Sonica Prakash, Elizabeth McBride, June Ryan, and Leila MacKenzie Mrs. Hentges Language Arts 8/Period 3 22 February 2018 A Shattered Cocoon "The loss of innocence is inevitable, but the death of innocence disturbs the natural order. The death of innocence causes an imbalance and initiates an internal war that manifests differently in each individual, but almost always includes anger, withdrawal and severe depression," (B.G. Bowers, author of Death and Life). In Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, the themes of loss of innocence and coming of age are intrinsic to the plot that unfolds. From the perspective of Scout, we learn about the vital years that she and her brother, Jem, withstood to gain a more realistic view of the world. The prejudice …show more content…
of the 1930s forced the Finch children to let go of their perfect, little reality to enter one entangled with corruption. The novel shows how one courthouse case, and the eventful years surrounding it, impel the innocent children of Scout and Jem to grow up a bit too soon and face a harsh reality not fit for innocence. The themes loss of innocence and coming of age were evidently shown after the courthouse case where the African American Tom Robinson was wrongly accused.
Up until this case, Jem had full faith in the innate goodness of people and trusted that they would take part in justice to acquit Tom Robinson with conclusive evidence. Jem cannot get over the fact that evil prevailed over good, as seen in the following excerpt from the book by Scout, "Atticus said that Jem was trying really hard to forget something, but what he was really doing was storing it away for a while, until enough time passed. Then he would be able to think about it and sort things out. When he was able to think about it, Jem would be himself again, " (To Kill a Mockingbird, 331). This illustrates how hard Jem was affected by the harsh darkness of reality. Prior to the case of injustice, Jem was completely oblivious to the presence of the malice in life; he was living in a false word of justice. He thought that conclusive evidence was enough to convince the jury to acquit Tom Robinson of the false accusation. However, the jury went by the prejudice instilled in them and claimed Tom Robinson guilty with their unjustified racism. The courthouse case allowed Jem to discover that immorality did indeed exist, and furthermore, can win over good virtue. The case with Tom Robinson thrusted an innocent Jem into a world with malevolence mixed
in. Scout, on the other hand, shows a gaining of maturity by learning to control her impulses and weigh the consequences of her actions. Scout demonstrated that she learned this life lesson shortly after Atticus agreed to take Tom Robinson's case. In the Maycomb schoolyard, Cecil Jacobs had publicly demeaned Scout Finch's father, Atticus. Previously, Atticus had warned Scout about fighting since she was far too old to take part in such things. Faced by Cecil Jacob's taunts and ridicule, Scout nearly forgets this warning and almost engages in a physical altercation. At the last moment she reigns in her wishes to fight and manages to walk away from the situation thinking, "Somehow, if I fought Cecil I would let Atticus down. Atticus so rarely asked Jem and me to do something for him, I could take being called a coward for him," (102). For the first time, Scout shows some reflection on her actions. Before, she would engage in fights without a moment's thought and would always go along with Dill and Jem's unreasonable schemes. This is common behavior for a child. As one begins to grow up and experience new things they begin to become more aware of their actions and the effects that their actions could potentially cause. Scout fully displayed maturity as she remembered Atticus's warnings and how she would be letting him down if she didn't heed what he said and got into a fight. Scout and Jem also showed increasing levels of maturity with how they engaged with the Radleys. As a young child, Scout would continuously torment poor Mr. Boo Radley. Along with Jem and Dill, Scout indulged in activities like attempting to deliver a letter with a fishing pole, running up and touching the Radley House, and even sneaking into the Radley yard. Later in the novel, the Finch children entered a time when they realized how immature they were, and permanently implanted themselves in the actual world. In this part of the novel, the school year had just kicked off, Jem is officially the football teams' water boy, and Scout continues to pass by the Radley house. Scout is no longer groundlessly afraid of the Radleys and understands the implications of her actions. At the end of the novel, Scout reminisces about her past actions involving the Radleys, "I sometimes felt a twinge of remorse, when passing by the old place, at ever having taken part in what must have been sheer torment to Arthur Radley-what reasonable recluse wants children peeping through his shutters, delivering greetings on the end of a fishing-pole, wandering in his collards,"(To Kill a Mockingbird, 324). Scout has clearly matured; she used to think that the world revolved around her. Now that time had passed, and Scout had time to reflect upon her actions, she realized that a lot of the actions she took were nettlesome. Scout has been exposed to the world over the past few years and has finally realized that others have feelings and emotions, too - she did not want to be part of the antagonistic side. Scout had finally realized that her actions not only affect herself but also others. Given these points, the reader can discern that loss of innocence and coming of age are integral parts of Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird. Atticus and the rest of the white townspeople wove a fake but happy tale of reality and imposed it onto the children. Scout and Jem lived in this perfect world until Tom Robinson entered their lives, which would never be the same. His rejection for acquittal slammed the inhumaneness of reality straight into the children's faces. The Finch children's protective cocoon, which had protected them so long from the cruelty of reality, had shattered. Their juvenile innocence had been lost, fueled by a dramatic court case in which they learn that the world is in fact a spiteful place. Jem and Scout begin to understand that there is a world outside their heads and that being conscious of one's own actions is important. As we grow older we, too, begin to lose our innocence. However, there is a point where we have no more to lose... but is there? Is there something that we aren't seeing, something that could change our perspective on everything just like knowledge did to us when we were children? What are we missing and where can we find it?
Also Jem was affected negatively by racism by a loss of his innocence. Jem states while he walks out of the courtroom “ It ain't right Atticus”(Lee 285). Jem now knows that Tom should have won but he didn’t just because he is a black man facing a white woman. When Jem angrily said, “ I never wanna hear about that court case again, ever, ever you hear me?”(Lee 331). This quote proves that Jem has lost his innocence because he knows that Tom Robinson should have had a fair trial but he didn't so he doesn't want to hear about it.
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.
Even though Jem is growing up and maturing he has some naive view of the community he live in. We see that in trial of Tom Robinson. Jem is convinced that the jury is going to rule in favor of Tom. But as we know Tom is convicted. This surprises Jem. He doesn‘t understand and can‘t accept it. However everybody else know that the ruling is never going to be in Toms favor. He sees the world only as black and white although he is learning that it is not that simple. Through the story Jem learns about the injustice, racism and discrimination in his
Jem knew from the start that Tom Robinson had no chance in winning a case against the Ewells. However, he deluded himself into thinking that that maybe the jury will be accepting and open-minded in that one case. Of course, that’s not what happened in the end; Tom Robinson is found guilty, causing Jem to question whether or not Maycomb is really the same as he remembered it from his childhood. This change in Jem especially shows when Scout comes to ask him about Hitler’s hatred towards all Jewish people during the Holocaust; Scout ends up comparing what her teacher said in class versus what that same teacher said outside the courthouse after the trial, and Jem was instantly reminded of the verdict:
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.
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
This trial reveals to Scout and Jem that their view of innocence isn’t the same as everyone else’s. The verdict of the trial deeply devastated them because they couldn’t comprehend the idea of him going to prison for something he didn’t do. Months before the trial they, wouldn’t have cared if he was innocent or guilty just because they didn’t like the negative attention the trial brought. They started to care after they started to mature and realize just how unfair and inhumane the trial was. Conflict is something that obviously helped shape the changing views of innocence throughout the
In the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee discusses that children are forced to mature in times of crisis, as their innocence is stripped away from their naive ways of thinking. At the beginning, children are characterized as innocent little beings that think carelessly, without considering the consequences, and often see things superficially. However, this situation changes when the evils of this world was revealed openly, and it was inevitable that the children would lost some parts of themselves. They would no longer see the world as perfect and fair, rather they would come to understand that the world is actually judgmental and unjust.
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.
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;
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.
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,
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.
After Tom Robinson’s trial, Scout reveals Jem’s feelings. “It was Jem’s turn to cry.” Scout uncovers, “His face was streaked with angry tears as we made our way through the cheerful crowd,” (TKAM 284). Jem understands the trial is not fair because of race. He is mature enough to realize this while Scout is not.