People can get away with killing pigeons, cardinals, and blue jays, but it is a sin to kill a mockingbird. A mockingbird wouldn’t hurt anything; it’s only purpose is to sing songs for the everyday people. Jem and Scout had to restrain from shooting the mockingbirds due to their father’s warning. The novel To Kill a Mockingbird, written by Harper Lee, is written from the view point of a little girl, Scout, in the 1930’s during the Great Depression. Her father, Atticus, is assigned a court case where he has to defend an African American that is accused of raping and assaulting a white woman. While her dad is away at work, Scout, her older brother Jem, and summertime friend Dill try to make their mysterious and perhaps dangerous …show more content…
However, All of Scout and Jem’s life, Boo was looking out for them. After the fire at Miss Maudie’s house Atticus explained to Scout that, “Boo Radley. You were so busy looking at the fire you didn’t know it when he put the blanket around you” (Lee 96). Boo Radley doesn’t do much, but when he does it’s a big deal. He usually just locks himself up in the loneliness of his house, so when Scout found out that he was right behind her she made a huge deal about it. Boo always has the best intentions for Jem and Scout and he only leaves the house to watch after them. Boo was continuously leaving little hints for the children to know about his existence. First he was leaving hints with the items he left in the tree for them, then he put the blanket on Scout. Boo is also responsible for saving the lives of Scout and Jem. “Thank you for my children, Arthur” (Lee 370). Boo finally revealed himself to the children when he saved them from Bob Ewell trying to kill them. Since Boo grew up with never leaving the house very much, when Boo finally did leave his house he grew up. He would have to deal with a new environment. He matured when he had the courage to leave the house and not be in “his element”, which would be in the darkness and loneliness of his house.
Lastly, Scout lost her innocence when she realized that Boo Radley exists and when she walked him home for the first and
The Tuskegee Institute has recorded 3,446 black and 1,297 white people have been lynched between 1882 and 1962, most of these people were innocent and even the guilty among them did not deserve a death sentence, sadly no one tried to defend them. Unlike Atticus and Boo Radley in To Kill A Mockingbird no one defended the innocent. The main idea of To Kill A Mockingbird is to protect the innocent this is shown throughout the book with many characters but primarily with Atticus Finch and Boo Radley.
In the novel, to kill a mockingbird, Harper Lee presents three very distinct types of innocence that are portrayed by different characters throughout the novel. A good part in this story’s brilliance is that Harper Lee has managed to use the innocence of a young girl to her advantage. She does this by telling the whole story from a child’s point-of-view. By having an innocent little girl make racial remarks and regard people of color in a way consistent with the community, Lee provides the reader with an objective view of the situation. As a child, Scout can make observations that an adult would often avoid. In addition, readers are also likely to be forgiving of a child’s perception, whereas they would find an adult who makes these
At the beginning Scout thought Boo Radley was a scary old man who is chained up in his basement and eat squirrels. They heard stories like he was cutting a newspaper and ended up stabbing his father in the leg. Since then their friend Dill has been working with them to retrieve Boo from his home. Jem and Scout have been getting gifts from Boo in an oak tree knothole and they think that’s his way of communicating with them. But when Mr. Radley filled the hole with cement the children experienced another time with Boo when Mrs. Maudie's house was on fire and out of the blue Scout had a blanket around her that wasn’t there. Towards the end of the chapter, Jem and Scout found themselves in a hassle after walking home from the pageant. Jem got broke
In the rural town of Maycomb, Alabama, Scout Finch lives with her brother, Jem, and Father, Atticus. Scout teaches many lessons as well as defies stereotypes. Scout gives readers her perspective of things. In To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee uses the growth and characterization of Scout to reveal to readers how innocence slowly falls away through Scout’s obliviousness about other people, Scout’s protection towards her family, and Scout’s curious ways.
The title “To Kill A Mockingbird” is taken from a quote in the book, where Atticus says "Shoot all the blue jays you want, if you can hit 'em, but remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird." (lee Later, Miss Maudie Atkinson states that "Mockingbirds don't do one thing but make music for us to enjoy." (p.177). This shows that mocking birds are innocent, and that is why Atticus strongly forbids his children to kill them. To Kill a Mockingbird novels theme is how prejudice affects the town of maycomb,alabama. Also, the mockingbird symbolizes innocence. All the birds do is sing for you and give you pleasure in what is natural and enjoyment to them (singing for you). Theydont harm,. They are fragile,loveable, weak, and helpless birds. In the
To start, Harper Lee expresses the theme, “Loss of Innocence” through Scout’s curiosity. Scout has grown a lot since the beginning of the book. At the beginning of the book Scout was a young girl and very curious. She wanted all her questions answered about everything. Some of her biggest questions had to do with Boo Radley. Scout always wanted to know what was wrong with Boo Radley and why he was never allowed to leave his house. Throughout the story she realizes she will never know and it was not her business anyways. This is shown by the quote, “Boo was our neighbor. He gave us two soap dolls, a broken watch and chain, a pair of good-luck pennies, and our lives. But neighbors give in return. We never put back into the tree what we took out of it: we had given him nothing, and it made me sad… [It was] Summer, and he watched his children’s
In the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird the most commonly identified theme is the loss or destruction of innocence. Innocence has a number of meanings and a lot of these are shown within the story. The main ones represented in the book are, the state, quality, or fact of being innocent of a crime or offense, lack of guile or corruption, having purity, and freedom from guilt or sin especially through lack of knowledge of evil. There are characters who include Jem and Scout, Tom Robinson, and Boo Radley who show their definition of innocence through the book. Each of these characters who has their innocence goes down a path where they lose it and they have to take on the world face to face.
Loss of innocence is a consistent theme in To Kill A Mockingbird that is painted around the main character, Jean Finch. The reader knows enough information about her to interpret how her character will exemplify this theme. Jean is just like Anger from the movie Inside Out. As her father describes her, “Scout's just as soon jump on someone as look at him if her pride’s at stake” (100). Jean’s hot headed just like Anger, who is very passionate about making sure things are fair for Riley. Similarly, Jean can vehemently get violent when it comes to her father’s respect. Atticus fears that this quality will cause trouble for her in the future, saying, “I hope I can get Jem and Scout through it without bitterness, and most of all, without catching
To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee is a beautiful story depicting a family living in the South of the 1930’s, and their struggle against the prejudice which was common to that time. The book centers on Atticus Finch, the father of the family as well as a lawyer, and his fight against prejudice. We see the story unfold through the innocent eyes of his young daughter, Scout, who is free from prejudice and not yet jaded. By viewing events as Scout sees them, the author shows us how to overcome prejudices, and gain tolerance.
To Kill a Mockingbird takes place in a tiny southern town in Alabama in 1932. The tiny town of Maycomb was home to deep rooted racism. Two children named Scout and Jem live in this town with their father Atticus and when their father is sent to defend a black man their lives see a dramatic change. The children soon learn the harsh truth of their little town and lose a childhood full of innocence. In her novel To Kill a Mockingbird, author Harper Lee foreshadows a loss of innocence through the symbolic significance of building a snowman, a harsh fire, and a mockingbird.
As we are brought into this world we come unknowing anything as what is happening around us. We are in a state of bliss ignorance, which is free from the harms of the world and life is simple. But, once you start growing up and start experiencing and being able to explore the world you realize what is going on and not everything is in black and white. Growing up comes with the loss of innocence this theme is prominent in To Kill a Mockingbird it takes place during the early 1930’s. The book shows Scout and Jem growing up in a world she couldn't comprehend until she was more mature. Over the year and a half the book takes place during Jem and Scout come to many realizations about humanity, these realizations comes maturity and the loss of their
The word innocence has multiple meanings in the english dictionary that can all differ from each other. Such as freedom from sin or moral wrong, lack of knowledge, or harmlessness. These definitions of innocence perfectly fits right into the symbol and theme of the book To Kill A Mockingbird although they do not express the sameway to each other. In the book the reader will constantly be told that it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird which was said by Atticus Finch, he intends to tell Scout to not harm something that does not have the knowledge of the situation and is harmless to others. Alongside of what Atticus says to Scout, the mockingbird in the book symbolizes the innocence of the people of Maycomb.
Water that is too pure has no fish; a world with too many good people will be demolished, although water that is too dirty will not have fish either. We are a mere representation of that metaphor, just like how killing a mockingbird is a sin in society, innocence help balance out the evil in the world, since there will never be too much of innocence. Throughout the novel To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, the author manifested an expression to exhibit unconscientious integrity battling against the evil of the world. Harper Lee portrayed innocence versus evil clearly throughout her novel and pushed it into the reader’s thoughts and mind by using specific literary elements across her entire narrative. The author used the perspective of a little
Evil can be defined as “profoundly immortal and malevolent,” or “profound immortality, wickedness, and depravity, especially when regarded as a supernatural force.” Evil is often associated with sin, corruption, villains, darkness, etc. In the story, evil is associated with prejudice, malice, and ignorance.
The idea of an utterly perfect world, a world free of any imperfection, runs rampant in the minds of many. Represented by different things such as equality, peace, freedom, or safety, utopias are able to be shaped and formed by anyone able to utilize their imaginations. As each utopia belongs to its respective creator, the ideas formed all encompass the word “perfect”. Although one might dream, this idea of perfection is unrealistic in all senses. The world that does exists though is one full of inequality, war, discrimination, greed, and close mindedness. This idea is beautifully represented in Harper Lee’s novel titled, To Kill a Mockingbird, as the main character, Jean Louise Finch (Scout) reminisces about her adolescent years as she and her brother, Jeremy Atticus Finch (Jem), and their next door neighbor, Charles Baker Harris (Dill), are exposed to the unfairness of 20th century America. Hidden in the words of the book, author Harper Lee develops a theme of innocence teaching that, even the purest of souls can be corrupted. Using the two literary devices symbol and conflict to develop the theme of innocence. Along with the development of an avalanche of emotions in the hearts of readers everywhere.