 2 Pages

    Examine the Themes of Innocence and Experience in To Kill a Mockingbird. Innocence is a time when a person has never done something; it is the first step in the journey from innocence to experience. The second step in this movement is experience and this is what is achieved after. a person has done something they have never done before or learns something they have never known before. This theme of growth from innocence to experience occurs many times in To Kill a Mockingbird and is one of the central themes in the first part of the novel, because it shows how Jem and Scout change and mature over a small period of time.

    Read More

  • To Kill a Mockingbird - Theme of Innocence

    510 Words  | 2 Pages

    To Kill a Mockingbird - Theme of Innocence & nbsp; & nbsp; Innocence is a time when a person has never done something, it is the first step in the theme of innocence to experience. The second step in the movement from innocence to experience, is experience. This step is what is achieved after a person or thing has done something they have never done before or learns something they have never known before. The theme of growth from innocence to experience occurs many times in the first part of To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee. This process is one of the central themes in the first eleven chapters of this book, because it shows how Scout and Jem change and mature. & nbsp;

    Read More

  • Examples Of Innocence In To Kill A Mockingbird

    1307 Words  | 3 Pages

    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,

    Read More

  • Theme Of Innocence In To Kill A Mockingbird

    1298 Words  | 3 Pages

    Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird: The Significance of a Mockingbird 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 malice of the society’s intentions. Some characters in the novel are characterized as harmless and pure and are symbolized by mockingbirds.

    Read More

  • The Significance of the Title To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

    1088 Words  | 3 Pages

    = = Mocking birds are used throughout the novel to represent innocence. Miss Maudie explains this to Scout. Scout is surprised to hear non-judgemental Atticus calling anything a sin.

    Read More

  • How Is Colloquial Language Used In To Kill A Mockingbird

    669 Words  | 2 Pages

    The story is viewed from the eyes of Scout or Jean Louise, which immediately gives the readers an idea of how Scout sees the world at her age. From the point of view of Scout, the readers also gather information about many of the other characters in the book, and Scout’s opinions of those characters. This helps the audience to decide which characters they like, and those that they dislike. When Jem, Dill and Scout imagine that Boo Radley is six-and-a-half feet tall, and has a long jagged scar on his face, the reader has no choice but to believe that this is what Boo Radley looks like, until the revealing of Boo’s true character at the end of To Kill A Mockingbird. When Atticus tells Scout that you never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view… until you climb into his skin and walk around in it. It’s almost as if Lee is speaking to the readers themselves about the way that To Kill A Mockingbird is

    Read More

  • Innocence In To Kill A Mockingbird

    754 Words  | 2 Pages

    Most people believe that innocence is a necessary childhood factor. When innocence is torn away from children, the rest of their lives can be changed for the worst. While you are a child, you should be able to be one, and that is what Harper Lee expresses in one of her stories. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee uses symbolism, as well as characterization, to show that when Innocence is taken from individuals, it changes the future of those individuals.

    Read More

  • To Kill A Mockingbird Language Analysis

    1332 Words  | 3 Pages

    Harper Lee utilised Narrative Voice and Structure through the exploration of Scout’s perspectives and thoughts to portray the loss of innocence.

    Read More

More about Loss Of Innocence In How To Kill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee

Open Document