To Kill A Mockingbird Essays

To Kill A Mockingbird Essay In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird a major theme is the loss of innocence. Whether from emotional abuse, racial prejudice or learning, Boo, Tom, and Scout all lose their innocence in one sense or another. The prejudice that each character endures leads to their loss. Through the responses of Boo, Tom, and Scout, Harper Lee shows how each character responded differently to their loss of innocence. In the novel To Kill A Mockingbirdthe character of Boo Radley is the first to suffer the loss of his innocence. As a teen, Boo experienced trouble with the law and for his consequences his father imprisoned him in his own house. Because of the harsh consequences forced upon him by his father, Boo grew up without a...show more content...

With the racial tension so high during this time period, Tom's innocence was lost before he could even defend himself. This was shown through Atticus's reply to Scout's question of, "Will we win?" Atticus answered no because the case was lost before it began. Tom Robinson's response to his loss of innocence was to simply run away from the problem that had befallen him. For his attempted escape Tom suffered the highest consequence, "They shot him,' said Atticus. 'He was running. It was during their exercise period. They said he just broke into a blind raving charge at the fence and started climbing over" (235). Due to Tom's decision on how to respond, he was killed even though he was placed in his position no thanks to himself. Tom Robinson chose poorly when it came to his response towards his loss of innocence and it cost him his life. The main character of the novel, Scout, was the only character that suffered a loss of innocence and responded in a way that did not ruin her life. During the novel Scout gradually lost her innocence due to the fact of her ever–increasing knowledge of the world. Being the child that she was, Scout had a kind of blind faith in her community that it was as good and as moral as she believed it to be, but she realized after the trial how wrong she was. Throughout the

How Does Lee Demonstrate The Idea Of Courage

To Kill A Mockingbird Essay

Reading broadens our minds and touches our hearts. It creates greater understanding and compassion in the reader through its characters and themes. Write an essay that addresses the ideas expressed in this statement with reference to your class novel.

"You never really understand a person, until you climb into his skin and walk around in it." With over 30 million copies sold worldwide and claiming title to the prestigious Pulitzer Prize, "To Kill a Mockingbird" is a classic novel written by Harper Lee that not only excites and educates the reader but ultimately encourages them to re–evaluate their preconceptions and learn to denote an emotional understanding of another's feelings or problems by putting...show more content...

Atticus challenged both Scout and Jem to do this which resulted in a new friendship and taught them an invaluable life lesson about passing judgement. Consequently, the reader is able to take away from the children's knowledge of deceptive appearances and have a better understanding of people and the reasons behind their actions.

Moreover, Lee demonstrates the idea of courage through Mrs Dubose and Jem when he is forced to go and read to her as a punishment for destroying her camellias. Before Jem met Mrs Dubose courage to him was holding a gun in his hand. Mrs Dubose was a morphine addict and wanted to overcome the addiction, "I wanted you to see what real courage was...it's when you know you're licked before you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what." The dialogue between Atticus and Jem stresses that courage is the inner desire to succeed and to do what is righteous, no matter what humiliation or consequences it may bring. This is proven true in Mrs Dubose's situation as despite the pain it caused her she succeeded, as she died free of her addiction. As a result, Jem's initial ideas of bravery matures and thus allows the reader's to question their own thoughts on what courage is to them.

Bravery is also exemplified by Atticus when he killed the rabid dog "Mr Finch this is a one–shot job." Even though on the outside he appeared to be a pacifist, disliking guns and violence, Atticus was a man of real

To Kill A Mockingbird Timed Essay "It's a sin to kill a mockingbird." Throughout To Kill A Mockingbird, there is symbolism behind the title. Mockingbirds are portrayed as harmless and innocent which relates to several characters in the passage. Although there are many characters that can convey this symbolism, Boo Radley and Tom Robinson best fit the metaphor because they are the most misjudged characters throughout the novel, they have not shown or caused any harm to the people of Maycomb. The title, To Kill A Mockingbird, has a connection with the overall main idea of the plot. It carries a large amount of symbolism in the book. According to Miss Maudie, "Mockingbirds don't do one thing but make music for us to enjoy... they don't do one...show more content...

Tom Robinson is an innocent man, convicted for the rape of Mayella Ewell for being colored. Tom is not guilty of this crime but the jury was afraid to speak the truth since the society of Maycomb believes a white man's word is stronger and contains more justice than a colored man's. Tom Robinson has testified that he helped Mayella with her labor because of his generosity but when Mayella Ewell forces herself on Tom, he chooses to run away and not physically harm the Ewell's in any way which allows the Ewell's to use him as an escape during the court–case. Therefore, once Tom is killed, the truth is revealed. In the novel, Mr. Underwood submits a section about Tom Robinson's death in the paper. In the passage, it states "He likened Tom's death to the senseless slaughter of songbirds by hunters." Through this quote, Mr. Underwood is showing how the Ewell's killed Tom's innocence to the community. It proved that although the jury knew the truth, they decided to take the easy way out in order not to cause any conflict and offend the large population of Maycomb, the whites. In the process, they killed a mockingbird, one that caused no harm to anyone through his kindness and generosity, Tom Robinson. In summation, Boo Radley and Tom Robinson both convey the metaphor of the mockingbird best. They are both mockingbirds that lived without being affected by the rumors of Maycomb and the rules of

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Through the course of the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, Jem encounters a series of events that cause him to grow up. During Tom Robinson's trial, Jem's eyes were opened to the racism and prejudice of the South: loss of innocence, a major theme in the novel, is a realization of the cruelty and injustice in the world, and that one must develop a tolerance for it. Jem is young and carefree in the beginning of the novel. He is just starting to take on the responsibilities of an older brother: "Jem condescended to take me to school the first day, a job usually done by one's parents, but Atticus said Jem would be delighted to show me where my room was." (p.20). Atticus is trusting Jem to safely get Scout to school, and help her...show more content...

In addition, Jem abandons all of his childish morals: "Jem looked the floor. Then he rose and broke the remaining code of our childhood. He went out of the room and down the hall. 'Atticus,' his voice was distant, 'can you come here a minute, sir?'" (p.187–188). Dill, Jem and Scout's best friend, ran away from his home and came to the Finch's house. Jem has broken "the remaining code of our childhood" by telling Atticus about Dill, rather than keeping it a secret. He has matured past his childhood years, and realizes that sometimes it is best to involve adults. Jem is exposed to the racism and prejudice of the South through Tom Robinson's trial, and it makes him question what he never thought twice about before. [insert lead–in] "'...if the jury's still out, you can wait with us. But I expect it'll be over before you get back.' 'You think they'll acquit him that fast?' asked Jem. Atticus opened his mouth to answer, but shut it and then left us." (p.277) Jem sees Tom Robinson's trial through eyes untainted by prejudice and discrimination. To him, Tom is obviously innocent. Atticus, on the other hand, is older and more cynical. He knows about racial discrimination, he knows it strongly influences a person's judgement, and he knows Tom will be found guilty. Jem realizes this when Tom Robinson is convicted. As a result, he learns that racism can cloud a person's judgement to the point that they will convict an innocent man. Jem's loss of innocence

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