To Kill A Mockingbird Chapter 15 Analysis

Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird is a study in the way people’s view of the world changes as they grow older. To Kill a Mockingbird is from the point of view of a six year old girl, Scout, the daughter of a lawyer. She is forced to grow up quickly when Atticus defends an innocent black man in the South, much to the dismay of most of the white citizens. Lee uses similes and personification in To Kill a Mockingbird to show the challenges and discoveries that children make while transitioning from a child to an adult.

Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, takes place in the 1930’s, segregated Alabama. The novel is about the main character, Scout’s, experiences and learning about her community and world around her. Scout lives in a town where prejudice is very prominent and there are a lot of differing clashing opinions. The town is also going through the Depression, which affects different families throughout the story. In the novel, an African American man, Tom Robinson, is accused of taking advantage of a white woman. Throughout the novel, Scout learns about different people and how they act in certain situations. A theme in the novel is the coexistence of good and bad in a person gives them depth and complex motives that may be hard to understand.

The black characters act justly throughout the novel by treating every one with equality and respect. In Chapter 12, when Jem and Scout visit Calpurnia’s Negro church for the Sunday service, Lula, a hostile Negro woman tells them impolitely to leave. Calpurnia defends the children and contradicts Lula by saying, “It’s the same God, ain’t it?” Amidst an argument over the antagonistic rifts between black and white regimes, Calpurnia acknowledges that all people, no matter the race, worship the same God, and are therefore equal. During Chapter 12, after the church service, Reverend Sykes takes up an extra collection of money that is collected towards Tom Robinson's wife, who has not been able to find work since her husband is sent to jail since he allegedly rapes a white woman. Reverend Sykes tells the attendees of the service, “I want all of you with no children to make a sacrifice and give one more dime a piece.” The Revenant shows justice by being equal and respectful towards everyone. In order to be fair he asks those who don’t have a family to feed and shelter to donate an extra dime, and not forcing those who have a family to donate extra money. During his testimony in Chapter 19, Tom Robinson states a different story than that of Mayalla’s; he is then questioned on whether he is accusing Mayella of being a liar. Tom refuses to accuse Mayella of lying, but persistently says that she is "mistaken in her mind." This shows Tom’s unrelenting respect and honest living; even though Mayella is unjust to him, he continues to treat her with justice and respect because he knows that she is just a little girl who is lonely and even though she sent him

When a child so pure and innocent witnesses the most savage of events before her, she would have to spend the rest of her life facing the world’s harshest realities yearning for the innocence that she once felt during her childhood. In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, it follows the coming of age of the narrator of the story, Scout, and her older brother, Jem, witnessing a wave of controversies on how people react to racism and prejudice. Whether it’s among races or social classes, angry altercations occur between both parties, and while some, more than others, retort to hostile acts. Atticus on the other hand, wants to put a stop to the intense aversion that has been going on in Maycomb for years, in concern for his town’s future.

In chapter 11 Walter didn’t want to work at the garment center. Walter had wanted to be a lawyer at the age nine. Walter would simply memorize a passage and recited it. A coach had asked Walter to come for track his junior year. In chapter 12 Walter missed three weeks of school. Walter lusted three weeks before he stopped going to school again. In chapter 10 the idea of what it meant to be poor changed in the late sixties. Most of Walter life had been divided between school, reading, and ball playing. The second burden of that summer came in the form of Walter grandfather. William Dean was a tall, ramrod-straight man with mannerisms that seemed more appropriate for the nineteenth century than for 1951. After the civil war the former

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.

Harper Lee’s award winning novel, “To Kill a Mockingbird,” explores prejudice, social classes, stereotypical views, and human values through the eyes of a young Alabama girl. Scout, the narrator who throughout the story will grow from age six to nine, and Jem, her brother, witness the subtle ugliness of society. The children live with their father Atticus who helps them navigate their way through Maycomb’s- the town in which they live-discrimination and harsh criticism of those who dwell in the minority.

Harper Lee presents the idea that as children grow up, they learn and experience the harsh truths about the world they once did not understand or question. The novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, encompasses the story of a girl named Scout along with her older brother, Jem, who go through the trials of growing up in the fictional town of Maycomb, Alabama. Racism is rampant in the mindset of the townspeople, shown when Atticus, both a father and lawyer, takes on the case of an innocent African-American man. Through this, we can see young character development in where main characters Scout, Jem, and Dill undergo the theme of innocence and experience. Lee uses characterization to portray Scout as the embodiment of innocence, and soon after shows the

Chapter 9: Atticus decides to take on the role of defending Tom Robinson and the town of Maycomb doesn’t take very well to it because Tom is a black male accused of raping a white woman. Scout gets into a fight with the classmate because he says that Scout’s dad is a Negro defender. Scout also gets into a fight with her relative Francis because he is saying the same things about Atticus. Chapter 10:

Chapter 14: The incident with Atticus and the Kids was enough to make Aunt Alexandra shut up about the Finch Family Pride, just in time for Scout to get some hints that the townspeople are obsessed with the Finch Family Shame. After hearing a comment around town, Scout asks Atticus what rape is. Atticus tells her it is a "carnal knowledge of a female by force and without consent”. Scout doesn't understand the definition and asks Atticus why Calpurnia wouldn't explain it to her, leading to story about how Calpurnia took Scout and Jem to her church. Aunt Alexandra doesn’t like this idea, and tells Scout “no” when Scout asks Atticus if she can visit Calpurnia.

One major reason Atticus takes the case is that he knows as a parent he has to do the right thing. In chapter nine of To Kill a Mockingbird Atticus says, if he didn't take the case he wouldn’t be able to live with himself or be a good parent to Jem and Scout (To Kill a Mockingbird, 1960). Ann Althouse says, yes, he does take the case, but he has the option of other lawyers placed in his position to not take the case (Althouse); Atticus does not take the case because he must take it, rather he takes it because it is in his nature to help others out although he might not want to involve himself. Althouse justifies this taking a scene from chapter ten of To Kill a Mockingbird when the mad dog is on the loose and Sheriff Heck asks him to shoot

‘To kill a Mockingbird’ is a strong reflection of Harper Lee, the author’s, upbringing. Having been raised in the small town of Alabama in the 1920’s she was frequently exposed to prejudice and this inspired her to write a book, her only to date, loosely based on her early days. Tom Robinson’s trial, set in Maycomb County, is a parallel to the Scottsboro Trial, which was an infamous case during Lee’s childhood, where a ‘negro’ was accused of rape. However the emphasis is based more on the lawyer, Atticus Finch, who defends him, as the book is written from the perspective of his daughter, Jean Louise, known as ‘Scout’.

The 1960’s text To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is a classic novel in modern American literature. In the novel Lee addresses many key issues in our past society but many of those are still occurring today such as racism, inhumanity, violence, gender inequality and justice. The story is told through the eyes of a 6 year old girl, Scout Finch. Scout lives with her father, Atticus, a lawyer; her older brother Jem; and their Negro cook, Calpurnia. Lee uses Scout to express the story in a way that allows the reader to connect with the story. The audience becomes close to Scout. Her innocence, loyalty and forgiveness of the world’s injustices make her character endearing and easy to relate too. Lee uses Scout to view the text in a relatable way. This is an effective way to draw the reader to this novel.

I chose the vocabulary words emboldened (courage), and apprehension (anxiety or fear something bad or unpleasant will happen). The reason they apply to comprehending chapter 5 and the book is because courage is a major characteristic of the underdog, and without it they become the average person who is unable to overcome disadvantages exceedingly well. In particular courage was a key aspect in the way Freirich approached the children with leukemia. In contrast, apprehension is a quality that the underdog is not familiar with, alternatively it is a trait of a person who is not willing to take risks, chances, think outside of the box, or oppose the “norm”. Hence, the difference between these two qualities is a major factor when considering the

Harper Lee uses her novel to teach us important lessons from the characters presented in To Kill a Mockingbird. Atticus, a fair and moral character, whose parenting style is unique, lined with honest and example, teaches us to follow his ways. Scout, an innocent girl who teaches us what’s important in life. Tom Robinson, someone who is ostracized for being African American, can teach us the importance of equal treatment and awakens us to our surrounding society. Lee’s construction of characters gives us perspective to issues in our society today, how they still matter and what we can learn from the novel such as compassion, justice and understanding.