Literature can be interpreted in many different ways. Harper Lee´s To Kill a Mockingbird has many hidden meanings and themes that can be easily missed. Lee makes it easier to see certain themes by adding characters that let us see topics from a different point of view. Children sometimes see events with a innocent point of view, and adults typically see the world through a untrusting or dissapointed point of view. For example, most adults thought Tom Robinson was in the wrong without hearing his side of the story. Seeing from another point of view is shown when we see racism from an African American point of view, the trial from a ¨bird's eye view¨, and hearing the story unfold through a memory in To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee.
Racism in the south was everywhere. Blacks were separated from whites in schools, restrooms, even churches. African Americans were considered lower in society, so they weren't given as many opportunities as white members of society. We see this when Calpurnia takes the children to church with her in chapter 12, ¨Lula stopped, but she said, ´You ain't got no business bringin´ white chillun here-they got their church, we got our´n. It is our church, ain't it, Miss Cal?´ Calpurnia said, ´It's the same God, ain't it?'¨ (158). This conversation transpires when Calpurnia brings Jem and Scout to her church because Atticus could not take them to their normal church. She was worried that people would not accept them in the church, but on the contrary,
In the 1930s Southern Gothic novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee uses the child and adult perspectives of the narrator to tell the story from the perspective of an innocent child, then adding on to it using the adult perspective, which allows the readers to have a better understanding of events in the story. It allows the narrator to tell the story as they experienced it as a child, which gives the perspective of how they feel about the events. The child’s point of view also makes the novel fit for an older audience, because they most likely understand mature topics that the child narrator does not. Using the two perspectives of the main character, Lee allows the readers to relate to and comprehend the novel better.
Understanding perspective is essential to understanding people. Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird presents this idea in multiple passages of her writing. It can be seen in the rough, unknown troubles that people face despite their wrongful actions. As well as the rumours that are untrue and give complete false impressions of people. Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird uses these topics to illustrate the dangers of judging others before getting to know them.
This is an extract from chapter 10 of To Kill A Mockingbird, written by Harper Lee. This is the scene where Atticus is trying to save the town by killing the mad dog, Tim Johnson. Thus, Atticus’s action have stunned everyone in the Macomb town. Harper Lee have reveal the key themes of the story, courage, growing up, loss of innocence and evil through the actions of Atticus. Moreover, the change in the character’s attitude have been highlighted through the use of metaphor, imagery, repetition and the use of dialogue.
In ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ written by Harper Lee, the author has used numerous different methods to portray the themes of innocence, maturity and growing up. These themes were put in so that the audience could become more empathetic towards the characters, especially the protagonists. She depicts these themes through characters, events, using symbolism, imagery and contrast located throughout the book.
The genre of the story is historical fiction and the setting is the 1930’s southern America in a town called Maycomb, in Alabama. The story is narrated by Scout Finch, a young girl whose innocent heart has been exposed to the evils of southern United States in the 1930’s. This setting is vital to the plot of the summary because during that time was the great depression and racism was especially common in the south, where lynching rose from 8 in
“Human beings are poor examiners, subject to superstition, bias, prejudice, and a profound tendency to see what they want to see rather than what is really there” ~ Scott Peck. Harper Lee’s novel To Kill A Mockingbird abounds with the injustice produced by social, gender, and racial prejudice. The setting of the book takes place in the 1930s, where racism is a big deal in society. In the novel Harper Lee uses a mockingbird as an analogy to the characters. The Mockingbird is a symbol for Three Characters in the book, Atticus Finch, Tom Robinson, and Boo Radley. The people of Maycomb only know Boo Radley and Tom Robinson by what others say about them. These Characters are then characterized by other people 's viewpoints. In the novel there are many themes that are adjacent to our lives, the one that is found in To Kill A Mockingbird is Human Conflict comes from the inability for one to understand another. “ You never understand a person until you consider things from his point of view- until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.” (39)
To Kill A Mockingbird is a book that a reader can turn again and again, gaining new insights and knowledge into life each time. Sometimes an author uses a motif- a frequently repeated incident or idea -to get a certain theme across to the reader. In To Kill A Mockingbird, Lee uses motifs to clarify her messages or insights about life. Three specific motifs that Lee uses throughout the whole story are the mockingbird, courage, and walking in someone else's shoes.
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is a multi-faceted novel which explores the principles and morals of people in the South during the 1930s. Mockingbirds are symbolic of the people that society abuse. Lee narrates the events of the novel using Scout’s voice and uses this technique to add emotional context and develop themes. Themes of racial and classist prejudice are developed by Lee to challenge the reader. These techniques are all powerful ways to alter the views of the reader.
Matt Berman from Common Sense Media commented, “This richly textured novel, woven from the strands of small-town life, lets readers walk in the shoes of one fully realized character after another.” To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, one of the major messages is identity. Harper Lee lets the people look into the perspectives and identity of some of the characters that make it seem very life-like. In the novel, many characters possess both admirable and dislikable qualities which are shown through their actions. With the nurturing of her father, Scout contains the charming qualities of being courage and mature for her age. The father that instilled these characteristics in Scout, is Atticus Finch. While dealing with the stressful case of Tom Robinson, Atticus maintains to keep the likable aspects of sympathy and strong will. The antagonist in this novel fighting against Tom Robinson is Bob Ewell. Bob Ewell has instilled, in him, the terrible qualities of cruelty and racism. These life-like characters that Harper Lee illustrates gives people a clear vision of who the characters portray.
Childhood years are a very impressionable time. This is no different for the fictional characters Scout and Jem Finch. Growing up in southern Alabama, they learned many lessons from the people around them and the circumstances they faced. Some of these important lessons learned are courage, empathy, and prejudice.
The circumstances in which Violet and Finch met can be classified as many things, but mostly fate. When the two disband from the bell tower, rumors spread about who saved who. As Violet is living life, happy to be off the roads and out of work, Finch is trying to stay awake. A project arises where Violet and Finch have to team up to travel the dusty, barren landscapes of Indiana, and find incredible miracles in their plain, middle-of-nowhere
As the United States “progresses” in economic, educational and technological advancements we still are fighting for racial equality. With more than 50 years since the brown vs. board of education case there is still incidents like Ferguson, Baton Rouge, and Phiando Castile where many questions are still unanswered. However, Harper Lee dealt with these same problems in 1960 when she wrote To Kill a Mockingbird. Lee created an emotionally confronting story. Lee writes through the eyes of “Scout” a lawyer’s daughter in a small sleepy town of Maycomb in Alabama during the great depression. Throughout the book “Scout” learns coming of age lessons from Atticus and her own experiences. But when Atticus takes on a case defending a black man (Tom Robinson) convicted for rapping a white woman (Mayella Ewell) and is found guilty. “Scout” her brother Jem begin to understand the effects of the prejudices in society. Therefore, Lee applies the literary concepts of diction and tone to revel the truth that prejudices in society negatively affect the way people treat each other in To Kill a Mocking Bird.
To kill a mockingbird written by Harper Lee. Themes are the subject of a talk, a piece of writing or a person's thoughts. There are many themes present in this great American classic such as courage, racism, prejudice, morality and of course coming of age. Lee communicates these themes with characters, events that unfold and the scenarios that Jem and Scout have to face.
After Atticus had tried his best to defend Tom Robinson, the negroes brought him gifts, “Atticus’s eyes filled with tears. He did not speak for a moment. ‘Tell them I’m very grateful,’ he said, ‘Tell them— tell them they must never do this again. Times are too hard” (Lee 244). Atticus is sentimental and thankful to the negroes. He is a hero because instead of being greedy and wanting more as payment for his services, Atticus tells the negroes to never bring him anything again. The night Miss Maudie's house burns down Scout, “saw Atticus carrying Miss Maudie's heavy oak rocking chair, and thought it sensible of him to save what she valued most” (78). Atticus puts himself
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee takes place in Maycomb, Alabama in 1903. This novel is basically a coming of age story for a young girl named Scout and her older brother named Jem. Who grows up in a time where racism is normal. They soon learn to stand up for what is right, just like their dad, Atticus.