We can all agree that children have different illusions about what the world is really like around them. Harper Lee's novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, is a bildungsroman that shows how a young girl named Scout grows up in Maycomb county with her father Atticus and her older brother Jem to guide her. The novel is set in the 1930’s in Maycomb county, a southern town where most of the neighbors get along with each other. Some of the neighbors have secrets that only the adults know, but eventually Jem and Scout find out what those secrets are, which challenges the illusions they have about their perfect little hometown and the friendly neighbors that live around them. In To Kill a Mockingbird it demonstrates a theme in the book about how things you believe to be true when you’re a child turn out to be different as you start to see them through adult eyes.
Jem and Scout’s illusion is challenged when they go to the jail and see a mob of people talking to Atticus. Jem, Dill, and Scout wanted to know what Atticus was doing at the Maycomb Jail visiting Tom Robinson. When they got to the jail they saw a mob of people standing in front of the jail cell where Atticus was guarding it. They were able to hear the conversation the men had with Atticus and one of the men said,¨'You know what we want', another man said. 'Get aside the door, Mr. Finch¨(151). This moment shows Jem and Scout’s illusion being challenged because they believed that everyone in the world is treated equally when in
The novel To Kill a Mocking Bird by Harper Lee is about a young girl named Scout and her brother, Jem, growing up in the small, southern town of Maycomb, Alabama. Scout and Jem live with their older father, Atticus, and spend their summers playing with their friend, Dill. They have many neighbors, and one is an older woman named Mrs. Dubose. As the siblings grow older, they begin to drift apart and new disagreements begin. Yet, as Jem begins change, he starts to think more maturely about feuds with his sister and opinions towards his neighbors. For example, in the tire incident, Jem realizes that Scout is in trouble and tries to help her. In addition, in the flower incident with Mrs. Dubose,
As children grow up, they open their eyes to the harsh truths in the world around them that they once did not understand or question. This is experienced by the main characters of Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird. The story is of a girl called Scout and her older brother, Jem, who go through the trials of growing up in the fictional small Southern town of Maycomb, Alabama in the 1930s. Racism is rampant in the mindset of the townspeople, shown when the children’s lawyer father, Atticus, takes the case of an obviously innocent African-American man and they convict him in their hearts before the trial even starts. Through this all, we can see the theme of loss of innocence in the children. Lee uses characterization to portray
Jem’s entire perspective of the world is thrown into chaos so he retreats into a state of disillusionment. However, Scout, maintains her faith in humanity. Atticus elaborates by saying as you grow older; you’ll see white men cheat black men every day of your life. Lee uses this scene to show the reader that racism is learnt. Scout gradually emerging from her innocence to the realization that people have different outlooks on the world and that these often include prejudice and hate which have been obtained by harsh experiences. Lee intends to show the reader that innocence is precious and once experience marrs, you cannot return to innocence. When Scout meets Dolphus Raymond, she learns not to trust the stereotypes that society casts on people because you never really know a person until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them. Scout’s narration showcases her struggle with the realization that not everyone values integrity and morals.
Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird is about two children, Jem and Scout, and their relationships with their father, Atticus. The children raise themselves growing up, many people would say they were irresponsible, but they are both appear to be intelligent individuals. The novel, To Kill a Mockingbird the novel demonstrates a rigid class structure and social stratification in the County of Maycomb. People should not be judged by their social class, they should be judged on their personality.
Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird is a study in the way people’s view of the world changes as they grow older. To Kill a Mockingbird is from the point of view of a six year old girl, Scout, the daughter of a lawyer. She is forced to grow up quickly when Atticus defends an innocent black man in the South, much to the dismay of most of the white citizens. Lee uses similes and personification in To Kill a Mockingbird to show the challenges and discoveries that children make while transitioning from a child to an adult.
In the novel 'To Kill a Mockingbird' two important characters influence each other significantly over the course of the book. The book is set in the 1930's in the fictional town of Maycomb, Alabama. The novel is centered around a young girl named Scout and the events that developed her into a mature you lady. Scout develops greatly alongside her father, Atticus, who teaches Scout, along with her friends and family that life can teach you a lot of lessons, if you know where to look. Scout changes from a naïve, impulsive young girl to a mature young lady that ,with her new understanding of the world, influences the those around her. Atticus has learnt that humans are not faultless and not all of them share his moral values.
Before she witnesses the court system through her own eyes, Scout strongly believes that the system is fair in the town of Maycomb. As time goes on, she begins to realize how the court system is actually biased. From racist juries, judges, and witnesses, the African Americans were greatly discriminated against in the court. As Atticus says, “In our courts, when it’s a white man's word against a black man's, the white man always wins” (Lee 295). This quote from the story showed Scout, Jem, and the reader how the court system truly was not equitable in Maycomb at the time. Had there been a fair court system, Tom Robinson would have never been ruled guilty. Atticus acknowledges in his speech at the end of Tom Robinson’s case, “Gentlemen, a court is no better than each man of you sitting before me on this jury” (274). This, being another well-said quote from Atticus, shows again the discriminatory court system. Through the large case told about in the story, Scout learns that it is an illusion that court systems are just. Realistically, the system was unfair and intolerant. Through the court system, one can see how racist people were back then towards the African American people and how the white people believed humans of the opposite color are terrible people. This leads to another illusion that Scout eventually learns the truth
In the rural town of Maycomb, Alabama, Scout Finch lives with her brother, Jem, and Father, Atticus. Scout teaches many lessons as well as defies stereotypes. Scout gives readers her perspective of things. In To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee uses the growth and characterization of Scout to reveal to readers how innocence slowly falls away through Scout’s obliviousness about other people, Scout’s protection towards her family, and Scout’s curious ways.
In the award-winning novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee many different childhoods are demonstrated. Almost everyone in the small town of Maycomb Alabama will be affected by the events of the novel despite there contrasting upbringings.
This is seen when Tom Robinson’s rape trial has ended and the jury is deliberating on his fate. Jem, a young boy ignorant of the evil and hatred existing in Maycomb, is confident that the jury will acquit Robinson, saying to Scout, ““He’s just gone over the evidence,” Jem whispered, “and we’re gonna win, Scout. I don’t see how we can’t.”” Yet Atticus, wiser to the maliciousness present in society, is far less optimistic. When Jem asks, “You think they’ll acquit him that fast?”, Atticus “[opens] his mouth to answer, but [shuts] it and [leaves Scout and Jem],” a clear sign that he doesn’t expect the jury to decide in favor of Tom Robinson. When the jury inevitably finds Robinson guilty, Jem is stunned and horrified. Lee writes, “[Jem’s] hands were white from gripping the balcony rail, and his shoulders jerked as if each “guilty” was a separate stab between them,” showing that Jem views the ballots as horrific on a deeply personal level. This unpleasant surprise influences Jem to view Maycomb in a harsher, more bitter light. He says to Miss Maudie, “I always thought Maycomb folks were the best folks in the world, least that’s what they seemed like,” showing his increasing disillusionment towards the town and its inhabitants. Yet Atticus, despite having witnessed those same events, is able to retain his faith in
“To Kill a Mockingbird” is a novel written by Harper Lee. It is set in America in the 1930s during the Great Depression, a time of economic decline after World War II. The novel follows a young girl called Scout Finch and her brother Jem as they learn about the prejudice and racism within their society of Maycomb County. The children and their widowed father, Atticus have a unique relationship that includes the teaching of valuable life lessons and unusual, maternal nurturing.
A child’s world is often marked by simplicity. To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee depicts the moral and emotional separation from this state for a naive little girl named Scout Finch. Scout gains maturity because of the events she experiences. She is presented as a curious, hot headed, girl who sees justice in hurting people who do her wrong. As she grows, and faces the turbulence caused by the Tom Robinson trial she no longer bears naivety, but gains awareness and eventually accepts these changes. Scout benefits from the changes and trouble in Maycomb; they expose her to the reality of her world and the true racist mindset of the town.
“To Kill A Mockingbird” (1960), by Harper Lee, emphasizes and displays many different philosophical ideas. These ideas are about innocence, segregation, knowledge, and reality. Ideas include the right for all races to be treated as equals, and not be judged or segregated by the color of their skin. “To Kill A Mockingbird” especially emphasizes that children, as they grow into their teen and pre-teen years, start to realize their environment and observe the way people act. This is the idea of reality. Children will start having sophisticated and intelligent ideas whether adults like it or not but the children will fight even if parents don’t think they have a mind of their own. Children start disobeying and showing signs of rebellion.The environment we live in influences the way we think, it takes away our innocence because of bad things that happen, and give us a base to form our ideas on. Two siblings; Jean Louise “Scout” Finch, and Jeremy Atticus “Jem” Finch. Their Father, a southern lawyer defending a black-American man accused of rape and beating a white woman. Jem and scout are 10 and 6 at the beginning of the book. But end up being 13 and 9 by the end, Jem being the oldest. Jem and scout, along with many other characters in the book, like Tom Robinson, Atticus Finch, and Charles Baker “Dill” Harris all have a message linked to them in the book.
The story, in the eyes of two innocent children Scout and her brother Jem, of the discrimination and hypocrisy throughout the town. Maycomb County, Alabama, faces an African American’s injustice while the children learn valuable lessons from their father, Atticus and their housemaid Calpurnia, during the Great Depression. All the while, we are learning from it. To Kill a Mockingbird teaches us the lessons of morale, justice and equality.
Scout and Jem are children in a southern town called Maycomb county. The book To Kill a Mockingbird, made by Harper Lee in 1960, describes their childhood. In their childhood they learn that this world is not perfect, examples are racism, injustice, feminism, etc.