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Analysis Of Childhood In To Kill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee

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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

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