Adaptation: Better or Worse? “Don’t be afraid to change you may lose something good but you may gain something better,” this quote directly fits with the astonishing novel, To Kill A Mockingbird which contains many themes and messages for readers to take from. The real question to be asked is, does the movie have the same impact? This book is told through a flashback, by Jean Louise Finch also known as Scout who tells the story of her childhood in Maycomb, Alabama in the 1930s. Scout and her brother Jem have heard frightful stories about a misunderstood man named Boo Radley. This book allows readers to see what life was like back then and what the children had to go through growing up. This book shows the theme of innocence and how it can …show more content…
As stated before, the children are growing up in a town full of hatred and prejudice for African Americans. Scout and Jem are viewing firsthand that hating African Americans is normal based on the people they are around. Atticus, their father, however, is defending a black man named Tom Robinson who was unjustly accused of rape so Scout and Jem were getting about it. While attending the African American mass, they saw the other side of Calpurnia and how differently she spoke around the other African Americans. Therefore, since this scene was not in the movie fans did not get to see the depth to Calpurnia’s character. They also did not get to see this magnificent example of the theme of understanding since Scout and Jem could now understand what they were going through. Calpurnia says, “’What you want Lula?’ she asked, in tones I had never heard her use” (Lee 158). This quote allows readers to see how shocked Jem and Scout were with the form of dialect Calpurnia was now …show more content…
Dubose also played a huge role. While reading the novel, it is clear that Atticus wants Jem to read to Mrs. Dubose for him to further understand the meaning of true courage. Deeper in the book, Atticus states that Jem reading to Mrs. Dubose was beneficial to her because it was a way for her to fight her morphine addiction. Atticus said, “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. It’s when you know you’re licked before you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what. You rarely win, but sometimes you do. Mrs. Dubose won, all ninety-eight pounds of her. According to her views, she died beholden to nothing and nobody. She was the bravest person I ever knew” (Lee 149). This not being in the movie did not allow us to see Jem’s growth and understanding as a young boy. It also taught him to take account for his actions and had a role in his maturity
What does it mean to be a good parent? The most common definition of a good parent is one who makes their children feel valued and loved, by teaching them the difference between right and wrong. At the end of the day, the most essential thing is to create a nurturing environment where your children feel like they can mature into confident, independent, and caring adults. Harper Lee’s novel To Kill A Mockingbird defines what a true parent really is thought hardships and struggles throughout the book. The story is set in the Depression era of a little town in southern Alabama that is struggling with thick prejudice on a colored rape case. The story is told through a character
... his reading. Then an alarm clock would sound and Jem and Scout would be shooed away by Mrs. Dubose’s maid Jessie. “’Mrs. Dubose was a morphine addict. She tood it as a pain-killer for years. The doctor put her on it. She’d have spent the rest of her life on it and died without much agony, but she was too contrary…She said she was going to leave this world beholden to nothing and nobody…She said she meant to break herself of it before she died, and that’s what she did…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. It’s when you know your licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what. You rarely win, but sometimes you do. Mrs. Dubose won, all ninety-eight pounds of her. According to her views, she died beholden to nothing and nobody. She was the braves person I ever knew.”(112) Atticus would have made Jem read to her anyway just to realize how courageous she really was. Mrs. Dubose knew that she would be in great pain but stuck to her ideals and came out on top. She was very old and sickly yet still conquered her morphine addiction. As Atticus said, she possessed real courage.
First of all, the movie left out specific events and characters, which deviated the story. The three summers in the book are condensed into a summer and a half. To accommodate for this, the movie had to leave out some events and characters from its source material. For example, in the movie, Jem’s interaction with Mrs. Dubose was completely left out. Mrs. Dubose was only present in one scene. From his encounter with Mrs. Dubose, Jem learns that there’s more to people than what’s on their surface. Mrs. Dubose is rude to the children and she expresses her dismay for Atticus defending Tom Robinson. When Jem responds by destroying her flowers, Atticus punishes him by making him read to Mrs. Dubose every day for a period of time. Jem must abide by Atticus’s instruction and be civil to the old lady. By learning self-control, Jem took a giant step towards becoming an adult. He also discovers that
Scout Finch, the youngest child of Atticus Finch, narrates the story. It is summer and her cousin Dill and brother Jem are her companions and playmates. They play all summer long until Dill has to go back home to Maridian and Scout and her brother start school. The Atticus’ maid, a black woman by the name of Calpurnia, is like a mother to the children. While playing, Scout and Jem discover small trinkets in a knothole in an old oak tree on the Radley property. Summer rolls around again and Dill comes back to visit. A sence of discrimination develops towards the Radley’s because of their race. Scout forms a friendship with her neighbor Miss Maudie, whose house is later burnt down. She tells Scout to respect Boo Radley and treat him like a person. Treasures keep appearing in the knothole until it is filled with cement to prevent decay. As winter comes it snows for the first time in a century. Boo gives scout a blanket and she finally understands her father’s and Miss Maudie’s point of view and treats him respectfully. Scout and Jem receive air guns for Christmas, and promise Atticus never to shoot a mockingbird, for they are peaceful and don’t deserve to die in that manner. Atticus then takes a case defending a black man accused of rape. He knows that such a case will bring trouble for his family but he takes it anyways. This is the sense of courage he tries to instill in his son Jem.
Dubose. As the kids discuss the trial with their father, Scout begins to question why Atticus insists on helping Tom. Atticus tells them, “simply because we were licked a hundred years before we started is no reason for us not to try to win” (Lee 76). Previously, Jem believed that bravery was never turning down a dare. After listening to his father, however, he begins to understand that bravery is much more than that. Atticus’s influence on Jem starts to transform him into a much wiser and more thoughtful person. Additionally, after Jem is forced to read to Mrs. Dubose, he tries to understand why Atticus respects her so much. Atticus says, “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. It’s when you know you’re licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what. You rarely win, but sometimes you do” (Lee 112). Jem finally understands that the true meaning of bravery is to do what is right, even when others disagree. This thought begins to shape Jem’s behavior, in that he starts to act more like Atticus. Being able to understand the meaning of courage allows Jem to act much more mature. As Jem is growing older, his growth in maturity is expanding to not only his family, but to all aspects of his
To Kill A Mockingbird is a great way to show how actions of people can change the face of a community. It wasn’t just the trial, but the actions of the people everywhere; from whites going to church with the blacks, to a black woman like Calpurnia caring for two white kids. These actions define the book, and start the dawn of a new era.
..., Jem had to read Mrs. Dubois every day. After she died (and an explanation to Jem and Scout why) Atticus taught Jem an important lesson in how to have courage. Although the movie went on without any major hitch at the absense of this and Atticuc’s moving speech on courage, the movie could have gained much more ground and levity if they had included these scenes.
The advice Atticus gives the children throughout the story is important not only to the plot of the story, but to how the children behave. This advice shows the children that the way the rest of Maycomb behaves and treats each other is not always right. For example, he teaches the children to love everyone regardless of who they are, what they’ve done or the color of their skin. The way they treat Calpurnia is an example of this. Calpurnia is the black cook for the Finch household, and even though she is black she is exceptionally respected by every member of the house and even serves as a mother figure for the children. There is a scene in the novel where Scout is disrespecting company and Calpurnia disciplines her. “’…That boy’s yo’ comp’ny and if he wants to eat up the table cloth you let him, you hear. He aint company, Cal, hes just a Cunningham - Hush your mouth! Don’t matter who they are, anybody sets foot in this house’s yo’ comp’ny, and don’t ...
Dubose is plain-hell’” (Lee 7), she has managed to teach Scout about real courage. Scout thinks that Atticus is a real hero and very courageous since he was able to shoot Tim Johnson, when even Mr. Heck Tate, the sheriff could not even do it.. “‘I saw that One-Shot Finch!’” (Lee 128). Since Jem ruined Mrs. Dubose’s camellia bush, he was told to go read to her everyday after school, accompanied by Scout. As the weeks went by, Scout noticed “‘that each day we had been staying a little longer at Mrs. Dubose’s...and that she was well into one of her fits by the time it sounded’” (Lee 145). Atticus later on explains that her fits were because of her morphine addiction. She had been taking it “as a pain-killer for years” (Lee 147). When Mrs. Dubose had been told by Dr. Reynolds that she had a little while left to live, she then decided to get rid of her addiction which is why Jem and Scout would go read to her, to pass time. Everyday she would go a little bit longer without taking her medication. By getting off her morphine addiction, she showed the kids real courage. Real courage is when one knows it is tough but they continue anyways, “when you know you’re licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what” (Lee 149), like when Atticus is defending Tom Robinson, he knows it is tough and virtually impossible to win, yet he tries his best to win. Mrs. Dubose knew from the very beginning it was going to be tough but
...n you know that you’re licked before you begin, but you begin anyway…She died beholden to nothing and nobody. She was the bravest person I ever knew” (149). This description of Mrs. Dubose’s bravery served as a sharp contrast to Jem’s view of courage. He saw it as the sheer defiance of fear and the strength to overcome every obstacle. Atticus’ description provided a new, more realistic assessment of bravery. Witnessing the immense will and courage of Mrs. Dubose inspired a complete change in Jem’s attitude about courage. At the beginning of the story, Jem believed the courage was merely the absence of fear. At the conclusion of Part One, however, he gained a new perspective on bravery, identifying it as the ability to endure in the face of inevitable failure. In discovering this fact, Jem not only gained a new attitude towards bravery, but also grew as a character.
“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 is a sin to kill a mockingbird” (Lee 94). This quote, delivered in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, introduces the mockingbird which is incorporated symbolically throughout the novel. The mockingbird, in presenting its gifts of music and beauty, is the symbol of Atticus’s practice of altruism because he believes in society’s responsibility to protect those who are vulnerable and innocent.
For this assignment, I decided to do my film review on To Kill a Mockingbird (Mulligan, R., & Pakula, A. (Directors). (1962). To Kill a Mockingbird[Motion picture on VHS]. United States of America.) I have a personal connection to this film because it is one of my most beloved novels by Harper Lee. I have never watched the film so it was a nice experience to see the characters I have loved for years come to life just before my eyes. The film particularly focuses on a white family living in the South of the United States in the 1930s. The two siblings, Jem and Scout Finch, undergo major changes while experiencing evil and injustice in their small town of Maycomb. Jem and Scout’s father is named Atticus and he is a well-respected man in the town as well as being a lawyer.
One of the first life lessons that Atticus teaches to Scout is that courage is not just the physicality of a person but the mental readiness for what lies ahead down the road in his or her life. In chapter 11 page 134, Lee states, “‘Easy does it, son,’ Atticus would say. ‘She’s an old lady and she’s ill. You just hold your head high and be a gentleman. Whatever she says to you, it’s your job not to let her make you mad.’” Currently in the novel, Jem is reflecting on what Atticus has said to him about being courageous and overcoming the comments, that Mrs. Dubose makes. Jem then goes on telling us how strong and courageous Atticus is when greeting her. Atticus consistently acts amiable towards her and gives her the report of the courthouse news for that day despite the vulgar comments that Mrs. Dubose. Atticus has the potential to no matter what the situation ...
Harper Lee is most famous for her class, American-literature novel, To Kill a Mockingbird. Lee created a story that reflects compassion, loss of innocence, and the courage to break barriers in the midst of adversity. By creating this novel, she built one of the most model, male figures in all works of writing: Atticus Finch. Today, Atticus Finch is seen as a literary hero, and a role model for many people. From his wise council, to his unprejudiced love and care for others, Atticus Finch lives up to the strong title of being a hero.
At the time of its release, To kill a mockingbird was widely received with harsh criticism and negative reviews, due to its content. 56 years later, the book is still considered unfit for young minds. To kill a mockingbird’s powerful message about rape and racial discrimination is something that every student should learn. Harper’s lee novel, To kill a mockingbird, talks about two plots; the first being about the mystery of the Radley Place and its inhabitants Boo Radley. This is about the house where someone lives and no one gets out of it.