As children grow up, they open their eyes to the harsh truths in the world around them that they once did not understand or question. This is experienced by the main characters of Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird. The story is of a girl called Scout and her older brother, Jem, who go through the trials of growing up in the fictional small Southern town of Maycomb, Alabama in the 1930s. Racism is rampant in the mindset of the townspeople, shown when the children’s lawyer father, Atticus, takes the case of an obviously innocent African-American man and they convict him in their hearts before the trial even starts. Through this all, we can see the theme of loss of innocence in the children. Lee uses characterization to portray …show more content…
From this, one can see that Scout is still in a juvenile state of mind. Furthermore, one can see how the beliefs of the townspeople have been transferred to Scout, who had taken them as they are considered the social norm. She unknowingly accepts their racism when she thinks of Dolphus Raymond as a “sinful man” because he associates himself with black people and “…had mixed children and didn’t care who knowed it.” (201) She does not understand why he freely displays his transgression to the town when it is acknowledged as a wrong thing to do in Maycomb. However, Scout slowly starts to develop her own sense of right and wrong and create her own judgments of others. Boo was once the monster of her childhood, but after witnessing his cordial and courageous actions, she realizes that “he hadn’t done any of those things…he was real nice.” (281) In the end, Scout matures and sheds her childhood nickname to become the young lady called “Jean Louise” by family and friends. (211, 224, 229) This change in Scout is a result of her loss of innocence and is a focal point in the novel to give a thought-provoking perspective on the events of the book. Lee expresses the theme of loss of innocence through the characterization of Jem. In the story, there is a trial occurring in which his father defends a clearly
Courage, the mental or morale strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty, is displayed in many different ways throughout Harper Lee¹s only published novel, To Kill A Mockingbird. To some, the courage manifested by the characters in this book is either offensive, or frivolous, but to those who realize the true meaning of this word, the fortitude and bravery exhibited by certain individuals is considered uncustomary. In fact, To Kill A Mockingbird revolves around courage, as the author of this book describes Jem and Scout¹s (the two main character¹s in the story) childhoods living in Maycomb County, and how, as they grow older , they learn to realistically define heroism. To distinct
To Kill a Mockingbird is a novel written by a beloved author, Harper Lee. Despite dealing with serious issues of rape and racial inequality, this novel is renowned for its moral in the value of friendship and family. Lee writes about a young girl, Jean Louise Finch, who is also acknowledged as Scout. Scout grows up in the small fictional town of Maycomb County in the 1930s. She lives with her older brother Jem, their housekeeper Calpurnia, and her widowed father who is an attorney that is faithful to racial equality and later on defends Tom Robinson, a black man charged with raping a white woman. Scout has a basic faith in her community that they are good people but then throughout the novel especially during
Injustice is a theme that Lee portrays through Tom Robinson’s case and both Jem and Scout have trouble getting to grips with the fact that an innocent man is going to jail for a crime he clearly did not commit. The fact that good people can still suffer injustice is difficult to take on at such a tender age. However, the two understand the situation and although they are not happy with the result they are ‘coming of age’ and
Racial discrimination, although not the main focus of To Kill a Mockingbird, plays a large role throughout the novel. Many characters in To Kill a Mockingbird are affected by racial discrimination, whether they are the cause or not. Throughout the novel, three characters stand out as being affected by racial discrimination the most. These characters are Jean Louise “Scout” Finch, Atticus Finch, and Tom Robinson.
In the real world, there are harsh realities that all children must face one day to finally mature into an adult. Jem and Scout, in To Kill A Mockingbird, face situations like seeing an unjust trial with Bob Ewell, a white man, falsely accusing Tom Robinson, a black man, and being attacked by Bob Ewell, that put them face-to-face with hatred, partisanship, and racism. Through characterization and the conflicts that the characters face, Harper Lee shows the theme that innocence is lost through the confrontation of evil.
While one of the main themes of Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird is understanding another human's perspective, it also happens to be a lesson that Atticus Finch, one of the main characters, teaches his children throughout the book. The story’s protagonist, Scout, is a young girl from Alabama whose father, Atticus, is asked to defend an African-American man who is charged with rape. The southern way of life during The Great Depression will not allow Tom Robinson a fair trial, and Scout and her brother Jem are forced to deal with a county’s ignorance and racist attitudes. Although Atticus Finch is consumed by one of the greatest challenges of his career, the lessons he teaches his children in the wake of this trial show his dedication as a good father. He continues to be honest and nonviolent, punishes the children when needed, and he stays nurturing to the both of them.
what snow they had. The creation of the snowman by Jem can be seen as
To Kill A Mockingbird has several themes included in this classic novel. The theme of a book is defined by the dominating ideas in a literary work. It is an abstract concept that is made solid through the author's use of action, images, and characters. The main theme in this work is the reality of prejudice. Class, sex, and race are some of the prejudices present in the town of Maycomb.
In the novel by Harper Lee named, To Kill a Mockingbird, there is one main tragic event that occurs. The feelings and expressions dealt with in the novel are seen through the eyes of the main character, named Scout. In the novel Tom Robinson is a black male accused of rape in Maycomb County. During the same time period as the novel there were many historical events that were almost identical in setting and conclusion. There were many things that happened leading up to the court case that foreshadowed Tom Robinson’s inability to be found innocent of the charges. The Scottsboro case and the case in the novel are similar in many ways, especially in that they ruined the lives of blacks over false
Blacks were horribly treated in America. At this time there was a huge rift between blacks and whites. Many whites were biased and hated blacks. After the civil war they were free, but not equal to the white man. They were looked upon with hate, like second class citizens.Both sides were on the edge of a precipice. Blacks were abused and hated, and this book takes a look through the eyes of kids at the injustice blacks faced. Harper Lee had many events in real life that greatly influenced the book, To Kill A Mockingbird. The Scottsboro trials, the Murder of Emmett Till, and Jim Crow laws influenced the events in this book and made it what it was.
English essay on To Kill a Mockingbird In 'To Kill a Mockingbird' Atticus finch is presented as a respectable well-known man. Before Atticus Finch there was a customary tradition at the Finch's landing, which has been in place since Simon Finch made it his home and died there. The customary tradition was ' the men in the family remained on Finch's landing and made their living from cotton'. In the twentieth century Atticus Finch went to Montgomery to read law and John Hale Finch, Atticus' younger brother studied medicine in Boston.
Each character’s personality in the book To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee is intricately described, therefore giving the reader an image or idea of the kind of person he or she is. A picture of the character is formed in the mind with maybe rough edges but a soft heart on the inside. A character’s personality may be oversimplified by drawing shapes in symbolism, but the shapes may be helpful in perceiving the general extent of the characteristics. With a little help from Lee’s descriptions, I have been able to form images in my mind (and draw them on paper) of the personalities of Scout, Jem, Atticus, Dil, Calpurnia, Boo Radley, and Bob Ewell.
The power of childhood innocence reveals the true incompetence of the world around us in a brutal yet fanciful way. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee creates the unjust rape trial of Tom Robinson to shed light upon how the power of childhood innocence reveals the true racially-based corruption of the time period. Through the eyes of a child named Scout and the focus on two other child protagonists, Dill and Jean, Lee highlights the way a child views the world versus those jaded by the depravity of humanity. Harper Lee focuses upon the characterization of Scout, Dill, and Jean to present the idea that childhood innocence is blinded from the true evils of society.
To Kill a Mocking Bird is a written narrative by Harper Lee. The story is a linked sequence of conflict as seen through the eyes of a little girl named Scout. It looks back at a time when social injustice of prejudice was prevalent. The story if full of interesting characters, some good and some bad, but each very important to the plot of the story. It is very important to understand each of character’s views and the plot of the story as it plays an important role in the overall theme of the story.
The coming of age story of Scout Finch illustrates that difficulties that children face as they grow up and start to see the world around them. Scout, her brother Jem, and their friend Dill try to navigate the confusing socially intricate town of Maycomb during the 1930s. They go through experiences that make them question the customs of their small town, including an innocent man being accused and put on trial because of his skin color. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee uses characterization and symbolism to depict how children recognize, as they mature, that the law is not always black and white.