Darcy Brewer
Year 10 English Essay
04/04/2023
To Kill A Mockingbird Themes Analysis
To Kill a Mockingbird is a classic novel by harper lee, set in Maycomb, Alabama during the 1930’s. Maycomb is a town governed by prejudice, where people are judged by the color of their skin. Harper Lee explores many themes in To Kill a Mockingbird however i will be discussing the three main themes of, Loss of Innocence, Racism and Injustice. I will be exploring these three themes throughout my essay and discovering how they are still relevant in the modern day.
The first theme I will discuss is loss of innocence. To Kill a Mockingbird is narrated by a young girl named Scout Finch, who is growing up in Maycomb. At the beginning of the novel she is six
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Racism is arguably the main theme in To Kill a Mockingbird, it is widely present in Maycomb being displayed by the majority of the townspeople. Throughout the novel Harper Lee explores the damaging effects of racism and how it can affect its victims, this is made clear during the trial of Tom Robinson. The trial of Tom Robinson also shows us the deep-rooted prejudice the town holds and how it has been passed down through generations. These points are further proved by this quote from Jem, "That's what I thought," said Jem, "but around here once you have a drop of N**** blood, that makes you all black." chapter 16. This quote from Jem also shows that they see that being of color is so bad it’s comparable to disease, it also shows that even the thought of someone being black is enough to make the townspeople turn on them. The victims of racism however are not the only ones who suffer, The perpetrators are also affected by their misdoings. This is shown when Bob Ewell, a cruel and abusive father accuses Tom Robinson of rape, Bob perfectly embodies the racism and prejudice ways of maycomb. Bob Ewell’s hatred of black people is a reflection of his own personal insecurities and failures, his history and actions eventually catch up to him and ultimately become a leading cause of his downfall. Racism is a large problem in our society even today, discrimination and prejudice are still present even though we have come a long way. Racism is …show more content…
Injustice is a very large part of Harper Lee’s novel, it is one of the leading factors in numerous events throughout the book such as the trial of Tom Robinson. Boo Radley is a character who is a victim of injustice throughout the book, Boo is shunned by the people of Maycomb because of rumors people have conjured up about him. Boo receives criticism and ridicule from the townspeople despite the fact he has never done anything malicious or deserving of their spite. Another key moment in the book that displays injustice is the trial of Tom Robinson, he was accused of raping Mayella Ewell and as a black man this is seen by the townspeople as even more of a crime. "She has committed no crime, she has merely broken a rigid and time-honored code of our society, a code so severe that whoever breaks it is hounded from our midst as unfit to live with. She is the victim of cruel poverty and ignorance, but I cannot pity her: she is white. She knew full well the enormity of her offense, but because her desires were stronger than the code she was breaking, she persisted in breaking it." Chapter 11. This quote from Atticus reminds us that Mayella may be doing something unjust by falsely accusing Tom Robinson of a crime he did not commit, but she is also a victim of injustice. Mayella grew up dirt-poor to a father who abused and raped her whilst also making his children fend for themselves, which is no environment that will
In the classic novel To Kill A Mockingbird, author Harper Lee takes on the malignant impact of racism, a deeply rooted problem, from a different perspective and teaches readers what it truly means to be a good person as she brings to life one of the most virtuous characters in American literature-Atticus Finch. Told through the eyes of a young child, readers learn about the heavy prejudice embedded in the people of Maycomb County and the loss of innocence that is brought upon the kids as a racial conflict spurs a series of significant events in their quiet town. Taken place during the early years of the Great Depression, Maycomb must face its biggest problem-racism. Atticus Finch is the lawyer who defends this case and ultimately brings a
To Kill a Mockingbird shows Racist themes throughout the book. To demonstrate, Jem and Scout were being reprimanded by Mrs. Dubose as they walked to the store, she told Scout that of she kept wearing overalls she’d have a bad life, she also said, “Not only a Finch waiting on tables but one in the courthouse lawing for niggers!” (Lee Unknown). This shows that some people in Maycomb are very racist. As another example, they use the phrase “Nigger Lover” (Lee 94-96) as an insult multiple times.
Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird” is set in a small Southern United States community called Maycomb during the Great Depression era. The whole book primarily revolves around segregation and racism and how it relates to Maycomb’s history. It eventually leads to the trial of Tom Robinson where he is accused of beating up Mayella Ewell. Even though it was clear that Tom Robinson did not do anything wrong he was convicted guilty by an all white jury because he was black. The trial of Tom Robinson and its verdict shows an example of how segregation in the court system prevents fair trials from occurring.
Harper Lee uses a direct connection from “To Kill A Mockingbird” and Maycomb to the racism occurring in the south. Harper states that people change the way they act for power, language and social status. Harper Lee says “As you grow older, you’ll see white men cheat black men every day of your life, but let me tell you something and don’t forget it - whenever a white man does that to a black man, no matter who he is, how rich he is, or how fine a family he comes from, he is trash.” (Lee 220) By Harper Lee expressing her feelings and emotions to everyone, and wanting to include everyone in as a group, think about the ways that Harper Lee uses to connect the town of Maycomb in “To Kill A Mockingbird” to the racism that happened in the south.
Despite Atticus's best efforts to prove his innocence, Tom is convicted. Several quotes from the novel illustrate the pervasive racism in Maycomb, such as when Mr. Raymond acknowledges the harm that white people have caused the black community, saying, "Cry about the hell white people give colored folks, without even stopping to think that they're people, too. " Pg.229 Conversely Another quote, from Scout, reveals the stereotype and prejudice that were rampant in Maycomb. She tells Mr. Raymond "Atticus says cheatin' a colored man is ten times worse than cheatin' a white man..."
Throughout the novel, racism in Maycomb gets worse and worse, because of the county's hate towards black people. Scout first encounters racism at school, when kids call Atticus a nigger
In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee conveys that prejudice divides communities and that persecution of innocent people is evil; furthermore; these two minor themes reinforce the major thematic idea that a simple assumption can divide people. When Tom Robinson is put on trial for supposedly raped Mayella Ewell, the racism in Maycomb surfaces and creates conflict. In the novel, a stranger says, “You know what we want,” ‘another man said.’ “Get aside from the door, Mr. Finch.”(172). Some drunken men want to harm Tom Robinson for the wrong that he did.
Racism in Maycomb In Maycomb County racism is a major custom, how does one survive it? Racism is one of the main ideas in the novel To Kill A Mockingbird, Every character in this novel is affected by it one way or another. A look back into the 1930s shows just how prevalent racism actually was, also how it can be connected similarly to racism we still face today. In To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, we take a look at how racism affects Tom Robinson, Atticus, and Scout, in vastly different ways. Tom Robinson, as a black man in Maycomb, he unfortunately has to deal with the worst of racism.
The novel To Kill a Mockingbird takes place in the segregated South of the 1930’s. The book is told in the eyes of an eight year old girl, Scout Finch. Her father, Atticus Finch, is an attorney who is struggling to prove the innocence of a black man incorrectly accused of rape. The historical context of the book lets one see the social status of different groups during the civil rights era. The story explores who fits into certain societies, who is respected in the community, written and unwritten rules concerning family, gender, age, and race, expectations of certain people, and what conflicts arise out of tension.
In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, racism grudges on Maycomb Ville’s society. Families collared by agony, struggle everyday to break free from the chains of poverty. Domestic violence eclipses the town as it conceals beneath the dark shadows. Maycomb ville’s conflicts all revolt into a drastic nightmare.
Throughout this, the story shows racial issues in the South and what it was like to grow up in the 30s while still including a fun story. Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird is about the acceptance of all people, black and white or living differently than the average person. Maycomb County has a hard time accepting. This is for many reasons including the time and the ideas already set in people’s minds. This is shown in Arthur “Boo” Radley’s case.
"To Kill a Mockingbird" is a novel which portrays the social and racial injustices of the 1950's through the 1960's. Written by Harper Lee, "To Kill a Mockingbird" is a fictional story that takes place in the static city of Maycomb during a time filled with racial injustice. What starts of being a tale of a group of children having fun and playing silly games quickly turns into a captivating and dramatic story filled with the crisis of conscience, racial grievance, and a battle between a lawyer and his family against what seems like the rest of the world. This novel demonstrates many themes throughout it's assortment of lovable characters, one of the main themes displayed by these characters is empathy. Characters Atticus Finch and Boo Radley illustrate
To Kill a Mockingbird is a book mainly about the coexistence of good and evil. The book stresses and emphasizes on the exploration of moral nature in humans. There are many themes in this novel including courage, innocence, racism, femininity, etc. However the most prevalent theme in the book is innocence. Not just innocence in itself but the danger and harm evil poses to the innocent.
In To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee teaches us about the town of Maycomb County during the late 1930s, where the characters live in isolation and victimization. Through the perspective of a young Jean Louise “Scout” Finch, readers will witness the prejudice that Maycomb produces during times where people face judgement through age, gender, skin colour, and class, their whole lives. Different types of prejudice are present throughout the story and each contribute to how events play out in the small town of Maycomb. Consequently, socially disabling the people who fall victim from living their life comfortably in peace. Boo Radley and his isolation from Maycomb County, the racial aspects of Tom Robinson, and the decision Atticus Finch makes as a lawyer, to defend a black man has all made them fall in the hands of Maycomb’s prejudice ways.
Though most of the town Maycomb feels negatively and discriminates the African-Americans, characters like Atticus show us how one person can impact his surroundings if he has high morals. Although he couldn’t change the mindset of the other town residents , he made sure that his own children didn’t discriminate people, purely on the basis of their skin colour. Racism can be seen even in the first few chapters of the book. These racist comments by nonracist children typify the culture in which they were growing up.