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Of Innocence In To Kill A Mockingbird And Through The Tunnel By Harper Lee

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One theme in To Kill a Mockingbird and Through the Tunnel by Doris Lessing is coming of age/loss of innocence. In to Kill a mockingbird, Scout Finch is seen going from a little girl who’s only fear was Boo Radley to someone who not only sees Boo Radley as human, but understands that others deserve empathy. “I ran by the Radley place as fast as I could, not stopping until I reached the safety of our front porch.” (Lee, 37) In the beginning, Scout sprints home everyday, without looking back. All of the rumors and stories told to her by her brother Jem had filled her with fear. There was no doubt, Boo Radley was a monster. After Boo has saved Scout and Jem from Bob Ewell, Heck Tate (the sheriff) and Atticus are talking about what to do with Boo …show more content…

This is a coming of age story because of Jerry’s sacrifice, “That night, his nose bled badly. For hours he had been under water, learning to hold his breath, and now he felt weak and dizzy.”(Lessing, 128) Jerry gives up his blood to achieve his goal. He gives this sacrifice because it will enable him to breathe longer under the water and allow him to go through the tunnel. This is meant to display the hardships that one must go through to grow up. To come of age is not easy, it requires a loss of innocence. An additional example of this in Through the Tunnel is when Jerry decides he does not want to be part of the group. In the beginning, that was all he wanted; but by the end, he realizes that he does not have to be part of the group. “To be with them, of them, was a craving that filled his whole body.” This is what motivates Jerry to go through the tunnel in the first place. He wants to fit in with the group. As the story goes on and Jerry develops, there is a change in his mindset, “He could see the local boys diving and playing half a mile away. He did not want …show more content…

The ability to keep going in the face of adversity. In To Kill a Mockingbird, this theme is portrayed through the words of Atticus Finch. The author continuously uses his words to get her point about courage across, “I wanted you to see what real courage is…It’s when you know you’re licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what.” () Atticus tells this to the kids after Mrs. Dubose has died. He wants to show them that what Mrs. Dubose did was real courage, not Atticus shooting the rabid dog. Mrs. Dubose knew she was going to die, but if she was going to die, she was going to die morphine free. This is what the author wanted to get across the whole time. Courage was not defeating the powerless, but continuing to try even when you are powerless. Furthermore, this theme is enhanced when Atticus is talking to Scout and Jem about the trial. He asks them (especially Scout) to not fight anyone no matter what they say about Him. “You just hold your head high and keep those fists down. No matter what anyone says to you, don’t let ‘em get your goat.” (Lee, 87) To keep their fists down is a very difficult thing to do, and yet that is what they do. When Scout faces the boy who has been saying things about Atticus, he says more things, but Scout walks away. The theme that the author has been trying to express is that having courage is hard. Sometimes it is

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Power is addictive to humankind, people can not help but crave more than their share. Night by Elie Wiesel is a memoir that bears witness to the abusiveness of control. The book follows the author, Elie Wiesel, in his horrific experiences of the Holocaust and how he survived. In many situations people with higher status took advantage of people subordinate to them. Although many believe that fear is a person’s main downfall, power is an extremely manipulative source that causes the decline of people who have it and who do not.

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Even though he was forced to defend Tom, he still willingly defended Tom with effort. Atticus knew that people would taunt Scout for her father defending a black man in court, so he tells her “No matter what anybody says to you, don’t you let ‘em get your goat” (Lee). Atticus tells Scout this because he is a well-mannered man and wants to pass this on to his children. He wants them to grow up not acting off of emotion and being reckless. Atticus says “Just hold your head high and keep those fists down” (Lee), because he already knows that Scout has had issues with violence in the past.

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This part was the first time that Atticus talked about the trial with Scout. Knowing Scout’s attitude, Atticus warned her about controlling her temper when someone insulted him. He said, “You might hear some ugly talk about it at school, but do one thing for me if you will: you just hold your head high and keep those fists down. No matter what anybody says to you, don't you let 'em get your goat. Try fighting with your head for a change ...

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Atticus not only tells Scout and Jem what real courage is, but shows by defending Tom Robinson. Even though Atticus will probably lose the case, he “sees it though” anyway. Atticus attempts to teach his children the proper way to treat people as well. Atticus says, “cheatin’ a

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Scout’s reaction is hotheaded, blind, and continues the contentious feeling between the two classmates; whereas Atticus’s reaction shows empathy towards Scout and a desire to help Scout understand the context of his case. This juxtaposition shows how violence got Scout nowhere with Cecil; however Atticus's approach of ahimsa got his point of view and the facts about the case, through to Scout and helped her solve the conflict between her and Cecil. Later, Scout asks Atticus why he’s defending Tom Robinson and he explains his reasons and warns Scout that she will continue to hear “ugly talk” about him. Through Atticus, Lee uses the line, “Try fighting with your head for a change…”(pg 76) to communicate the metaphor of using intelligence to solve a problem and not violence; which is a change from Scout’s

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In To Kill A Mockingbird courage is a very apparent in Harper Lee’s message in the book. A good example of this is, according to Atticus Finch, one of the main characters in To Kill A Mockingbird, "Courage is when you know you're licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what. " This is exemplified when Atticus takes the trial of Tom Robinson, but we’ll get into that later. Also when Boo Radley fights Bob Ewell in the woods for Scout and Jem, and my last example of when Mrs. Dubose dies in pain to not become a morphine addict. In To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee proves that you should always fight for something you believe in, even if it is destined to fail.

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Atticus explains to Scout that he is defending the black man because it is the right thing to do. Atticus states, “You might hear some ugly talk about it at school, but do one thing for me if you will: you just hold your head high and keep those fists down.” (Lee 101). Scout listened to what her father told her and she walked away from the fight. This scene in the novel highlights Scouts maturity level.

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“[Courage is] when you know you’re licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what” (Lee 112). When courage is mentioned, one may think of “a man with a gun in his hand” (112). This is a myth that Harper Lee debunks in her book To Kill A Mockingbird. Courage is a recurring and vital theme in her book because many of the characters show the other townspeople what courage looks like.

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Atticus knows that “there’s been some high talk around town to the effect that [he] shouldn’t do much about defending [Tom Robinson]” (100). However, even though his family and friends my disagree, may even think less of him, Atticus’ interaction with this case gives his cause to think greater of himself because he is fighting for what he believes in. This kind of situation is difficult when you’re opposing you’re enemies, but even harder when you are up against your friends. Even so, Atticus on the path he knows is right, risking his popularity and status among the town. Atticus tells Scout, “you just hold your head high and keep your fists down.

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When the men began to whisper to each other with the intention of not awakening the man they plan on hanging, Scout began to sense something was wrong, although she didn’t understand exactly what was occurring. She became terrified when one of the men grabbed Jem. It was her instinct to kick the man who then let go of Jem and fell back in pain. She showed major courage when she confronted Mr. Cunningham about his son in front of the mob. She overcame fear and was able to hold her ground and say what she believed.

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The major theme in To Kill a Mockingbird is the loss of innocence. Not only do Scout and Jem lose their innocence, but other characters do as well. Scout and Jem grow up throughout the book, as they are exposed to the realities of racism, hatred and child abuse. They witness racism in the Tom Robinson case when Mayella Ewell claims he took advantage of her, when it was really Bob Ewell that did it. The court voted Tom Robinson guilty because he was African American, and most of the town would have been furious if a white man was convicted over a black man.

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“There is some men outside in the yard , they want you to come out. ”Atticus always will stand up for his clients to the full extent. “Do you remember him beating your face? No I don’t recall him hitting me, I mean yes he hit me.” Some might say that Atticus should have not taken this stand because he was was treated badly.

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“It is curious that physical courage should be so common in the world and moral courage so rare,” said Mark Twain. The novel To Kill a Mockingbird is a coming of age story about two young children, Jem and Scout Finch, growing up in Alabama in the 1930s and learning what real courage is through their father, Atticus, and the people of Maycomb. They learn to see the world from other points of view, which is also how they express empathy towards others, persevering and standing up for what you believe in, and putting yourself in danger to help others. One message that Harper Lee provides us with is that courage is when you persevere to do something even when it gets more difficult.

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Atticus tells Scout to keep her head up and avoid any fights when anyone is saying something bad about Atticus. Keeping this in mind, when Cecil Jacobs is intimidating Scout by calling her Atticus a nigger-lover. She refused to fight thinking “Somehow, if I fought Cecil I would let Atticus down. Atticus so rarely asked Jem and me to do something for him, I could take being called a coward for him. I felt extremely noble for having remembered, and remained noble for three weeks” (77).

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