To Kill A Mockingbird Analysis

As Stephen King once said, “The trust of the innocent is the liar’s most useful tool.” In the book "To Kill a Mockingbird", by Harper Lee, Jean Louise Finch, a young girl who also goes by Scout, experiences many things such as racism, friends, and family. Her father, Atticus Finch, is a lawyer who is sacrificing his reputation to defend a black man, Tom Robinson. Scout and her friends take it upon themselves to uncover the mystery of Boo Radley. In this book the mockingbirds represent innocence. Many characters take on the role of the “mockingbird". Exploring Lee’s title, to kill a mockingbird is to kill innocence.

Lee implies that people learn lessons through life experiences that school can ever teach. Throughout this novel, Atticus taught his kids many lessons that was hard for them to hear at times, but it later on helped them in the story. Or it helped them grow up and mature. On page 40 of To Kill A Mockingbird, Atticus was explaining to Scout that Miss.Caroline was new and didn’t know anyone, and she especially didn’t know the Cunningham’s story, Atticus states, “Atticus said… but if Walter and I had put ourselves in her shoes we’d have seen it was an honest mistake on her part” (40). This quote by Atticus is meant to explain to Scout that Miss. Caroline just made an honest human mistake. He tried to get Scout to realize that if he put herself in Miss.Caroline’s shoes then she might better understand the confusion. Obviously you can’t really be in her shoes, but he said it figuratively to show her why it was important to give her another chance, or at least try to be nice and listen. Atticus taught this to Scout at home later on that night. At her school after that she tried to just get by in her class. Lee also shows mainly throughout that the school system doesn’t help when it comes to teaching children life lessons. As shown in the earlier quote Atticus, had told Scout to jump in Walter’s shoes, and walk around in it. This other quote shows how Scout actually takes into consideration of Atticus’ words, and chooses to not bother Jem because she tried to imagine what it had

"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's a sin to kill a mockingbird" (pg. 119.) Miss Maudie spoke the previous quote with deep thought going into each and every word. She wasn't just trying to teach Scout a lesson, but she wanted there to be a powerful meaning behind it. Miss Maudie's main purpose was to stress that you shouldn't kill something that is doing no harm. Everyday "mockingbirds" are killed, broke down, and mistreated by society.

Jem, as a child, has little respect for life or Scout his younger sister. When Jem, Scout, and Dill are on the hill Jem takes revenge on Scout by “pushing the tire with all the force”. As a child, Jem does not realize how important life is. He pushes Scout extra hard because she made him mad not knowing she could get seriously hurt. As Jem matures he has compassion for life and a realization of how important life is. Scout was going to “mash” a roly-poly but Jem asks her to spare it “ Because they don’t bother you.” Jem does not want Scout to kill the roly-poly because it is innocent. Jem’s statement is very reminiscent to Atticus telling the children to never kill a mockingbird because “Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy.” The court case brings out Jem's adulthood as he starts to understand the unfairness of life and has a newfound compassion for what is right. Jem tells Atticus “that it ain't right” when he hears the guilty verdict, although knowing he is innocent. At this moment, Jem loses his childhood innocence as he realizes that the case should have been innocent but it was not because of the people in his town. Jem loses his childhood belief that everyone will treat others fairly and now has a compassion for what is right. The decisions Jem is faced with like the roly-poly and the court case brings out Jem's compassion in his coming of age.

As the famous American author, Nerburn, says,“It is much easier to become a father than to be one”(http://www.wiseoldsayings.com/fathers-quotes). Nerburn writes about how hard it is to be an eligible father .He proposes the question, “Do people think their father is the person who is able to provide them a lot of guidance or help? In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Jem and Scout live with their father, Atticus, who is a lawyer, and regard him as an excellent example. However, Scout and Jem don’t value Atticus as a father with full diligence because he is elder than most of other students’ father and he is not able to do any sports. Due to the accident with the mad dog, atticus’s educations and the case of Tom Robinson, Jem and Scout come to understand, respect, and finally admire their father.

Tom Robinson’s trial was a hard one to watch, but it was so intriguing for the kids. Jem, Dill, and Scout just had to watch, so they left their house without permission to go see their dad defend Tom Robinson against Mayella Ewell. Jem thought that Atticus had a good chance at winning due to his cross-examination questions and the evidence he had. Once all of the jury’s votes came in unanimously as guilty, Jem started to realize what a twisted thing racism was. “I shut my eyes. Judge Taylor was polling the jury: “Guilty … guilty… guilty...guilty” I peeked over at Jem: his hands were white from gripping the balcony rail, and his shoulders jerked as if each “guilty” was a separate stab between them” (Lee 282). This quote really shows that Jem cares deeply for the trial and Tom Robinson. He does not understand why people are so rude to black people just because of skin color and he just wants everything to be equal. “It was Jem’s turn to cry. His face was streaked with angry tears as we made our way through the cheerful crowd. “It ain’t right,” he muttered” (Lee 284). Jem’s anger reflected the unfairness towards Tom Robinson and the fact that justice was not served. During the trial Jem never seemed too phased by Bob Ewell’s attorney Mr. Gilmer clearly showing that Tom was worthless, because he thought that his dad was a

Mockingbirds will only sing their hearts, not cause any damage or give their lives to pleasing others. Throughout To Kill a Mockingbird great examples are shown of different types of mockingbirds. Atticus Finch, Tom Robinson, and Arthur (Boo) Radley are great examples of representing a mockingbird.

The plaintiff, Mayella Ewell, accused Tom Robinson, a black man, of raping her. Throughout the court case, there was substantial amounts of evidence that pardoned Robinson from strangling, beating, and taking advantage of her such as the fact that “His left arm was fully twelve inches shorter than his right, and hung dead at his side” (212). Several signs pointed to Mayella’s caucasian father, Robert Ewell, as the one guilty of the crime. For example, when questioned by the defendant on whether or not he called for a doctor, Ewell replied that “...he never thought of it, he had never called a doctor..” (200). Also, Robert Ewell’s dominant hand corresponded with Mayella’s injuries whereas Robinson’s corresponding hand was rendered useless by a permanent injury. However, after all of this evidence against Mr. Ewell, when the all-white jury was polled concerning Robinson, their responses were “‘Guilty… guilty… guilty… guilty..’” (241). They ignored the facts and branded Robinson a rapist because of the color of his

“It's right hard to say," she said. "Suppose you and Scout talked colored-folks' talk at home it'd be out of place, wouldn't it? Now what if I talked white-folks' talk at church, and with my neighbors? They'd think I was puttin' on airs to beat Moses, "But Cal, you know better," I said. “It's not necessary to tell all you know. It's not ladylike—in the second place, folks don't like to have somebody around knowing more than they do. It aggravates 'em. You're not gonna change

Also he was in as much trouble as Scout, Jem chose to fight the man to protect her, even though he was risking his life and broke his arm. From just those two quotes, you can see how much Jem cared about Scout, even though he had his “teenage time” and ignored her for a while.

Dill is shocked by the actions of a white man towards a black man in the courtroom and says, “It was the way he said it made me sick, plain sick...The way that man called him ‘boy’ all the time an’ sneered at him, an’ looked around at the jury every time he answered…” (pg. 226). Dill, an outsider of Maycomb, can understand and takes offense of Mr. Gilmer’s actions towards Tom Robinson. Perhaps because he is so young and has a lower social status he can understand that the actions were an act of injustice. In addition, past history of lynching can relate to Mr. Gilmer’s actions towards Tom Robinson, because both were acts against blacks. Charles M. Blow recalls the story when George Armwood was a victim in a lynch mob back in 1933, “...Armward was dragged through the streets, beaten, stabbed, and had one ear hacked off… the mob doused the corpse with gasoline and set it on fire.” Blow reminds of us the harrowing stories of lynching. The acts performed against black people are simply an act against humanity and unfair. It presents the world or community as white men vs black men. Dill caught this idea when Mr. Gilmer was rude

In both the text “To Kill a Mockingbird” written by Harper Lee and the film “A Time to Kill” directed by Joel Schumacher, similar ideas are presented using language devices and stylistic features in differing ways to appeal to their target audience. Each have very similar storylines in which a white lawyer defends a an African-American in a prejudiced court case. Racism is a key idea presented strongly in each due to the eras they are set in. The era and country set in each story provide a strong base for the prominent issue. With the unpleasant happenings in each text and through the racist acts the idea of compassion shines through. As well as compassion being a significant idea, forgiveness is also presented through the racists acts.

To Kill A Mockingbird is narrated by a white tomboy named Jean Louise Finch-- also known as Scout. Scout’s childhood takes place in Maycomb County, Alabama around the 1930s. Alongside her brother Jem, she is the child of a widowed lawyer named Atticus Finch. In addition to Atticus, the Finch children are cared for by Calpurnia-- a black housemaid. Atticus Finch, a man of wise words, does his best to protect his children from the harsh realities occurring but unfortunately, it is inevitable. Throughout their childhood, Jem and Scout encounter examples of racial boundaries , social inequalities, and prejudice.

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.

In Harper Lee’s, To Kill a Mockingbird, innocence and growing up is shown throughout the novel either obviously or it has to be analyzed carefully. The novel takes place in the deep south of the 1930s, an innocent black man has been accused of raping a poor white girl. Two children that the reader follow through the story, Scout and Jem, learn because of this trial that their lawyer father has taken on. The trials that they go throughout the three years in the end helps them learn compassion, they learn of the ignorance that consumes their home state of Alabama, and they learn what being a good person is.