Moral reasoning is perhaps one of the most fundamental and universal values in society. Our reaoning concerning our interactions with others defines our character. Morality is, and has always been, an important recurring theme in literature, to which To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, is no exception to. In fact, morality is arguably the most important theme in the novel. To Kill a Mockingbird, is a novel that explores morality through racial prejudice in the 1930s in the eyes of a young girl named Scout Finch. The novel displays the racial prejudice against blacks, by following an unjust trial held against a black man, Tom Robinson, who was accused of raping a white girl by a corrupt white man named Bob Ewell. Understandably, morality …show more content…
This well-known theory consists of seven stages progressing in morality. Stage Zero being the lowest possible (the most immoral) and Stage Six being the most moral stage. Throughout the novel, certain characters (Atticus Finch, Aunt Alexandra, Scout Finch, Stephanie Crawford, and Bob Ewell) display consistent characteristics for certain Kohlberg Stages, who will be analyzed in this essay.
Understandably, few characters can actually qualify for even Stage Five of Kohlberg’s Theory of Development, as the qualifications are extremely difficult, and is the second highest morality possible (Stage Six is commonly reserved for figures such a Jesus Christ, Buddha, etc.), Atticus Finch, however, may qualify for this stage for the following reasons: Atticus Finch represents reason in To Kill A Mockingbird, or TKAM ,and is a character that is very ethically solid throughout the entire novel. His moral compass is matched only by his clear-headedness, maintaining a much needed rock for Jem and Scout, his children, and all of Maycomb, their town. One example is when Bob Ewell, after the trial (which he unjustly won), approached Atticus at the post office, and threatened him. “Atticus was leaving the post office