To Kill A Mockingbird Essay Ideas

An idea, once formed and then substantiated by others approval is almost impossible to change. This novel demonstrates how people’s opinions and prejudices are often formed by listening to those around them. Once an opinion receives popular approval of peers, people accept the idea as their own, never looking back or questioning the legitimacy, relevance or authenticity. “The one place where a man ought to get a square deal is in a courtroom, be he any color of the rainbow, but people have a way of carrying their resentments right into a jury box.” (Lee 295). In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee develops the idea that an individual’s thoughts and ideas are strongly affected and shaped by the attitudes and ideas of those around them.

The first way that Harper Lee demonstrates that individuals are strongly influenced by the ideas of others that they are surrounded by, is when Tom Robinson was accused of raping Mayella Ewell.

In the beginning of the story, Lee says how most of the people in Maycomb believe that ‘coloured people are less than white people’. Lee also stated Atticus knew that going into court was a lost cause because a black man was never found innocent over a white man. When Atticus went into court to fight Tom Robinsons case, he had more than enough evidence to prove that it was not Tom that raped Mayella, but her own father, Bob Ewell. Atticus proved that Bob was left handed and it was Mayella’s right eye that was bruised, and Tom’s left arm was injured so he could not use it properly. This should have been enough evidence to win the case, but Tom still ended up being found guilty because of the strong racism prejudgement and prejudices in the community. “Cry about the simple hell people give other people—without even thinking. Cry about the hell white people give colored folks, without even stopping to think that they’re people, too.” (Lee 269) This quote from the text is relevant because it is talking about how white people give colored people so much trouble, when really people are all the same. This is a recurring theme addressed by Atticus throughout the novel. “But this is a truth that applies to the human race and to no particular race of men.” (Lee

273)
The next example Harper demonstrates the influence of people’s ideas on others using Tom Robinsons case is how everybody said that Atticus was crazy to take the case in the first place. “If a man like Atticus Finch wants to butt his head against a stone wall, it’s his head.” (Lee 286). The quote represents the stone wall as the people and culture of Maycomb, and how they will not change their ways about how they view colored people versus white people. Atticus is essentially doing something that he, as well as everybody else, knows that he cannot win. These are the examples that Lee used in the story To Kill a Mockingbird to clearly demonstrate and illustrate how the ideas and beliefs of individuals are strongly affected by the opinions, ideas and attitudes of the people around them.

Another way that Lee demonstrated how the ideas of an individual is strongly influenced by the attitudes and ideas of the people around them is when she introduced the character Boo Radley. The idea that Boo Radley was not a good person was demonstrated and indicated very early on in the story. There were rumors of how he had stabbed his parents with scissors and refused to go and get help, so instead, he locked himself away in his house for many years. Scout, Jem and Dill had never seen, met, or listened to Boo Radley first hand, so they just believed everything that everyone else said about him. They were always scared to go by the Radley house, but never had a good reason to avoid it, other than the influence that other people’s ideas had on them. Boo Radley was actually a good person and citizen. In the earlier chapters, he had left candy and treats in a hole in the tree for the kids. In the end of the book, he ended up saving Scout’s life when Bob Ewell tried to kill her. The people of Maycomb had always called Boo a “monster” and told their children to stay far away from him, but nobody actually knew him personally. This is another way that Harper demonstrated how the ideas of other people influenced individuals strongly.

Throughout Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, the recurring idea demonstrated is that people’s opinions and thoughts are not formulated by the individuals, but rather by those, and the influence of those around them. People regularly adopt the popular opinions and prejudices of those around them. To Kill a Mockingbird is a timeless story. The themes played out through the chapters could still exist today. Whether it is political, social or familial, popular opinion is commonly accepted among peer groups, with no one questioning the idea, and everyone wanting to fit in. “I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand.” (Lee 149) This quote from the novel is explaining how courage is not something that is always fought externally and physically, but sometimes how battles are fought internally and mentally. It is rare these days, as it was in the 1930’s when To Kill a Mockingbird was set, to come across a soul brave enough to stand up against popular opinion and to not accept others’ judgements or prejudices as their own. The author uses colorful and simple thoughts and dialect throughout the novel to project the simplicity of the characters who are quick to pass judgement based on the opinions of others, and of those who follow the pack. Harper Lee changes the narration to demonstrate how the more educated, individual thinkers like Atticus are more confident in forming individual opinions and not passing judgement based on prejudice. Throughout the novel it was illustrated again and again how race, social and economic standing have no bearing on whether a character was an individual free-thinker, or simply adopted the ideas and opinions of those around them.