To Kill A Mockingbird Message Essay

To Kill a Mockingbird is the story of the trial of a black man, Tom Robinson for the raping of a white woman, Mayella Ewell, in racist Alabama in the 1990’s.

Harper Lee's 'To Kill a Mockingbird' is recounted by Scout, who at the time was six years old. This book follows her journey in growing up and eventually losing her innocence through realising the evil in the world, mostly portrayed by the racism and prejudice surrounding her. A mockingbird is a metaphor for the destruction of innocence. There are three mockingbirds in the text: Boo Radley, Scout Finch and Tom Robinson. Boo has done nothing wrong except sit in his house and 'mind his own business', and has done nothing to hurt anyone else. All that has happened is he has been accused once again of crimes he did not commit. Scout is a mockingbird because she is thrust in the middle of all of the adults and their prejudices. Tom has done

To Kill a Mockingbird was a very influential book in the eyes of a growing young woman in America in the 1930’s from the eyes of Jean Louise as a child and Jean reminiscing or reflecting as an adult about the past. Mayella Ewell was a white woman who was looked down upon by her own race and the African Americans were too scared to talk to her. Mayella was looked at to be powerless over her own life and others. If she is, then why does she win the case against Tom Robinson? In the town of Maycomb race, class, and gender played larger roles than some may think let's determine how.

Is Mayella Powerful? In the past, we lived in a large racial society where many White Americans did not accept African Americans as their equals. In Harper Lee’s ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’, the novel focuses on the story of a rape trial located in a non-existent town of Maycomb, Alabama. It’s about a black man, Tom Robinson, who is accused of raping a poor white woman, Mayella Ewell.

Through the use of Scout’s innocent nature and the words and actions carried out by the townspeople, Harper Lee’s critical tone regarding prejudice is revealed.

To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, is a complex literary work exploring several aspects of the human condition. Lee’s story is one based in the 1930’s, shortly before the Civil Rights Movement. Her novel ventures into the societal issues, such as racism and gender stereotyping, in their fictional town, Maycomb. One recurring theme throughout the narrative is the social adjustment of the citizens of Maycomb and the human race as a whole. Lee showcases the progress in social justice matters by using symbolism and motifs.

In the course of the story in chapter one of To Kill A Mockingbird there was first person narration from Scout’s perspective. Scout a six year old female from Maycomb county Alabama is a tomboy that has a special relationship with her father Atcis, who is a lawyer. Further, Scout was also influenced by two other characters a boy named Dill who stayed in Maycomb over the summer to visit his Aunt and her brother Jem. Both characters are relatively the same age, about four years older, than scout. However Dill had to return to his home in the conclusion of the summer time. And this leads into Scout going back to school as well as her brother. Unintentionally however when Scout goes to school she finds out that the new first grade teacher Miss.Caroline doesn't like her advanced literacy, which she got from the people surrounding her and reading newspapers.

Ewell wrote on the back of the envelope and looked up complacently to see Judge Taylor looking at him as if he were some fragrant gardenia in full bloom on the witness stand, to see Mr. Gilmer half-sitting, half standing at his table. The jury was watching him, one man leaning over with his hands over the railing. 'What's so intrestin'?' he question. 'You're left handed Mr. Ewell,' said Judge Taylor.” (Lee 117). This scene not only brings out Atticus’s intelligence, but proves to the audience that they cannot trust a single word Bob Ewell speaks.

The novel To Kill A Mockingbird is successful in delivering the story in a manner that captivates the audience. The story began by setting the scene, mood and also by introducing each character, which familiarized the reader with the environment. The author wrote the story in a manner that flowed with real life events of a time relative to the story, such as the segregation, racism and any financial struggles. It also did well to give each character a realistic mindset and reactions based on each person’s respective characterization. In a similar way, the story was written from the perspective of Scout, and the story was effectively narrated with the innocence and a lesser knowledge coming from someone of her age. Additionally, the story did a particularly good job at introducing details that were important to the story as it progressed so there were no surprises based on a sudden law change, for example. This aided in building the story to its climax, and other peaks of action. Each element to the story worked in sync to maneuver easily through the plot in a well thought out and executed story.

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.

To Kill a Mockingbird is a novel that aims to change the reader’s perspective on life. Harper Lee presents controversial issues and ideas through the innocent eyes of a child. Throughout the novel, you are assaulted by the evils in the narrator’s society; chiefly racism and prejudice. With events such as the unjust trial and the revelation of people’s true identities, the reader is forced to see the faults in the public’s opinion. As the child grows up and learns more about the adults in her town, she sees that many of them are deliberately blind to the real problems and truths in society, and she must choose on her own what is right or wrong, true or false. Harper Lee expertly shows the struggles involved in seeking the truth about society,

To Kill a Mockingbird is set up into two major parts. Harper Lee sets up the themes and ideals in part one through the actions of scout and applies those themes through real world examples in part two. In part one she sneaks the themes in through the adventures and experiences that Scout, Jem, and Dill encounter. Then part two, she takes an issue of racial discrimination and shows it how it would be seen by a child. One situation that they encounter is when Jem and Scout get their air rifles, explained in the quote above.

In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, the author Harper Lee displays a variety of themes and topics, such as hatred and labeling by society. Society places malicious labels on people, based on mistakes and actions they do not like. The main characters Scout and her older brother Jem encounter many real monsters and imaginary monsters that society has made up, including their childhood obsession, Boo Radley. Boo Radley is judged by society for one mistake he made when he was younger. A real monster that Scout and Jem encounter is Bob Ewell, who accused an innocent black person of raping his daughter.

“You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view . . . until you climb into his skin and walk around in it”. Discuss this quote from Atticus in relation to 3 characters from the novel.

In the riveting coming-of-age novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, the author Harper Lee projects the idea of acceptance of all people, through the eyes of a child. Harper Lee combats the prejudice of social standing when she proves that some of the poorest people have the best of character traits. While racism of African Americans is first and foremost in this novel, the acceptance of white people into the African American community shows racism can be beaten from both point of views. Finally, the disabilities that Arthur Radley portrays, is forgotten, when his actions help him soar above the bigotry of the people of Maycomb County. The most obvious topic is the overt racism based on a person's skin color, however, Harper Lee takes us beneath the skin to show that discrimination occurs in other ways.