Theme Of Conformity In To Kill A Mockingbird

Miss Maudie's nut grass is a representation of how bits of gossip in Maycomb District are effortlessly spread, gossip is heard by practically every citizen, it seems. "If she found a block of nut grass in her yard, it was like the second Battle of the Marne: she swooped down upon it with a poisonous substance she said was so powerful it'd kill us all if we didn't stand out of the way."( To kill a mockingbird 47) "Why, one spring of nut grass can ruin a whole yard. Look here. When it comes fall this dries up & the wind blows it all over Maycomb county!"( To kill a mockingbird 47).The nut grass is, for the most part, coordinated towards how the town sees Boo Radley, as many rumors circulate around the house of the Radley's in general. Nobody seems to really know Boo Radley, so stories continue on and on until people like the Finch's can venture into Arthur Radley's shoes, in a manner of speaking. The knothole symbolizes the entrance of correspondence between Boo, Scout, and Jem. It furnishes Boo with a ‘window' into their life. They communicate only through the knothole. The soap children symbolize the purity and virtue that Boo finds in Scout and Jem which demonstrates that Boo knows more about Scout and Jem then they think. The tarnished medal represents Boo's childish side. Boo's way of bragging to the children to pick up their regard and to motivate them to identify with him. The pocket watch that wouldn't run symbolizes how time halted for Boo since his youth was stolen,

Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, is a realistic story that deeply discusses issues involved with the 1930’s that still resonate today. The struggles of life are evident within the believable characters of Maycomb County which is a microcosm, reflective of universal issues. Along with the authentic characters, setting and style also helps to convey Lee’s controversial notions of racial and gender prejudice, and persecution of the innocent, discussing many other ideas within.

Scout’s illustration of Atticus not participating in activities that is, to Maycomb, social norms, not only makes Atticus stick out like a sore thumb as a character in general, but also the ideals and values that the character holds. The words Scout uses to describes Atticus as a man who “never went hunting” (Lee 118) or does not “play poker or fish or drink or smoke” (Lee 118) insinuate that Atticus holds equity dear to his heart with resolute. Atticus holding his ideals of equity, allows for him to hold his occupation as lawyer with pride, as the law, in practice, is delivering of truth, revealing the hidden aspects within the courtroom, the trial for justice, and carries out equity even when placed within a town that shares different values, and yet still be able to commune with those within

Before Atticus shot the rabid dog, Jem and Scout, as well as the reader had a difficult time understanding Atticus and his personal values. After the dog is shot, Jem and Scout realize that Atticus hides some of his talents for personal reasons. His background sheds light on the overall development of his character as well as goes hand in hand with the development of Maycomb itself.The town of Maycomb can get trapped in a recurring cycle of habits and ignorance that are usually either carried out by the people, or by individuals that demonstrate habitual behavior. For example, while talking to Jem, Atticus exclaims, “I don’t know, but they did it. They’ve done it before and they did it tonight and they’ll do it again and when they do it-seems that only children weep” (Lee 213). In the above example, Atticus is referring to how the jury convicted Tom Robinson despite clear evidence suggesting inevitably otherwise. The fact that the people on the jury convicted Tom, merely because of his race, shows that they are demonstrating negative habitual behavior as well as ignorance. The people’s instinctive racial discrimination parallels the way in which, despite there being movements against it, Maycomb is still segregated into multiple parts. In fact, the town's area for African Americans is entirely separate from the city itself. The way in which the

Anthony Storr says that, “Originality implies being bold enough to go beyond accepted norms “ Social norms imply that everyone is the same or does something the same way, to break that you need to go out of your comfort zone and be bold enough to break those norms. Although it is very common for there to be social norms in society, when someone breaks one it can be the very first step to making the world a better place.

Halfway through the novel, Scout encounters complications when she visits her relatives at Christmas and becomes entangled in a fistfight with her cousin over Atticus defending Tom Robinson. This is where Scout gets the first inklings of the idea that she, Atticus and Jem, do not belong with the social standards that the rest of the family follows. Further obstacles arise when Aunt Alexandra starts living with the Finch’s. Aunt Alexandra, more of a hassle than a help to Scout, attempts to bring her up to be a ‘proper young lady’, much to Scout’s displeasure. Scout does not feel as though she belongs to the societal standard of growing up to become a lady. The Finch’s family life is then juxtaposed with the life of the black population of the town. The black community has a lower social class than the white

Folks." Scout was trying to say that all people are created equal. No one, by nature, is superior to anybody else. This is a very contrary view to what most people believed at that time, especially in the South. There was prejudice between races and prejudice between families. The most obvious theme of the book is racism. Staged in the early 1930’s in southern Alabama, racism was still undeniably present. Even though the amendments which freed slaves and gave them rights were passed more than sixty years prior, the culture of the south intertwined with racism. Interracial marriages were illegal. Different races could not attend the same schools. It was the law that whites and blacks could not even be put together in the same jail cells. Looking at these things, one can only imagine the upheaval when a Negro was accused of raping a white woman: but did this stop Atticus from standing up for justice? No, it didn’t. He knew perfectly well how criticizing eyes would view the case; no matter how glaring the evidence was, the people wouldn’t accept an African American’s word over a white man’s. Atticus saw all people as equal, regardless of their skin color and he knew what was the right thing to do. He was a friend and ally to the African American community and they respected them for it. Another example is the Cunningham family. When Walter comes over for lunch, Scout criticizes him but

He knows that even if the whole town is against him, he needs to be different, and stand up for what he knows is right. In this situation Atticus was being a nonconformist, and trying to do what was right. I think that most people, today, know that black people used to be treated very poorly, and someone in the ousts sticking up for them was hard to come by. If no one ever made the choice like Atticus, then our world would never change. It is like if everyone only liked pizza, and did not want to change their opinion about it, they would never eat anything else. At some point someone has to take actions and try to eat more foods, it would make everything so much better. This relates back to Atticus and Maycomb because if he had nev decided to take the case, and try, Maycomb would never even start to change and except black people like Tom. Would you want a world with no change? I don't think so. It is important to have a world with change, and this all starts with one voice, the voice of a non-conformist, an upstander. The importance doing this is huge in the book. When Atticus decided to defend Tom, it created a spark of change. He changed the minds of some people, including his kids, Jem and Scout. In the end it is easy to see that the “ways of Maycomb” are slowly starting to change, just little by little. The only way this could have started is by one person standing out, and that was Atticus.

Decades ago, in the 1930s, people of color were not treated fairly. Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird took place in the 1930s in the fictional place of Macomb County, Alabama. It was narrated through a young girl named Scout Finch. Throughout the novel, Scout, her older brother, Jem, and their good friend Dill discover realities of society. Scout and Jem’s father, Atticus, was appointed to be the attorney of a black man. Because of the time period, the case was almost hopeless, but Atticus fought anyway. Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird displays universal themes such as racial intolerance and innocence of youth.

When the rabies-infested dog is first shot by Atticus and is witnessed by his two children, they perceive their father as radically changed. With their only perception as their father as a sensible, respectable man who is true to his beliefs and wise interpretation of the world.

“Those who improve with age embrace the power of personal growth and personal achievement and begin to replace youth with wisdom, innocence with understanding, and lack of purpose with self-actualization.” -Bo Bennett

This time period is one of racial discrimination and social inequality; two subjects young Scout Finch is only beginning to comprehend. Scout is hearing talk around school and town about her father defending a black man and calling him a “nigger-lover”. She pesters Atticus to give her an explanation; Atticus tells Scout who he is defending, a black man named Tom Robinson. When Atticus remarks that, “there’s been some high talk around town to the effect that I shouldn’t do much about defending this man,” (Lee 86) Scout asks why he is doing it if he knows it’s bad. Atticus explains that his values and morals compel him to fight for the case. He tells her to disregard the snide comments made by her peers and fellow neighbors; Atticus knows it’s a hopeless cause to fight, but he will try to win because he is an honorable man and he truly believes in Tom’s cause. Atticus will have to face the wrath of his townsfolk and racial discrimination, but he is emotionally attached to the case and will fight for it. As he teaches his kids to ignore the hate and carry on without worrying about society, he is also re-assuring himself any dispelling any doubts he might have concerning his involvement.

Life is like a thrill ride; one never knows what will be in store for them. Many characters in the story To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee feel the same way about life, having experienced many surprising and unexpected turns of events. This story is about a sleepy southern town filled with prejudice, and a lawyer’s quest, along with his children Scout and Jem, to take steps in ridding the town of its prejudiced attitude. Despite being a white man, a lawyer named Atticus, defends an innocent black man accused of raping a white woman. However, everything does not go as was hoped, and the mindset of the society overpowered Atticus’s fair-minded argument. From this emerges a theme regarding the bigotry and bias overwhelming Maycomb: A

Prejudice within the white community is another theme that is explored in the novel. In the novel the member of the white community being singled out is Boo Radley. Boo Radley is singled out by almost everyone in the white community including Scout. Scout singling out Boo is important because it is part of the novels narrative which is that the events are seen from the innocent, non biased point of view (Scout). The innocence of scout is made apparent when she says “I think there’s just one kind of folks” which is her unknowingly occurring the values that Atticus has installed in her. This links to the characterisation of racial divide which is an important feature of the novel. Also as aforementioned this is an example of Scout subconsciously portraying her innocent personality. The quote “when they finally saw him, why he hadn’t done any of those things...” , “Atticus he was real nice” Is again an example of Scouts innocence.

Outside the town limits, across the old sawmill tracks, lies a building with old paint crumbling off the sides and a cemetery lying right beside it. The brick-hard clay covered the land underneath both the churchyard and the cemetery. There lied crumbling tombstones and some new ones as well. Each one having an assortment of shattered coca-cola bottles, colorful glass, and dozens upon dozens of burnt out candles surrounding them. This was a happy place. The sweet aroma of Negro blossomed in the air, curating a scent of peppermint, snuff, and sweet lilac. It felt welcoming and homely. During the mid-1920s, in the darling town of Maycomb, Alabama, not all people had such a humbleness to them. Many people were not treated with the same respect and kindness as others, as shown in the novel, To Kill A Mockingbird. Throughout the novel, To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, shows concerns about social class and how it affects everyone around them. Being different during the mid-1930s was excruciating, even though they were factors that can’t be controlled, and Lee wanted to make a point about that.