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How Does Lee Present A Coming Of Age Moment In To Kill A Mockingbird

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The courtroom… a scene in “To Kill a Mockingbird”, that presents a coming of age moment. We read that Atticus is defending a black man, Tom Robinson, in a rape trial. The white community in town believes that Atticus is demented for this and calls him an “N-lover”. However, the black community expresses respect for the Finch family, for Atticus’ well being and believing in an innocent man. Being the outstanding lawyer that he is, Atticus projects that Tom Robinson is an innocent man and it is Mayella’s father who is guilty. Throughout my essay I shall be explaining how Harper Lee presents the themes of coming of age, prejudice, and fear throughout this scene. Harper Lee conveys her thoughts on coming of age through the development of her …show more content…

Jem and Scout have matured very much up to the courtroom scene. Jem takes on responsibility and “grows up”, especially when it comes to being there for Scout. Scout is becoming a young woman and is realizing many new things that she never thought about before. They start making connections with everything and learn from them.

Imagery plays a big part in “To Kill a Mockingbird”. In an earlier part of the book we learn that it is a mortal sin to to kill a mockingbird. Scout learns that a mockingbird is signifying innocence, and to kill a mockingbird you are is to kill innocence. Many characters in the book are mockingbirds, such as; Jem and Boo Radley. Tom Robinson was also one of those mockingbirds who were “killed” by the truth of life.

Lastly, I will write about how tone is an enormous part of this scene. Harper Lee uses tone to set the mood for the courtroom scene. The trial scene has lots of depth and meaning. The Ewell family is accusing Tom Robinson for raping Mayella Ewell, in the beginning of this scene Bob Ewell makes it very clear that he is against Tom Robinson, but it seems like the whole town is against him… well, the white people are. We all know Tom Robinson was an innocent man, the overall mood and tone are about life. Dark times must be faced with courage, even though it seems as if the world is full of

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