Internal Conflict In To Kill A Mockingbird

To Kill a Mockingbird, a novel by Harper Lee, describes the events and trials surrounding a window of Jean-Louise “Scout” Finch’s childhood growing up in the small southern town of Maycomb. In doing so, Lee reveals young Scout’s internal conflict in relation to her views on topics such as racism, discrimination, and societal rank. Her impressionability as a child causes her to be bombarded with opinions wherever she turns, and must therefore sort through the confusion around her to discover her own personal set of morals. Lee accurately conveys this through characterization, the irony and even hypocrisy of the stances of others, and through a range of motifs. Scout, being but a child, is strongly influenced by a variety of characters throughout

In her mind, certain families are far more respectable than others, and the ‘poor’ ones should be avoided. Unfortunately, Alexandra’s mentality is remarkably similar to that of the town as a whole. Conversely, Atticus has a nearly opposite set of ideals. As the sole lawyer of the town, he has willingly decided to defend to case of Tom Robinson, a black man wrongly accused of rape by an infamously untrustworthy family. Though it is perfectly clear that Tom is innocent, in Maycomb, it is guaranteed that he will be charged with the crime simply because of his race. Despite this, Atticus has knowingly chosen this hopeless undertaking as an example to his children and the town. Over time, Scout’s mentality toward others changes from being strongly influenced by mass populous, which includes her aunt and peers, to reaching conclusions about morality on her own. This is based on Atticus’ strong assertions concerning the obvious innocence of Tom Robinson, choosing to defend him regardless of the bias of the town because he knows it is the “right thing to do,” as well as her own experiences where she drew the wrong conclusions about others based on town