In To Kill a Mockingbird there are many different themes that exist. One that I found the most interesting was the coexistence of good: that which is morally right; righteousness, and evil: profoundly immoral and malevolent, on earth. There are connections to this theme in the book, but also in the real world. I will be connecting To Kill a Mockingbird to the real world using the coexistence of good, evil, and the pull between good and evil.
There are examples of good and evil coexisting, but unfortunately, sometimes the evil can be overpowering. In To Kill a Mockingbird there are many examples of evil involving Bob Ewell. Bob Ewell, the main antagonist, is described by Scout at the beginning of the story as a disgraceful human who abuses not
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In this book Atticus is the good that lives alongside the evil of Bob Ewell. Atticus Finch is an honorable man who thinks of everyone as equals and does his best to do what is right at all times. He simply explains to his daughter Scout that he is doing the best he can with the Tom Robinson case, “I certainly am. I do my best to love everybody...I’m hard put, sometimes-baby, it’s never an insult to be called what somebody thinks is a bad name,” (Lee 144). Atticus chooses to believe that there is good in everyone. This includes Arthur Radley, who saves his children from evil, “‘Mr.Arthur, honey,’ said Atticus, gently correcting me. ‘Jean Louise, this is Mr.Arthur Radley. I believe he already knows you,’” (Lee 363). Boo saves Jem and Scout from Bob Ewell’s attack. Most people in Maycomb would not think that Boo was capable of such good, but in this case, he is seen doing good just like Atticus. Boo and Atticus would be considered the protagonists in this situation because they do good throughout the book. There are just as many examples of good as there are bad in To kill a Mockingbird if it is looked at in the right way. In the real world, people do random acts of kindness every day, including a school that aims to perform 10 thousand acts of kindness. Another example of good would be the charities that people donate to every day including Super Bowl winner Chris Long who donated his 2017 salary to
In the book To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus, Boo, and Tom represent a mockingbird. All three of them were honest, kind people that were ruined by some kind of evil. Atticus was a good lawyer and almost everyone in Maycomb county liked him, but when he was picked to defend Tom at court, things changed. Boo probably had a great life and many people cared for him before he made the choice to stab his father, I think he is misunderstood. Tom was a kind hearted guy, who liked to help people. He tried to help out Mayella but got accused of rape in return.
So when he saw Mr.Ewell attacking Scout and Jem, he got angry, killed him, and saved the kids. This is a good example of the good and noble side to human nature because Boo Radley got talked down so much from other people. Jem and Scout didn’t judge Boo Radley as much like other people did. This is an example of the saying “Don’t judge a book by its cover”. He was judged by countless people, but he ends up the
Imagine a world where evil and unjust actions are based on the color of skin; a world where some don’t even realize that they are prejudicing. In the book To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, these themes are present. People and how they commit evil, hypocritical, and unjust acts. We see these themes and great issues through the point of view of a child; the vigorous, youthful, elementary-aged Scout. Through this character Harper Lee shows the innocence of children, and what they go through in our inequitable world.
A central theme in To Kill a Mockingbird, is man`s inhumanity to man. Many types of inhumanity – whether intentional or not – can be seen throughout this novel. Scout and Jem Finch as well as Dill treat Boo Radley with a level of inhumanity; however, their intentions are not cruel, merely childish and playful – as they are. However some examples of inhumanity found in the novel are not as innocent. An evident struggle that continues throughout the book, is the inhumanity black people suffer at the hands of white people; as well as men`s towering empowerment over women, which is often shown in violence and other cruelty. It is evident in the novel, that racism of all kinds affects the everyday lives of many people. Though this may be a
It seems that the world has become so cruel to itself. Have you felt it? In the book, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, there are examples of cruelty as shown by the character, Boo Radley. “‘Scout, I think I’m beginning to understand why Boo Radley’s stayed shut up in the house all this time… it’s because he wants to stay inside.’” (Lee, 227) This quote comes from Jem Finch, talking about why he thought Boo stayed away from the rest of the world. There are also examples of cruelty shown by the characters Tom Robinson and Dolphus Raymond.
Through the eyes of an innocent child, the story of To Kill a Mockingbird introduces a world of corruption. In the disordered town of Maycomb, certain character traits are developed and displayed in a specific local family. The opposition against their beliefs brings daunting situations to their door. Yet, this one family perseveres through the continuous corruption of Maycomb. Therefore, this recurring motif of character development really plays into the characters and, consequently, the story. This evident pattern of courage composes the Finch family: Jem, Scout, and Atticus.
First, Atticus Finch is a genuine, moral literary character because he knows that you must understand a person and know them before you can judge them. "Scout," said Atticus, "when summer comes you'll have to keep your head about far worse things... it's not fair for you and Jem, I know that, but sometimes we have to make the best of things, and the way we conduct ourselves when the chips are down—well, all I can say is, when you and Jem are grown, maybe you'll look back on this with some compassion and some feeling that I didn't let you down." (ch.11 pg.120) Atticus tries to explain to Scout the importance of understanding someone and getting to know the person before she does things. Atticus can take time to know a person, watching their actions, and seeing how they act. He then understands them and their position better than before, which can help him to better comprehend and
To kill a mockingbird, a novel which teaches us many themes like empathy by always following right morals and doing what is right. Inside those life lessons the novel also teaches us something important as well. Readers can see the power of an 8 year old to defeat a mob, making them acknowledge what they are doing and “stand in the shoes of another”. We read that a total stranger who is isolated from society (Boo Radley) helps a pair of kids and ends up saving their lives. People do bad acts because of power, maybe they don’t know better or (most of the time) people choose bad because if they do what is right it is not going to benefit them. People who do right when it doesn’t benefit them often do it because of morals and having a conscience
In certain situations even the most delightful people could become evil. In the book Lord of the Flies by William Golding’s book takes place during world war II a plane full of british schoolboys crashes, the only survivors are the children. They attempt to form a type of government but two people want to be leaders. Ralph is suppose to be “chief” but Jack also wanted to be, later in the book he got his wish. They kill two of their friends and try to kill another. They eventually get rescued by a naval officer. Golding’s major argument throughout the novel is that evil is an inborn trait of mankind.
Throughout many works of literature, a prominent theme has been “Good vs. Evil';. Many authors base the plot of their novels around “good guys'; fighting the “villain';.Robert Louis Stevenson contrasts good and evil through many of the characters thathe creates.
There were 17,250 people dead. This is the amount of people murdered last year in the U.S. alone. Why does this happen? Pure cruelty. There is tight tensions with the U.S. and North Korea that could start a nuclear war and kill most of us. Why is this possible? Cruelty between one another. This is just two examples of the cruelty in our world today and for the passed hundreds of years. In the book To Kill A Mockingbird cruelty plays a big part in the problems that go on in this small town in Alabama. I think if cruelty was eliminated Tom Robinson wouldn’t be dead, Boo Radley wouldn’t hide, and the whole view on equality between blacks and whites would change.
He is innocent of all of the claims and stories made up about him. He is robbed of friendship and trust with the entire town and is hurt by the cruel remarks made by the townsfolk. He had never done anything to harm anyone or anything in his lifetime; instead he strove to help people whenever he could, but tried to help them as best he could without being seen or noticed. One cold night when Scout Finch was standing frozen cold outside the Radley house, Boo secretly slipped a blanket over Scout’s shoulders to give her warmth. He also gave the two children, Jem and Scout, a few presents in a knot hole of a tree to show his compassion and warm heart. He even helped to protect the two children when Bob Ewell tried to murder them both. These examples show his innocence and that he is obviously not a monster. Scout comes to realise that he has inner goodness that must be cherished, alike a mockingbird. The town had committed a sin by harming him from the cruel things they had made up about him. And it was a sin when Tom Robinson, an innocent man, was killed when it came to his turn in the novel.
In the novel, Atticus is seen as a nonjudgmental person that treats everyone alike and that is the reason everybody in Maycomb likes him. Additionally, Atticus is a strong believer in justice and complying with the law. During the novel, Scout asks Atticus if he is “really a nigger-lover” (Lee, 112) and Atticus replies “I certainly am. I do my best to love everybody…” (Lee, 112). Also, “while Walter piled food onto his plate, he and Atticus talked together like two men…” (Lee, 24) To explain, Atticus talks to Walter, a poor farmer boy, as if he was a regular person. Just as the children are trying to give Boo Radley, Atticus catches them and commands them to “stop tormenting that man.”(Lee, 50) To clarify, Atticus orders them to stop because he realizes it is morally wrong to mock the Radley family or any other family which shows that Atticus believes in treating everyone equally and that everyone should have justice.
In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee presents Atticus Finch as a principled lawyer, committed but single father to Scout and Jem, and a law-abiding citizen. Atticus is a respectable gentleman in society and a role model for his children. Throughout the book we see evidence of his honorable intentions, though he doesn’t seem to reap the rewards. He is morally upstanding, even-keeled, and daring. Because of these things, Atticus is a man who deserves great respect and admiration.
The book To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is often associated with a various number of themes such as racism, social inequality, the importance of family values, and much more. But one of the more hidden messages of the book centers around the idea that there is a coexistence of good and evil. This theme is really brought to life the more the reader is able to understand the book. Through sub themes such as coming of age, perspective, and intense characterization of many important characters the idea of good and evil is really brought to light.