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Character analysis to kill a mockingbird
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To kill a mockingbird character analysis
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A person brave enough to turn back the cover will be transported into a timeless tale set in 1960’s Maycomb County. The reader will be enthralled as they follow young Jem and Scout on the hardest journey they will ever have to take – the journey of growth. Scout as a young idealist and Jem as her guide, they navigate the ups and downs of growing older, and as each day passes, they learn the true meaning of love, but also witness the evil that lurks around in their lives. As every hour ticks by, as every event unfolds, whether good or bad, they learn what maturation truly means, and come face to face with power, racism, pain, hardship, and the good that can come out of all of it. In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, Scout and Jem experience …show more content…
a variety of situations that contribute to their maturation throughout the novel. Jem and Scout’s experiences growing up in the deep south allow them to uniquely mature throughout the events the night of the fire, their witnessing of and father’s involvement in the trial of Tom Robinson, and their attack following the pageant, all of which introduce them to a harsh reality beyond their control and expand their perspective of both individuals and society. Too intrigued to stay away, Jem and Scout snuck into the courthouse to view the trial.
Their father was an attorney supporting Tom Robinson, a black man accused of beating and raping Mayella Ewell. As more witnesses testified, it began to look like Atticus would win and Tom Robinson would be set free. Atticus attempted to convict Mr. Ewell of beating Mayella and framing it on Tom. Mr. Ewell told the judge, “’…Jedge, I’ve asked this county for fifteen years to clean out that nest down yonder, they’re dangerous to live around ‘sides devaluin’ my property—‘” (177). After hearing everyone’s testimonies, the jury convicted Tom Robinson of raping and beating Mayella and was put in jail. The trial exposed the children to the racism of the Deep South in the time they were growing up. Since Tom Robinson was a black man and Mayella Ewell was a young white girl, her purity was seen more believable than a black man's testament against rape. The fear that was brought on the county was also witnessed by the children in the outcome. The children knew Tom didn't cause injury to Mayella, but out of power, fear, racism, influence, impurity Mr. Ewell was able to convince the jury that Tom Robinson raped Mayella. The children’s views on the amount of hate and prejudice in the world were expanded. Their maturity and views on the realistic world grew, and they were shown that not everything is in their control, and as much as they know something maybe right, they may not always be able to change
it.
While watching Atticus during the trial, Scout learned a lot about her father. She learned that he was more than just an ordinary man to the Negroes. He was defending Tom Robinson, which meant a lot to them, because not many white people in the county would do a thing like that. Very few, if any, white men would defend a black man in a trial in a segregated county during the 1930’s. Because of what Atticus did more people, both white and black, gained respect for him. Scout saw that to the neighborhood people, Atticus was a very wise man, and a very good man, also. While Scout was watching from he balcony, she saw her father do something she had never seen. He told Bob Ewell to write his name on a sheet of paper. Scout saw that Bob was left handed, so he couldn’t have beaten up Mayella, because her black eye was on the right side of her face.
In To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Scout Finch tries to please her father, but living with no mother it’s hard to know how to act. It’s natural to follow Jem, her brother, when that is her only friend through out the years. Imagine hearing gossip about your father from friends, neighbors, and even your own cousin. Scout had to push through all of the gossip and believe in her father. Throughout the novel Scout shows how social she can be. To Kill a Mockingbird is a great novel that keeps you reading. Scout has a positive effect on events such as at the jail, she was the reason that the mob left. She also always curious so she is more mature than most kids her age. Through the journey of the trial she shows how hot-tempered, tomboyish, and mature she can be.
Scout was the narrator of the book "To Kill a Mockingbird" (by Harper Lee). At first she didn't know a lot about Maycomb (the town they live in), the people in the town and life. Through the book she had lots of new experiences and learned a lot. This knowledge caused significant changes in her characteristics and perspective. As the novel progressed, she has grown up. She has become a better person.
Scout is the main character in this book, everything happens from her point of view. But, what happens with her, how does she change and develop? Throughout the book, To Kill A Mockingbird, Scout develops by becoming less aggressive, more independent, and more able to see things from other people's points of view.
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.
In the novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, racism is a major theme. Atticus Finch, the narrator’s father, defends a negro, Tom Robinson, in the court of law against a white man, Bob Ewell. Robinson had reportedly raped a young white girl, Mayella Ewell. But according to Robinson he had gone to help Mayella, as he often did, with work around the house. As he starts helping Mayella, she tries to get Tom to kiss her and will not let him out of the house. Bob Ewell sees this and chases Tom out of the house and accuses him of raping his daughter. Atticus goes against almost everyone in Maycomb County’s opinion in defending Tom Robinson. Throughout the course of the novel, racism effects many characters such as Tom and Helen Robinson, Scout and Jem Finch, and Mayella and Bob Ewell. All these characters had there lives
The quote by Zora Neale Hurston, “There are years that ask questions and years that answer,” shows that coming of age is a tricky project that takes time and effort. In Harper Lee’s book To Kill a Mockingbird, she writes about Scout Finch, the narrator, reflecting on her past and the challenges she went through in her hometown, Maycomb, with her brother Jem and childhood friend Dill.. Harper Lee uses the young characters in the novel to show experiences, their role models, and conflict help shape a person from child to adult.
Normally children do not attend court cases, especially since they are difficult to understand and follow. However, Scout and Jem are eager to see their father in court because it has been the topic of the neighborhood for weeks and countless people have been speaking poorly of him. While they are watching the trial, they learn many new things that cause them to grow up faster than they would have. They are exposed to several injustices in the world, such as racism, and they begin to understand how judgemental people are and how it affects their views on others. At first Scout and Jem do not know why people are critical towards their father, but as the trial proceeds they soon realize that their father is defending an African American, for which he has earned everyone’s hate. They begin to understand how judgemental people are and how it affects their views on others. With this information, Scout and Jem learn to decide what they believe according to evidence and facts. For example, while they are are watching the case, Jem thinks that Atticus is winning, however from Scout’s point of view it
As a child grows, many people influence their development as a person. Some people impact more than others, and a select few really leave their mark. In Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird,” several characters play this role. Among them, Miss Maudie Atkinson, a woman who proves herself a strong character, prevails as the one who has the greatest impact on Scout Finch, the protagonist of this novel. As Scout matures and grows up, her views on the world around her change. Through subtle yet effective ways, Miss Maudie teaches Scout many life lessons about being humble, judging, and attitude, all of which ultimately have a great effect on the kind of person Scout develops into and her outlook on the world.
Walt Whitman’s 1859 poem “Out of the Cradle Rocking Endlessly” depicts the mockingbird as a symbol of innocence that chants or sings of fond memories from the past. By contrast, Harper Lee’s famous novel To Kill a Mockingbird, published in 1960, written almost a century after Whitman’s poem, portrays the mockingbird as innocent but as a fragile creature with horrific memories – memories of discrimination, isolation, and violence. Harper Lee wrote her novel, which is rooted in the fictional town of Maycomb, Alabama, in the Deep South, during a time of segregation and discrimination, social issues which can be seen not only in the novel but were witnessed by Harper Lee in her own life. While Lee does insert bits and pieces of her own life into the novel, this fictional story is told by the character Jean Louise Finch, better known as “Scout.” She tells a horrific yet heroic story about a time in the 1930’s from a childhood perspective. The title of Lee’s book is not at first as apparent as it would seem. In fact, the only literal reference to the mockingbird appears only once in the novel. The reader, then, must probe deeply into the characters and events of the book to uncover the significance of the mockingbird. After seeing the treatment and the unyielding courage of Tom Robinson, Boo Radley, and Atticus Finch, the reader can easily identify these three as mockingbirds.
Scout learns that by yielding to prejudice, we often hurt and cause strife unto others. For example, Scout is harassed and becomes the target of insults when her father decides to defend Tom Robinson, a black man accused of raping a white woman. This is a plajurized essay. The hate felt towards black people by the majority of the Maycomb citizens causes them to bother and harass those who attempt to befriend the black people. Forgive me for stealing this essay. Scout realizes that the only reason she must undergo this torment is that her father is defending a black man, which has become taboo because of the corruption that racism has caused in many people. In addition, Scout watches Tom Robinson undergo unfair treatment and false accusations. Please dont tell my parents I stole this essay. Although Atticus provides the jury and the people of Maycomb with overwhelming evidence benefiting Tom, and ultimately proving him innocent, this is not enough to overcome the powers of hate and racism. Scout watches as the jury deliberates and convicts Tom Robinson of murder because he is a black man. This is a stolen essay. Although Scout witnesses a myriad of injustices occurring against black people, she also sees an exiguity of kind and compassionate movements towards black people.
Have you ever put yourself in somebody else’s shoes? How did you feel? In the book To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Scout finally realizes that people go through stuff and that it can affect someone physically and mentally. As she grows up mentally she figures out what she needs to be doing and what she doesn’t need to be doing. Scout grows up and she matures by her relationship with Boo, her family, and other female influences.
Harper Lee’s only book, To Kill a Mockingbird, is the stereotypical tale of childhood and innocence, yet it successfully incorporates mature themes, like the racism in the South at the time, to create a masterpiece of a work that has enraptured people’s minds and hearts for generations. According to esteemed novelist Wally Lamb, “It was the first time in my life that a book had sort of captured me. That was exciting; I didn’t realize that literature could do that” (111). Scout’s witty narration and brash actions make her the kind of heroine you can’t help but root for, and the events that take place in Maycomb County are small-scale versions of the dilemmas that face our world today. Mockingbird is a fantastically written novel that belongs on the shelves of classic literature that everyone should take the time to read and appreciate for its execution of style and the importance of its content.
As a result, this dramatic and deeply moving novel takes us into the world of Jem and Scout, in a journey that teaches both the characters and the readers about lessons in life that we witness everyday and learn from, growing and maturing, day by day. The main problems that were faced in the book were of: prejudice and hate, people judging others, and the inequality between the treatment of men and women. These are problems that are faced in places by people, everyday, even today, and together we must work to overcome these problems and unite, every person equal to any other.
Harper Lee uses several setting in the novel she wrote.In this essay will explain everything she has uses and also will be giving some example. In my opinion I believe that what's happening in this book relates to the ‘’Jim Crow Law’’ because blacks were accused of raping white women. The black were found guilty.Also this essay will talk about scout coming of age.