Loss Of Innocence In To Kill A Mockingbird

In the 1940s, many that were innocent people would end up being hurt because of their difference from others. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Tom Robinson, an African American who gets accused of a crime he didn’t commit, gets hurt because of his difference from others. The central idea of the book is that people should not hurt those who are innocent, there are several examples throughout the book that help represent this main idea such as symbolism, similes, and characters. To Kill a Mockingbird shows many examples of symbolism that supports the main idea of the book. An example of this, is the character Tom Robinson.

One of the main reasons why Tom was convicted of his crime was because he was black and whites often held a higher power in the courtroom. Atticus knows from the beginning that Tom will not win this trial, and he reminds his kids constantly that racism is real and it is everywhere in Maycomb. Scout seems to catch on as she starts to see racism almost everywhere she goes. Discrimination against social classes is also prevalent in the novel. An example of this is when in the beginning of the novel, the teacher, Miss Caroline, was surprised to see a kid with lice.

She realizes how dangerous the world truly is. In a less serious manner Scout and Jem lose their innocence to. This is done by the case of Tom Robison, a local black man. Tom was tried for the rape of Mayla Ewell, a local white women. Atticus, Scout and Jem’s father, was Tom’s lawyer.

In a small community in Alabama, nine young African American men were arrested as they hopped of a train they had been ‘riding the rails on’. Two white women also followed them out, and accused the men of raping them on the train. Now, this case has many parallels with TKAM, and also represents what society was like in the period that Lee grew up in. In both trials, young black men were accused of raping a young white girl; both were sentenced to jail and/or death (we don’t know what Tom Robinson’s sentence was because he died before he could receive it); and both lots of black men/man were found guilty. In this way we know that there are for sure several consistencies between Lee’s childhood and current life, and what is depicted within the

Loss of innocence is when someone comes to a realization through an event that alters their perception and understanding of reality. The novel To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee is set in the small town of Maycomb in the 1930s, also known as the Great Depression. Many characters play a specific role in the novel, for instance, Boo Radley plays a mysterious character that scares children unintentionally because of events in the past. Atticus Finch, who is a white lawyer, becomes well-known to the black activists in the community because he takes on the case of Tom Robison, a black person accused of raping a white woman. The aftermath of taking the case was sizable.

The only physical evidence is a choke mark, yet the all-white jury decides that Tom is guilty unanimously. Although the evidence is mostly circumstantial, the jury follows their beliefs and votes for the black man to be convicted. These scenes can thoroughly show the disgust the white townsfolk had for Mr.

The lost of a child’s innocence is like taking training wheels off a bike. In To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, the lost of innocence is exemplified through a prejudice society. Life experiences leads to the loss of innocence as you are exposed to the real world. At such a young age, Scout knew all of the flaws of Maycomb’s society.

Why, if we didn’t have prosecutors—well, we couldn’t have defense attorneys, I reckon,””(Lee 226). This reaction was a mirror of her reaction to the verdict, her brushing off the blatant power difference and mistreatment in court. In comparison to Jem’s reaction, “his face was streaked with angry tears as we made our way through the cheerful crows. “It ain’t right,” he muttered,””(Lee 243). Through Jem’s reaction we can witness that he understood the injustice that Tom Robinson experienced even though the trial had a clear-cut answer.

In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, the theme of innocence is shown through the lessons learned from Dolphus Raymond, and Calpurnia's Church scene. The theme of innocence is displayed through the lessons that Dolphus Raymond teaches the kids. Such as, “Mr. Raymond said, ‘I don’t reckon it’s-miss Jean Louise, you don’t know your pa’s not a run-of-the-mill man, it’ll take a few years for that to sink in-you haven’t seen enough of the world yet “‘ (296). This relates to the theme because, Mr. Raymond explains that Scout does not know enough about the real world to understand how black people are treated unfairly in the justice system. In the novel, it also says, “He jerked his head at Dill: ‘Things haven’t caught up with that one’s instinct yet.

When one grows up, it is inevitable they will lose their innocence. Seeing the world through rose colored glasses can only take one so far, and eventually they will have to open their eyes to real issues in their lives. While this happens at different ages for everyone, Atticus in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee believes that his kids should not be sheltered from the real world. As Scout and Jem, Atticus’ children, grow up, especially in a time where Maycomb is so segregated, Atticus teaches his kids real life lessons and to not become like the rest of their town; racist and judgemental. This comes with a cost, however, as the kids “grow up” at an expedited rate.

Throughout the trial, Hooks and the prosecution present no concrete facts and build an entire case for the jury’s bias to act on. One of the witnesses, the deceased’s wife, was brought to the stand not for her testimony, but for the jury to see the distress of this white woman. Hooks described his thinking of Susan Marie Heine on the stand as “she would persuade them not precisely with what she had to say but with the entirety of who she was” (Guterson 287). He hoped that the jury would shift their focus towards their emotions and disregard the facts of the trial. If the jury focuses more on “the entirety of who she was”, a devastated white woman who allegedly lost her husband to a Japanese man, their emotions will provoke their unconscious bias to convict Kabuo.

Additionally, the final decision also highlights the level of racism that is present in the town. To explain, all the evidence proves that Tom Robinson is not guilt, but still he is considering guilty because he is a

In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee it demonstrates the loss of innocence in many different situations. As Atticus has to take over Tom Robinson’s case, Jem and Scout witness the difficulties of defending a black man after being accused of raping a white woman. As a result, Scout and Jem lose their innocence throughout this trial. Over time Scout and a Jem realize that the world isn’t just in black and white, and that there’ll be different shades of gray in between. Children lose their innocence after experiencing traumatic events that force them to become more independent.

A fair trial wasn’t possible. Scout and Jem are forced to realize in this discussion that the justice system doesn’t apply the same rules for whites

In our society, innocent people, known as mockingbirds, experience prejudice in their lives. A/T: In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Background: Tom Robinson is a black person who’s was accused of raping a white girl named Mayella Ewell which he has never done. For this reason, Atticus Finch was appointed to be his lawyer. As a result, Atticus takes a stand for him by approving his case and standing up for him, but Tom was still found guilty.