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The Theme Of Good Vs. Evil In To Kill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee

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When most people think of good vs evil, they think of superheroes and villains but in reality, we see it every day. We see good vs evil in conflicts between different people, two opposing beliefs, and two conflicting sides in an event. There are especially a lot of times in TKAM when good vs evil is represented because of the fact that the book is set during the 1930’s in Maycomb, Alabama. In this book, Scout describes her experience growing up with her dad Atticusm, her brother Jem, and her friend Dill. Tom Robinson is introduced as the black man accused of raping Mayella Ewell that Atticus will be defending. Harper Lee demonstrates the theme of good vs evil in the story of To Kill a Mockingbird through the trial and the and the attack. This …show more content…

When Jem and Scout are walking home after the halloween pageant when they are suddenly attacked by Bob Ewell. Bob was attempting to murder them to get revenge on Atticus, but they were fortunately saved by the one and only, Boo Radley. Boo most likely stabbed Bob in the process although this is not known for certain because Heck Tate thinks he fell on his knife and Atticus is suspicious that it was Jem. For instance, “His stomach was soft but his arms were like steel. He slowly squeezed the breath out of me. I could not move. Suddenly he was jerked backwards and flung on the ground, almost carrying me with him.” Although she does not know it yet, Boo was the man who saved Scout before any permanent injuries were inflicted. This reminded me of a scene in almost every superhero movie where a character is in danger and then the hero comes and saves the day. The theme of good vs evil is clearly represented as Bob is once again the evil antagonist and Boo is the hero. Although this example is a specific event that demonstrates good vs evil, it can also be seen in a difficult decision. After Scout and Jem make it home and call the sheriff, Atticus and Heck Tate get into an argument about Bob Ewell getting stabbed by Jem or Bob falling on his knife accidently. For example, “she said Jem got up and yanked him off her-he probably got hold of Ewell’s knife somehow in the dark… If you wanta try, I’ll call you a liar to your face. Your boy never stabbed Bob Ewell,”(TKAM pgs. 365, 369). Atticus and Mr. Tate cannot decide whether the right thing is to assume that Bob fell on his knife and not make a big deal of the situation or assume that Jem did it in self defense and have a trial so that Jem wouldn’t have to live with the guilt if he did stab him. Mr. Tate argued that it was Bob who was killed because he knew that it was actually Boo who was trying to protect him from being charged. Atticus comprehends this

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Jem, Scout, and Heck Tate all know that Boo fell on his knife, but they still say that Bob fell on his knife. Heck Tate says about Boo, “‘If it were and other man it would be different But not this man, Mr. Finch’”(Lee 370). This shows Heck Tate is beginning to see what kind of person Boo actually is. They cover for him because they realize they killed him for the safety of the kids, not for a bad reason.

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1. A young girl named Scout lives in Maycomb, Alabama with her older brother Jem, and her father Atticus. Atticus, a lawyer, takes on a rape case concerning a Negro named Tom Robinson and a white woman named Mayella Ewell, as Tom’s defense. Many of Maycomb’s residents didn’t appreciate Atticus representing a Negro and Atticus was, as their cousin Francis put it “Nothin’ but a nigger-lover!” (Lee 83).

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After discussing the attack following the pageant, Heck Tate declares Bob Ewell fell on his knife and that is how he died. Atticus makes sure that Scout understands how Bob died in order to keep Boo safe and out of a courtroom. Scout very confidently agrees with the death of Bob Ewell and replies, to the hidden question of telling on Boo by saying “ Well, it’d be sort of like shootin’ a mockingbird, wouldn't it?” (Lee 276). In earlier chapters, the idea of killing a mockingbird was explained as killing a bird that was fully innocent and only sang songs that harmed no

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In one situation, he gives Scout a blanket, risking that he would be seen by many people. Atticus say, “Someday, maybe, Scout can thank [Boo Radley] for covering her up” (72). During the house fire that takes place in winter, Boo sees that Scout is cold and he wraps a blanket around her. Also, Boo protects Jem and Scout when Bob Ewell attacks the children. Mr. Tate tells Atticus that “Bob Ewell’s lyin’ on the ground under that tree down yonder with a kitchen knife stuck up under his ribs.

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Boo Radley, a reserved neighbor of the Finch’s, comes to the defense of Jem and Scout by killing Bob Ewell, so Bob Ewell’s need for revenge resulted in his own death. One of the final

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Many of the townsfolk viewed him as an evil or mean spirited person. An instance of him being a mockingbird is first seen when Boo begins to put things in the hole of a tree for Jem and Scout to have until it gets filled with cement (44-45). Another example is when Boo puts a blanket around Scout while she is watching the fire at Miss Maudie's house and Scout does not even notice (94-95). The last and biggest act takes place while Scout and Jem are walking home from the play and they are attacked by Bob Ewell. Then to save them Boo stabs Bob

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Although Jem did not even touch Bob Ewell, Atticus thinks that if his son actually laid a hand on Bob, it would cause a lot of controversy throughout the town. This would result in Jem to be looked down upon since his dad served a black man and cause even more drama in their family life. Since people around town already disagree with Atticus’s actions, Atticus believes that they will start to judge Jem and how he lives his life based on how Atticus has raised him. Their neighbors think that a child should have no purpose in showing up in the trial of Tom Robinson and how he is crazy for “murdering” someone even though it was Boo Radley instead. Overall, it spreads a message of doing the right thing even if its the hard decision because if Jem had actually murdered Bob, Atticus wanted to confront him and face it seriously rather than to hide it away so Jem could live a somewhat normal

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As Mr Radley passed by, Boo drove the scissors into his parent’s leg, pulled them out, wiped them on his pants, and resumed his activities.”(Lee 11). In the end of the book Boo comes out and saves Scout and Jem from an attack from Bob Ewell. Boo fends them off and stabs Bob and kills him. Jems not in the best condition he is knocked out and is needing medical attention.

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Scout and Jem were walking home from a school play when Jem hears someone walking behind them, they were attacked by Bob Ewell. Coming to their rescue was Boo Radley, who carried unconscious Jem to safety. Heck Tate tells Atticus that he found Bob Ewell dead with a knife in his ribs. Atticus claims that he must’ve slipped and fell on it but then they turn to Boo Radley who obviously killed Bod to save the kids.

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Tate and Atticus’ discussing what happened to Scout and Jem the night they came back from the high school. In the beginning Atticus thought that Jem was the one who killed Mr. Ewell when he attacked them, but Mr.Tate explained that it was not Jem, that it was Boo Radley. On the front porch after the attack Mr. Tate tells Atticus what he thinks about bringing what happened to court and the town: “‘To my way of thinkin’, Mr. Finch, taking the one man who’s done you and this town a great service an’ draggin’ him with this shy ways into the limelight--to me, that’s a sin and I’m not about to have it on my head’”(369-370). Lee uses the word “sin” as a way to connect Boo to a mockingbird.

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In A Sorrowful Woman, Godwin uses third person omniscient point of view to affect my reaction and our reaction to be sympathetic towards all the characters. Godwin uses third person omniscient to affect my reaction to feel sympathetic for the characters. I feel sympathetic because they shared the feelings and the actions of all the characters. An example of them sharing the feeling of a character using third person was “She yelp without no tears.”

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The Co-existence Of Good and Evil In Human Morality: To Kill A Mockingbird Analysis Essay Set in the rural southern town of Maycomb, Alabama, To Kill A Mockingbird is seen through the eyes of Scout Finch and her older brother Jem, Maycomb appears to be friendly and peaceful. However the children are exposed to the dangers and the truth of their community. As they mature and learn important lessons from others, they’re exposed to prejudice, inequality, racism, social class and injustice.

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The theme of injustice shows itself many times throughout To Kill A Mockingbird, as shown by Mr. Ewell’s actions towards the Finches, Tom Robinson’s unjust and false trial and in Aunt Alexandra’s actions towards Calpurnia. Injustice makes its first appearance in Mr. Ewell’s actions towards the Finches. He shows this especially on two occasions, when he spits in Atticus’s face and mocks him and when he attacks Jem and Scout on their way home on Halloween. When Atticus left the post office Mr. Ewell approached him, cursed, spat on him and threatened to kill him. After his encounter with Mr. Ewell, Atticus simply says, “I wish Bob Ewell wouldn’t chew tobacco,” (249).

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In the book, To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, details the conjunction between good and evil. A young girl named Jean “Scout” Finch and her older brother by the name of Jeremy “Jem” Finch, grow up to be more mature than their town Maycomb. Nevertheless, the adults of Maycomb are still able to mature and develop as well.

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You can see in the book as Jem and Scout go from a childish perspective, one that only sees good in people because they’ve never faced evil. To a more adult perspective who have confronted evil and learn to integrate it into their world. The first example of this is Boo Radley. Boo is a mockingbird.

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