ipl-logo

Analysis Of Childhood In To Kill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee

586 Words3 Pages

Unfortunately, difficult childhood experiences still define adulthood even today. Harper Lee illustrates how childhoods are being shown as innocent, as well as how they can shape a person's future. In To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, she describes how difficult childhood experiences shape the future of kids; in America today, progress has not been made. Childhood is described as a time when children are young, innocent, and filled with a lack of knowledge when they are being put into these situations. In this novel, Jem and Scout, Jem’s sister, go through many troubles finding the truth about their surrounding racial community to being more mature and grown up after watching a trial about an African American being accused of raping a white woman. When the jury found Tom Robinson guilty, Jem has a hard time fully understanding what is truly going on and Scout says, ‘’It’s like being a caterpillar in a cocoon, that’s what it is,’’ (Lee 288). The children are being sheltered from what happens in the world around them and they are pressuring themselves to try to understand the language and content that they are being appealed to just like Jem did. Jem and Scout both struggled to find the full truth in the situation, due to being blocked out or in the “cocoon.” …show more content…

At a young age, the children in Maycomb are getting introduced to a very crucial language. The novel's setting gives an example of Mr. Ewell using racist language, ‘’I seen a black ****** yonder ruttin’ on my Mayella!” (Lee 196). The way he phrases his accusation achieves an impressive feat of multitasking. This is one of the circumstances that was held back when the novel took place and how it affected children. This racist language that is being used brings the story alive by allowing the readers to walk in the shoes of the very serious social problem of racial

Show More
Related
844 Words | 4 Pages

The novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is about two kids, Jem and Scout, and their childhood in their small town Maycomb, Alabama. In the beginning of the novel, Jem and Scout were two innocent kids playing in the summer sun, until school came along. Jem was about twelve throughout the novel and Scout was eight, and considering that Jem was twelve in the novel, he was changing. During the middle of the novel a rape trial occurred, which included a black man being accused by a white woman of first-degree rape. Atticus, the kid’s father was defending the african american man; Tom Robinson.

Read More
563 Words | 3 Pages

Imagine your child is growing up in a short span, being tainted by the evils of man and the heart of the prejudice. In Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, Scout and Jem Finch are forced to age early when their father takes an unpopular side in the courtroom. His children learn the up and downs of being social outcasts who’s father is a ‘nigger-lover’. Although through the course of their unexpected summer, they absorb many aspects of life that even the adults are oblivious to. As they are progressing through their eye-opening summer, Jem and Scout Finch learn about the power of names in their society, the roles of destructive loneliness, and the loss of their innocence.

Read More
506 Words | 3 Pages

Alvina Dennis, Boles Childlike Innocence Reading a novel that shows the true essence of an innocent child's perspective leaves the audience to decipher its true meaning when the innocence fades away. If we view our society in an innocent manner it shields us from the dangers of racism, prejudice, and hypocrisy, unforgettably popular topics in the early 1930s. In Harper Lee's novel, To Kill a MockingBird, the audience perceives a childlike innocence portrayed by Jem, but later that innocence is “killed”, after a falsified sexual assault case that left an innocent man to his death. Jem is growing up in the town of Maycomb with his younger sister Scout and his father Atticus. Jem is shown to be naive, adventurous, and courageous- all childlike

Read More
780 Words | 4 Pages

A person's childhood acts as an outline of who they are going to become in the future. Children can experience so much yet so little throughout their youth. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, written by Harper Lee, showcases the life of two children ,Scout and Jem, as the novel progresses the reader learns about numerous events and situations that caused them to mature. Now in many cases, an eight and twelve-year-old wouldn't really seem mature, but this isn't one of those cases. Scout and Jem are exposed to evils of racism,and the crudeness of stereotyping which caused them to grow during the novel.

Read More
743 Words | 3 Pages

Children are very impressionable people. Almost everything around them changes them in some way. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, the main characters, Scout and Jem, start out as little kids who spend their days making up stories and playing sill games. Then their dad, who is a lawyer, takes on a case defending a black man who has been charged with rape. Since they live in Alabama, The whole family has to absorb some pretty ugly things, which forces Scout and Jem to grow up quickly, and it gives them a different and more mature view of the world.

Read More
652 Words | 3 Pages

Moreover, Scout displays a coming-of-age moment that reveals her sympathy toward Tom Robinson. She further sets the fact that the judge will not free Tom, and they will not receive justice for him. Proving everyone is worn out, they will conclude the case rapidly. Now, Scout undertakes the viewpoint of the world and comprehends the point not everyone is treated

Read More
1120 Words | 5 Pages

Growing up can be deeply impacted by the experiences that you face as a child and these events can increase the likelihood of facing mental health problems in the future. When we were first introduced to Jem and Scout in To Kill a Mockingbird, they had a very set idea of what is good and what is bad. Jem seems to believe that good will always win no matter what. However, as the story progresses, they come to a more realistic conclusion about the world and how people don’t always do what’s best. In particular, Scout was able to narrate the story allowing the reader to see how her innocence was changed throughout the novel.

Read More
1768 Words | 8 Pages

Adults are a form of social influence, which is described as "... the process by which an individual's attitudes, beliefs or behaviors are modified by the presence or actions of others," (Cardwell, Clarke, Meldrum, 1996). Influence is a strong and powerful force that changes how people make their choices and live their life, and adults are the most powerful influences on Earth according to children. Adults can give children happiness, love, and care. But, they can also bring fear and pain.

Read More
915 Words | 4 Pages

The way the people and the town influence Jem and Scout make the characters more realistic and the overall story much more interesting. To Kill a Mockingbird is an exceptional novel that conveys many positive messages throughout. In her novel, Lee creates honest and relatable characters that take the reader on a journey through life in the south during the Great Depression. Readers are impressed by Lee’s eloquent writing and amazing characters, all of which make To

Read More
563 Words | 3 Pages

Remember the days spent dancing with imaginary friends, tea parties with stuffed animals who could talk, then going to bed with the boogie man under the bed? The novel To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee is about Jem and Scouts journey through their youth as they work to deal with tough subjects such as rape, racism, and the realization that the world is not how they once viewed it. Throughout the story, Lee demonstrates the loss of childhood innocence, which shows that one's true perspective of the world is obtained through maturity. To begin with, all children experience innocence in their youth, but as they grow up, their understanding of the real world betters.

Read More
892 Words | 4 Pages

The adult world is a frightening and complicated place. It is an ugly place full of torture, wars, and so much more. If I was given a chance to go back to childhood, I would certainly go back. Childhood is the most precious time in one’s life when valuable memories are made and shapes you into who you will become. It is the time when you are mindless, lacking in responsibility, and innocent.

Read More
472 Words | 2 Pages

Growing up is an inevitable process in life. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is a story that takes place in Maycomb County, Alabama during the Great Depression and follows the journey of Scout Finch, a young girl who is coming of age in a world where racial prejudice and social inequality are prevalent. The book explores the theme of growing up and the development of understanding and awareness through the Finch children, Jem and Scout, who face many obstacles. The best events that display this are when Miss Maudie gives Jem a slice of cake after the trial, Scout walking Boo Radly home, and the Finch children taking care of Miss Dubose. After the trial, Miss Maudie bakes a cake and gives Jem a slice, conveying the message that she believes Jem has grown into a young man.

Read More
765 Words | 4 Pages

Throughout the book, To Kill the Mockingbird by Harper Lee, the development of a child’s maturity and perception of the world becomes a central topic. As Jem presents their journey of childhood through Scout’s perspective, the audience discovers a dark presence of injustice and racism within Maycomb county. While Jem lives in a county so full of hatred, he learns to develop a perception of the world that aids him throughout the growth out of their adolescence. Though it may benefit him throughout the process of maturity, his lack of innocence may isolate him from the acceptance of the true world. Naivety, a state in which one lacks experience or understanding.

Read More
743 Words | 3 Pages

Harper Lee portrays childhood as curious and innocent, but also the “more real” aspects of growing up; the fear, the stupidity, and the flaws. The meaning of To Kill A Mockingbird is, childhood plays an extremely large role in a person’s life, and it shapes one’s views, and goals in their future. Times that Lee represents the importance of childhood are when; Scout is curious about Boo (Arthur) Radley, when Scout and Jem sneak into the courtroom, and when Scout walks Boo Radley home.

Read More
1016 Words | 5 Pages

Children go to school to gain knowledge, but life can give children the most important education. In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, Jem, and Scout are two growing children navigating life in the 1930’s in racist Alabama. They see racism throughout their town and have to navigate how they want to live their lives or follow their town. In their own school, they see racist people, and they often question what they hear, see, and learn.

Read More

More about Analysis Of Childhood In To Kill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee

Related Topics

Open Document