The way in which humans come to be understanding, compassionate individuals is a process demonstrated constantly throughout To Kill a Mockingbird, a famous novel written by Harper Lee, taking place in the 1930’s during the Great Depression in Maycomb County, Alabama. The story is told from the young Jean Louise “Scout” Finch’s perspective, and tracks the development of her and her older brother Jeremy Atticus “Jem” Finch, from innocent to understanding. The negative influences which Jem and Scout experience, including the racially charged case of Tom Robinson, lead the children to have a new, more experienced perspective on human nature. People like Atticus Finch, Jem and Scout’s father, help the children to make sense of this part of human …show more content…
He is an extremely poor, depraved and racist individual who fights against Tom Robinson in his trial. Initially, Jem and Scout naïvely believe that the vast majority of Maycomb County is good, but that is before they are introduced to this man. As a result of his wicked actions, Jem and Scout come to realize that not all of Maycomb County’s citizens, specifically Mr. Ewell, display decency. Jem and Scout realize Mr. Ewell’s disrespectful actions and try not to let his sinful nature erode their personalities. After Tom Robinson is convicted in his trial, Jem retreats into a state of depression and disillusionment, and thus asks his father, “How could they do it, how could they,” (243). Jem is extremely upset by this, and it makes him come to the realization that true evil does exist; he will just have to figure out how to include it into his general understanding of humanity. The children learn that Mr. Ewell, despite his immoral nature, can still be dealt with and somewhat evaded through the understanding and appreciation of his character. Mr. Ewell ultimately displays his vice through his actions, such as when he spits directly in Atticus’s face after the trial, and Atticus wishes, “…Bob Ewell wouldn’t chew tobacco,” (217). On top of the fact that Mr. Ewell tends to retaliate, and most certainly does not take care of his hygiene, testifying to his gaunt appearance. Jem …show more content…
Atticus is a quiet, humble man who works to the best of his ability given his limited resources, and resolutely supports Tom Robinson’s side of the case, riling up his community imbued with discrimination. Without Atticus, the story would lose its equilibrium, and Jem and Scout would most definitely discard any insight they had into respecting humans for their unique qualities. Atticus supports the fact that, “Thomas Jefferson once said that all men are created equal,” (233), and he tries to use this saying to bolster his argument throughout the trial. Jem and Scout respect the fact that their father is so supportive of equality, but because Maycomb County is already so biased against the black race, nothing Atticus said could have made a difference. After the trial comes to an end, Atticus tries to help the children process the evil essence of Bob Ewell: “Jem, see if you can stand in Bob Ewell's shoes a minute ... if spitting in my face and threatening me saved Mayella Ewell one extra beating, that's something I'll gladly take,” (249). Atticus’s calm, thoughtful nature reinforces for Jem and Scout the significance of their father’s standing as a gentleman, and a paragon of being courageous in the face of depravity. Jem and Scout also learn from Atticus that, “It’s not okay to hate anybody,” (282), just
The novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is set in Alabama in the 1930s, and concerns itself primarily with the interrelated themes of prejudice and empathy. These themes are explored as the story follows Scout Finch as she learns lessons in empathy, ultimately rejecting prejudice. While all characters in Lee’s novel learn from their experiences, not all are able to grow in the same manner as Scout. The idea of a positive role model, typified by the character of Atticus Finch, and the ramifications of its absence, is a concept that Lee places much emphasis on. The isolated setting is also pivotal in the development of characters. Lee uses the contrast between characters that learn lessons in empathy and compassion, and characters that cling to the ideals of a small town, to explore factors that nurture or diminish prejudice.
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.
Bob Ewell is, in essence, Atticus’ antithesis. If Atticus Finch represents the principled southern man then Bob Ewell certainly represents its darker, less attractive side. He lives in a rural squalor, a bedraggled mess of a house. A poverty stricken unemployed spiteful drunkard, Bob Ewell is looked down upon by all the members of the Maycomb community. His economic situation is at a point where his windows “...were covered with greasy strips of cheesecloth to keep out varmints”(p187) . In such social disarray his racial prejudices have festered to an extreme point, where he is completely blind in his loathing towards Negroes or any sort of social difference. He labels Atticus a “...nigger-loving bastard”(p240), for defending Tom Robinson. This statement alone gives us a graphic insight into how his mind has become truly polluted with narrow-mindedness. Bob Ewell’s loathing of others is impressed further on the reader, when he takes out his prejudices against Atticus, by attempting to kill Jem and Scout. Bob Ewell is the polar opposite of Atticus. He has no sense of justice whatsoever and his very being is the basis of prejudice itself. What is worse is there are others who share in his characteristics.
Lee uses Scout and Jem’s tumultuous childhood experiences to... has had many trials through her life, and on was in fact a trail of Tom Robinson, a black man accused in raping Mayella Ewell, one of the daughters of Bob Ewell, the town’s idler. Atticus, the children’s father, was defending Tom Robinson, and the case seemed to be in favor of him, all the way to the point of Jem stating, “He’s not leaning, Reverend, but don’t fret, we’ve won it..Don’t see how any jury could convict on what we heard-”(Lee 176). Jem is very confident in his father’s argument, and believes that the case will lean to Tom,
In 1960, author Harper Lee wrote a book titled “To Kill a Mockingbird”, which has become a well-known classic. The main theme of the story, represented various times, is the significance of empathy for others as well as recognizing evil and fighting against it. Jem and Scout both learn that their hometown is not as pleasant as they once thought, and that no one is truly evil unless if they make an attempt to change themselves.
Growing up in Maycomb, Southern Alabama in the 1930s was not an easy thing. Amid a town of prejudice and racism, stood a lone house where equality and respect for all gleamed like a shining star amid an empty space. The house of Atticus Finch was that shining star. Jean Louise Finch, also known as “Scout”, is given the opportunity of being raised in this house by her father, Atticus. I stole this essay from the net. As she grows, Atticus passes down his values of equality and righteousness to Scout and her brother Jeremy Atticus Finch, also known as “Jem”. In “To Kill a Mockingbird”, by Harper Lee, we see Scout learns many lessons about dealing with prejudice by observing the behavior of other characters in the story.
“ ‘Jem see if you can stand in Bob Ewell’s shoes a minute. I destroyed his last shred credibility at the trial, if he had any to begin with. The man had to have some kind of a comeback, his kind always does. So if spitting in my face and threatening me saved Mayella Ewell one extra beating that's something i'll gladly take. He had to take it out on somebody and i’d rather it be me than that houseful of children out there. You understand ’” (23.15) Atticus Finch had exposed the bad men in the community to his children but selflessly found room to feel sorry for Bob because of how he treats his children. The children were able to learn from Atticus by being able to understand what was being said but realize that not everyone is as fortunate as them and don't always have the moral understand like Atticus has taught them 'Scout, I think I'm beginning to understand something. I think I'm beginning to understand why Boo Radley's stayed shut up in the house all this time. It's because he wants to stay inside.'" Page 227. Jem had recognized that not everyone can cope with the world they live in, being all caught up in hate, racism and distrust that it's better for people like that to stay inside, away from the horrid things of the world which is society. Adults are capable of judging and and not forgiving
Atticus is a good father for teaching his children to respect everyone. Scout asks Atticus if he is a “nigger lover” and he simply replies, "I certainly am. I do my best to love everybody... I'm hard put, sometimes—baby, it's never an insult to be called what somebody thinks is a bad name. It just shows you how poor that person is, it doesn't hurt you." This shows that atticus is not like the other people in Maycomb he considers every man to be equal to one another. Judge Taylor comes to Atticus to defend Tom Robinson because he knows he’s the only man in Maycomb that is fit to do to the job, and do it fairly. While thinking about taking the offer Atticus firsts thinks about his kids and how it will affect their lives. Atticus says “…do you think I could face my children otherwise? You know what’s going to happen as well as I do, Jack, and I hope and pray I can get Jem and Scout through it without bitterness, and most of all, without catching Maycomb’s usual disease. Why reasonable people go stark raving mad when anythin...
Through the three children in the story’s development, the author realistically portrays the coming of age in a world distraught with prejudice and racism. The three characters start out the start as naïve, ingenuous children, but grow up to be smart and mature by the end of the novel. Jem learns about true courage and who Boo Radley really is, a person completely contrary to his original misconceptions. Scout learns about the complacence with which a person can ignore injustices and that people are not always what the populace holds them to be. Dill learns that prevarication can lead into a very inauspicious life that can cost a human being’s life. As the characters grow up, they obtain new knowledge, learn new lessons, or understand the different aspects of life and society.
Atticus treats everyone with fairness. He always hears both sides of the story. He does this after Scout has gotten into a fight with Francis Hancock. After a time Atticus hears Scout’s side of the story and realises that it wasn’t totally Scout’s fault. Scout also tells Uncle Jack that when she and Jem get into fights Atticus stops to hear both sides of the argument before placing the blame, if any.
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.
First, the trial of Tom Robinson is an eye-opening experience for Jem and Scout; there they discover hatred, child abuse, and lying. Seeing pure hate is new and strange for Jem and Scout. They know that prejudice does exist, but listening to and watching Bob Ewell during the trial is astounding to them because Bob Ewell abhors all blacks, especially Tom Robinson. Bob’s daughter, Mayella, makes an advance on Tom, which is absolutely unspeakable and shameful at that time. In addition, Bob Ewell’s hate grows (especially for Atticus) because after the trial his reputation and respect is ruined, even though he does not have a high degree of integrity to begin with. Also, through the
...heme of maturation in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, is conveyed through the characters of Scout and Jem, in conjunction with the assistance of their virtuous father Atticus Finch. Early in the novel, Atticus ascertains himself as a major facilitator in the maturation process of Scout and Jem by incessantly providing mature solutions to his children’s predicaments. Moreover, Scout, a major benefactor of the Boo Radley incident and Atticus’ wisdom, has helped her develop into a very tolerant and mature individual. Undeniably, Jem’s remarkable development into a broadminded and compassionate character can be directly attributed to Atticus’ kindness and Jem’s exposure to the Tom Robinson trial. In synopsis, it is evident that the individuals and social circumstances that surround an individual play a major role in defining the type of individual one will become.
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,
In To Kill A Mockingbird , Harper Lee describes the life of the Finch family and the society they revolve in. It shows how people in Maycomb County denigrated each other depending on their different viewpoints . It portraits different point of views from racist(Aunt Alexandra and Bob Ewell) to pacifist(Atticus and his kids).She shows that if you have empathy than you can understand the whole story of someone because it is necessary to know what the other is going through, just that in real life it is tough to get in someone's skin because you need to have background knowledge to be right because were are not perfect, just like Scout in the end of the book she looks at the world from Boo’s perspective . In Maycomb county 1960 society, it is crucial for some people to understand the circumstances others encounter , but this is extremely rare for that to happen, since the people possess a selfish mind and a minor amount of care towards each