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To Kill A Mockingbird Theme Analysis

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Many stories have themes or a moral. These stories teach the reader a certain lesson that should be important enough to remember. But, other stories can have multiple themes, each interpreted differently by separate people based on their own experiences and opinions. One such story that contains multiple lessons is a tale of racial injustice and prejudice. This story is known as “To Kill a Mockingbird.” In “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee, the theme that being biased will give one the wrong image of people, is developed through a character named Scout.

One basic example of this theme occurring in the story is when Scout thinks that her father has no impressive talents or mentionable qualities. Unlike the fathers of other children, …show more content…

Jem, who is older than Scout, is more mature than her and understands the injustice of racism at the trial. Scout on the other hand is biased to believing that everyone is naturally good at heart, mainly because she does not understand prejudice. Jem starts losing his innocence though, and understands that not everyone is pure the way that Scout imagines they are. Scout does not have her morale shattered the way Jem had his after they found out that Tom Robinson had lost the case for this reason. Scout does not have the capability to understand what evils were really occurring behind the scenes of the trial, and instead views the world through the lens of what she wants to see instead of the lens of reality. But, the way Scout interprets the actions of people is altered after Bob Ewell reveals his evil side and tries to murder both Scout and Jem. This event ultimately leads to her acceptance of a world that is …show more content…

From the start of the story, Scout as well as the other children, talked of Boo as an urban legend. A student named Cecil Jacobs would even take the long route just to avoid the Radley house. In the last few pages of the novel however, Scout is saved by Boo after he stabs Bob Ewell to protect her. As Scout starts to become unbiased about people being deities of good, she also starts to become unbiased about her view of Boo Radley. At this point of the novel Scout has experienced her share of evil and now understands why Boo would lock himself up in his house all the time. It was so that he could hide from the evil that was outside of the protection of his property. This knowledge changes Scout from a girl who would try to avoid Boo at all costs, to girl who ends up escorting Boo home. Also, she states that “...you never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them.” After standing on the porch of the Radley house for just a short while, Scout finally ends up seeing the world through Boo’s

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