Examples Of Innocence In To Kill A Mockingbird

Innocence of Mockingbirds The Free Dictionary defines innocence as “the quality or state of being innocent; freedom from sin or moral wrong” and also “harmlessness”. Think about what innocence looks like to you. Imagine who comes into your mind when someone says the word innocent. In the book, To Kill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee, the childhood of siblings Scout, Jem, and their friend Dill is shown. The book takes place in the 1930’s, Maycomb County, Alabama where some segregation still exists. This novel shows how segregation and racism still existed and how it affected everyone in the County. Also, throughout this book, the children experience different events that cause them to have to grow up and see things from different perspectives.

When Dill, Scout, and Jem put a note for Boo Radley on a fishing pole it shows youthful actions children make. Harper Lee writes, “Jem attached the note to the end of the fishing pole, let the pole out across the yard and pushed it towards the winder he had selected” (64). The children's curiosity for Boo Radley caused them to attempt to reach a fishing pole with a note into his window. This shows how children are angelic because the children are using a fishing pole as a method of communication. Normally people would not think of this and if they did, they would think of it as being an unproductive way to communicate. But, the children used their imagination and creativity to come up with this strategical way to communicate. Another key point is that Jem shows innocence when he shows his emotions about a hole is a tree being filled with cement. The tree in Mr. Radley yard was very important to the kids because there was a hole in the tree and the children were getting mysterious

Some of Dill’s young personality and attitude is taken away when he cries about the way Mr. Gilmer’s treats Tom Robinson in court. Dill announces to Mr. Link Deas, “‘I don’t care one speck. It ain’t right, somehow it ain’t right to do em’ that way. Hasn’t anybody got ay business talking’ like that-- it just makes me sick”’ (266). A part of Dill’s childhood legitimacy is taken away because he starts to understand that things are not as fair as he used to think they were. He talks about how it is not fair that Tom Robinson is treated unfairly, just because of the color of his skin. But, in that time, that is just what happened and how things went. Another time that the immaculateness of a child was taken away was during this book was when Scout cried after Aunt Alexandra called Walter Cunningham trash. Aunt Alexandra voiced strongly, “‘I’ll tell you why,’ she said. ‘Because-he-is-trash, that’s why you can’t play with him. I’ll not have you around him, picking up his habits and learning Lord-knows-what. You’re enough of a problem to your father as it is’” (301). Scout is then led by Jem, “sobbing in fury” (301). This represents a loss of childhood purity because Scout learns that there are people she is allowed to play with and people that she is not allowed and play with. Before this, Scout played with who she wanted to, even inviting Walter over for dinner at one point. But now, her Aunt