To Kill A Mockingbird Analysis

Harper Lee is well known for her great contributions towards modern society through her astounding book, To Kill a Mockingbird. The novel is read world-wide, in high schools and colleges because of its in-depth look at the social classes in the south during the 1930's. The book was influenced by society, in particular the social order of the south during her childhood. Lee grew up during this time of controversy which is why she writes so passionately about the topic. Lee wrote the novel to make a point about race while basing much of the plot off a trial from her young age, her own father, and the society she grew up in.

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.

The novel To Kill a Mockingbird is a book of fiction, but we know that some major historical events like the Scottsboro case and the Jim Crow laws were reflected in this novel. The author Harper Lee could not have ignored the Jim Crow Laws and the Scottsboro trial as she was in her childhood when all of these injustices and racism happened. In her novel, Harper Lee reflects on the Scottsboro case by changing people who were involved in this case with fictional characters. The Jim Crow laws influenced Harper Lee in To Kill a Mockingbird and she reflects about that by showing the whites racist attitude toward the black people and their injustices in court.

‘To Kill A Mockingbird’ by Harper Lee explores several different issues which are still relevant in today’s society. Harper Lee uses conventions within the novel to convey these ideas. The three main issues Lee explores are; Importance of Moral Education, Prejudice and Bravery and Courage.

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.

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 decade of the 1930s was a period of incredible hardship most clearly epitomized by the Great Depression. This is just one of the events that stirred Harper Lee to write her novel To Kill a Mockingbird. In that book, the subjects of Jim Crow laws, mob mentality, and the problems of racism were tied together.

One of the most historical events for our country was the Great Depression. It was a time when there were no jobs. (McCabe 1) The economy was down, and many families were suffering. Without jobs, they couldn’t provide food much less clothes for their children. There was no money to pay bills such as heat and electricity. (McCabe 2)

To Kill a Mockingbird written by Harper Lee is a Pulitzer Prize winning novel, that offers a view of life through a young girl’s eyes. The novel is focused on two main themes which are racism and discrimination.

Harper Lee’s exquisite novel To Kill a Mockingbird set in Alabama, explores the racial inequality and prejudice in 1930s. Although the novel has several themes, a significant one is racism. Harper Lee’s novel reveals that racism is a corruptive force. The novel reveals that racism is a corruptive force that influences several aspects of society. This is shown through the corruption of children, white morals and the justice system.

Arguably one of the greatest books of it’s time, Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird has successfully become a classic and powerful piece of American literature since it’s release in 1960. Connecting loosely to Lee’s life, To Kill a Mockingbird is narrated through the eyes of a young girl nicknamed Scout, similar to young Lee, through which she describes how she sees society and it shows her starting to comprehend what is happening around her. Through Scout’s life it is shown that the main idea prevailing throughout To Kill a Mockingbird is the concepts of racism in society as well as systematic social injustice. While Lee shone

“You've really got to start hitting the books because it's no joke out here” (Harper Lee). To Kill a Mockingbird is an outstanding novel published in 1960 and written by Harper Lee; in addition, it has become incredibly well-known, and commonly used as reading material in schools nationwide. Incorporating several themes, life lessons, and adventure, Lee captures her readers in a beautiful world they never knew existed...although it also paints this picture in ways that express the cold reality of the world. Lee uses certain themes in her novel to provide readers with a clear perspective on life in the 1960s. Commonly found throughout the book are themes of morality, family structure, and perspective.

To Kill a Mockingbird is a novel written by Harper Lee. The novel is about the experiences of two siblings growing up in Maycomb, Alabama during the 1930s. Scout and her brother, Jem Finch, over several years, learn valuable lessons about life and society. The main themes of the story are the loss of cherubic innocence and the rift of inequality in society. The novel is largely influenced when it was written by the author’s own experiences, Civil Rights, and the Great Depression. The Great Depression is referenced many times in the novel since the Great Depression plays an important part influencing the story’s setting, plot, and characters. In To Kill a Mockingbird there are signs that the Great Depression is present and that certain characters are affected more by it than others, and the Great Depression is shown in the story’s families and their lives.