To Kill A Mockingbird Analysis

Tom Robinson enters To Kill a Mockingbird accused of raping Mayella Ewell but leaves To Kill a Mockingbird dead. Atticus Finch the defendant in Tom Robinson’s case and the father of Jem and Scout, did not fail Robinson, Robinson’s family or his own because he tried his best to prove that Tom was not guilty. For example , Miss Ewell explained that the attacker in her testimony, Tom Robinson had force himself on her, began to hold to her by the neck and hit her repeatedly after she asked him to bust up a chiffarobe for her. Heck Tate, the sheriff and witness of the trial had said Mayella only had bruises on both the neck and right side of her face, this now raised a red flag for Atticus. For Robinson to beat Miss Ewell repeatedly on the right side of her face he would have to use his left arm which got caught in a cotton gin years before. The disability that Tom Robinson had created great evidence for Atticus’s defense but didn’t work because of the unjust community they both live in. Maybe it would have worked if the trial was held in a courtroom that is built on justice for all, not just for the white.

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.

The ambition of oneself to pursue justice and righteousness may result in prosecution. In the novel "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee, and movie "A Time to Kill" by Joel Schumacher, each demonstrate one’s open-mindedness and forward thinking leads to penalization through protagonists Atticus Finch and Jake Brigance. Both egalitarians take the position as an attorney for an African American and are prosecuted in the process.

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.

Therefore, the mockingbird and Robinson's voice commonly are not paid attention to throughout the whole novel. "It couldn't be worse Jack. The only thing we've got is a black man's word against the Ewells. The jury couldn't possibly be expected to take Tom Robinson's word against the Ewells." (88) This quote from Atticus is noteworthy for it implies that regardless of what Tom Robinson claims in the court, the jury is expected to stand on the white man's side. Although the jury at court is supposed to make objective decisions, along the other villagers, he displays a definite bias against the black man. If there is any responsibility that falls upon Tom, it would be the responsibility for chopping wood and providing help for Mayella who is reflected as the loneliest person on earth in the eyes of Scout. However, the mockingbird figure is wrongly accused of things that he has never done or even imagined. Although there is a sufficient amount of proof that Robinson is innocent, it is ignored after all, and he is imprisoned. Emphasizing this, Atticus tells his son Jem: "In our courts, when it's a white man's word against a black man's, the white man always wins." (220) This

Harper Lee’s Novel To Kill a Mockingbird details the life of young Scout Finch and brother Jem Finch, who is growing up in a time of racial uniqueness. Jem and Scout Finch are what most would call a typical family growing up in the small Alabama town of Maycomb. They encounter many different obstacles during their childhood missions with many characters making the novel an interesting read. Throughout the book, Lee is showing Jem and Scout grow up and become mature young adults. This novel, written by Harper Lee, demonstrates the themes of growing up, Innocence and most importantly, racism.

To Kill a Mockingbird, written by Harper Lee, is about how Jem broke his arm severely and how Scout and Jem react to certain events that happen in their town. Every book has a title, and sometimes, the title has a symbolic meaning. To Kill a Mockingbird’s title could relate to two characters, that being Tom Robinson and Jem Finch. These characters have done nothing wrong, like a mockingbird, but get hurt badly, which is a sin if you kill or hurt a mockingbird.

Firstly, Tom Robinson is a mockingbird because he is an innocent man convicted of raping a white woman due to the colour of his skin which in turn leads to the loss of his innocence. Atticus was able to make a good defense for Tom by stating the fact that the right side of Mayella’s face had suffered severe damage meaning that a person who was left handed most likely attacked her. He goes on to prove that Bob Ewell is left handed while Tom’s left hand is disfigured, “having taken the oath with the only good arm he possesses- his right hand” (Lee 273). Although all the evidence proved Tom to be innocent he was still convicted of being guilty, thus stripping him of his innocence. Furthermore, Tom was convicted of being guilty just because he was black and taking the word of a black man over that of a white man was unimaginable. The jury had already found Tom guilty even before the start of the trial because of the

Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird is a novel that takes place throughout the 1930s in a small town in Alabama called Maycomb. During this time period, people dealt with large amounts of discrimination, along with the effects of the Great Depression. Harper Lee is able to develop various themes using this setting, such as the stereotyping of gender roles, loss of innocence, excess violence, superstition, and prejudice. Some readers believe that the theme of innocence is most relevant to the novel as its message directly relates to Scout and Jem Finch, two major characters in the story. However, the theme of prejudice and superstition is more prevalent. This theme creates a well-developed storyline for the different “mockingbirds” in the novel while also projecting the actual struggles that came with living in the 1930s. Readers should understand these themes because it is important for them to realize that prejudice leads to injustice, negatively affecting society as a result. Not only that, readers will become more aware of the fact that these problems are still impacting people to this day. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee expresses the theme of prejudice and superstition through several characters, including Tom Robinson, Dolphus Raymond, and Boo Radley, to reveal how these judgements ultimately lead to the downfall of Maycomb.

There has always been an argument if people are naturally good, or naturally evil? The answer lies somewhere in the middle. The characters in “A Time to Kill” by John Grisham and “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee show this by taking action into their own hands. In the book “A Time to Kill,” Carl Lee Hailey, the father of Tonya Hailey; sought vengeance on Billy Ray Cobb and Pete Willard for raping his daughter. Throughout the book, it shows the experiences Carl Lee has while being on trial against the state of Mississippi. He was ultimately successful in winning the case. In the book “To Kill a Mockingbird,” Arthur "Boo" Radley is a mysterious man who lives across the street from the Finch family. Jean "Scout" Finch, her brother Jem,

“Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy… but sing their heart out for us. That’s why it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.” Harper Lee. The book To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is about how black people and white people in the South didn’t really get along all that well. The main characters: Scout, Jem, and Dill grow throughout the story and learn important life lessons about how to get along with others that are both black and white. A metaphor that Atticus Finch tells his children is that “...it is a sin to kill a mockingbird.” This is very important throughout the book because it pretty much is the recurring theme that you shouldn’t judge someone until you have walked in their shoes. In this book, there are some characters

“To Kill a Mockingbird” was not a mystery, or a tragedy, or even an adventure novel. This classic is merely a snapshot of time through the eyes of a young girl, Scout. She was raised by her father, Atticus, alongside her brother, Jem. In this coming of age novel, we learn about the small town Maycomb, Alabama, set in the 1930’s. Throughout the story, the reader gets a visual of daily life during that time and the common racism and sexism. Everyone who has taken history knows how much times change, but do people realize how much they have stayed the same?

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.

During the time To Kill a Mockingbird was written there were many historical troubles and injustices. Just a few of them include the expectations and roles of women, the Great Depression, and racism. Women were expected to talk proper, act proper, and dress accordingly. If they weren't they were judge by other women in the society; as seen in To Kill a Mockingbird Scout's aunt tells her that she needs to wear dresses and talk differently. The Great Depression is known as the most economic downturn in industrialized history. We can see in Lee's book the many consequences and effects it has on the characters' lives especially Walter Cunningham. As most know during the time of the 18 and 19 hundreds there were major problems with racism. Although some believed that white and black people were being fair and that they were equal they defiantly weren't. Harper Lee was inspired by these things she saw around her and in her own life that she wrote the inspiring and heartfelt novel that we now have and cherish today.

“People generally see what they look for, and hear what they listen for”(232). In To Kill a Mockingbird, by using imagery and point of view, Lee suggests that it is wrong for people to be treated differently based on stereotypes, which leads to discrimination. In the book, we have a character named Boo Radley who is judged a fair amount of times without actually getting to know his background. Also we have a man named Tom Robinson who is wrongfully convicted of a crime he did not commit based on the color of his skin, which shows how the jury were discriminative against him. Every time someone makes assumptions on other people based on stereotypes, they will be treated a different way because they are looked at a different way.