Theme Of Integrity In To Kill A Mockingbird

During the 1930’s depression, there was a great divide between black and white America. There were many communities and groups who had been exposed to the same treatment and persecution as the Negroes in To Kill a Mockingbird. Harper Lee has used a small town setting, such as that in To Kill a Mockingbird, to illustrate America’s views on white supremacy and the inferiority of the black race. The author has illustrated view that are expressed world-wide through her characters in Maycomb county.

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.

To Kill a Mockingbird is the perfect representation of how life was in the 1930’s. During that time, there was racism, classism, and sexism. In Maycomb County, they call these inequalities, a disease. This disease can not be cured. Since it can not be cured, racism, classism, and sexism are still present today. Even though To Kill a Mockingbird is set in the 1930’s, the extreme inequalities from that time are still deeply rooted in today’s society.

Being at the top of the social hierarchy has been a must for every American of past generations, but can lead to fatal damages for some trying to obtain that goal and a cause to ruin people’s lives. In a remarkably triumphant story on compassion, Harper Lee explored the horrors of racial prejudice in the novel “To Kill a Mockingbird.” Set in the 1930’s, the poor town of Maycomb, Alabama has been hit by the depression hard, which created a vast, complex social pyramid, with distinct families and lifestyles. At the Finch household, composed of a little nine year old girl, Scout, a twelve year old boy Jem, and their father Atticus, proceed through a whirlwind of events throughout the next few years. Atticus, a lawyer who is a hardworking, honest man at the top of the social hierarchy of Maycomb, has to defend a colored man by the name of Tom Robinson. This happened to be very unusual for the time period, as the family has to transcend through the struggles in a racial prejudice town and learn the raw nature of the worst in humans, thus trying to overcome these events through compassion. The author utilizes metaphor, characterization, and mood to describe the situation of Maycomb, it soon then becomes very clear that the dangers of ruining innocence can lead to a vast road of horrors and evils.

Harper Lee highlighted America’s discrimination, prejudices, and social hierarchal issues and created To Kill a Mockingbird, a semi-biographical novel. Even though the novel is set in the fictitious town of Maycomb, Alabama, it addresses some very real issues that are, unfortunately, still present in modern society. America has made many positive strides since 1930 to ensure equality and freedom for all, making the Dream more attainable for citizens, but we still have more improvements to make before the Dream is available to

After the Roaring 20s an Economic Disaster struck which is well known as the Great Depression. This made struggles for thousands of people and put them out of work , money, and at the very least food. All though the Great Depression was rarely mentioned in Harper Lee’s, To Kill a Mockingbird, there are multiple instances stating economic trouble throughout the novel. A tumultuous event such as the Great Depression exacerbated tensions in the novel much like socio economic divides influences conflicts today; this is revealed through the analysis of events in the novel as well as present-day issues.

To conclude, Atticus is a strong moral figure in the book To Kill a Mockingbird that demonstrates the quality of integrity to the fullest. His integrity helps others to have integrity. To explain, Atticus instils a strong sense of integrity within his children by teaching them by example. Furthermore, his example of integrity also extends to the community of Maycomb, as Atticus forces them to reflect upon their prejudiced racial views. We ourselves are every day tested with our own integrity, and the Atticus’s of the world and in ourselves can help strengthen our moral values. All in all, Integrity within ourselves helps others to have

Integrity isn’t a black and white definition, one may think they are doing what is right based off of their own conscience. Different values allow people to have different interpretations of integrity, so multiple “integrities” must exist. One can have passionate feelings about a situation that is viewed as unethical while someone, else can have strong integrity for a case that is seen as moral. However, there are certain qualities that show the strength of the integrity no matter the situation. These qualities are present in the main character’s actions in To Kill a Mockingbird, a historical fiction by Harper Lee. In this book, the Finches, especially Atticus, are faced with the racist society of Maycomb, Alabama because of their opposing moral values. Similarly, in the Power of One, another historical fiction by Bryce Courtenay, PK also goes against a racist society. Everyone around him is taught to dislike the African Americans, however, since he was once in their position when he was younger, experiencing racism, he felt equality between everyone. He built a school against the views of everyone else and didn’t care if he got in trouble for it. Both of their sacrifices are in pursuit of justice and equality and they both disregard the consequences that accompany their actions. Through these books and the character’s actions, an interpretation of integrity can be devised. Integrity is defined as persistently following one’s high ethical and moral standards, regardless of the racist society's pressures and the repercussions one’s opposition leads to.

Atticus develops the theme integrity and compassionate throughout the novel because, he shows sympathy to jem and scout, he is also very honest with them. Atticus’s integrity shows when he makes Jem read to Mrs. Dubose for a month like she wanted because of his reaction to the things she says when Jem and Scout walk by her house. Atticus forces Jem to read to Mrs. Dubose for a month as punishment for destroying her camellias. By the end of the month Jem learns what he did was wrong because even though Mrs. Dubose was rude to Jem and Scout what he did was an overreaction.

Social injustice has flooded the world and will continue to flood the world until someone stops all this evil. In Maycomb, Alabama, during the Great Depression, there is poverty and racism ruling over the South. Scout Finch has yet to realize all the evil surrounding her and her family. The evil that takes over Maycomb is the racism that lives in the hearts of its citizens. In To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, readers see a view of social injustices caused by racism through the Maycomb citizens who see the world through a veil of hypocrisy, which is shown by their actions in the way they talk down to Tom, and the truths of Maycomb’s society.

Throughout the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, the characters show the development of the theme integrity by their reactions to events in the novel. The first example of integrity is when the character, Walter Cunningham, is stopping the men at the jail from attacking Atticus. Atticus is preventing the men from entering the jail to aggravate Tom Robinson, the black man accused of a crime. While Scout and the children beg to stop the horrible situation, Walter realizes that revolting is wrong.

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee depicts racism in the 1930’s and shows the characters had to overcome challenges because of it. The 1930’s was a difficult time to live in because of racism against African Americans and the depression, where thousands of people lost their jobs. The idea “an extraordinary challenge can sometimes make an ordinary person into a hero” shows that anyone in To Kill a Mockingbird could have been a hero, even in a time of hardships. Scout Finch, Arthur “Boo” Radley, and Atticus Finch overcame challenges in the story in order to become great heroes.

Integrity in To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee Integrity is doing the right thing even though others may disapprove. In To Kill a Mockingbird, a novel by Harper Lee, the author characterizes Atticus Finch with integrity to establish a theme of social justice. We need integrity to achieve social justice so people will treat everyone with fairness and equality despite of what others may think or feel. The first example of integrity being demonstrated by doing the right thing even if people are against it was shown when Atticus decided to accept Tom Robinson’s case.

During the Great Depression, racism was a common practice in the southern states of the US. Negros and those who opposed the intolerance were often discriminated by the rest of the bias and ignorant society, who believed in white supremacy and superiority over the other races. Maycomb, a racist town, exemplify this discrimination, imperiously judging others they view as being dissimilar from themselves. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee, the author, weaves a brilliant story of prejudice, discrimination, and racism shown through the novel’s several characters and events, producing a mirror reflection of America’s racist society in the 1930’s.

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.