The Importance Of Honesty In To Kill A Mockingbird

The theme that readers can learn from Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird (1960) is the importance of having honesty and integrity. Throughout the entire book, there are many honest and virtuous instances that are meaningful. A few characters, such as Atticus Finch, a wise lawyer in his forties; and Calpurnia, an African-American maid and nanny to Atticus’s children; display good morals which can benefit the readers, however; other people such as Aunt Alexandra, Atticus’s sister displays poor ethics. The classic novel set in the 1930s, though fictional, contains an extremely important lesson worthy of comprehending. Throughout the novel, Atticus Finch speaks the truth to everyone he comes into contact with. Also, if Jem and Scout, his children, ever ask him a difficult question, he never lies to them.

His method of teaching is a way for him to instill virtue into his two children. An example of Atticus’s process is when he encourages Jem to stay calm and refrain from anger. To make his children better people Atticus says: “‘...hold your head high and be a gentleman...it’s your job not to let her make you mad’” (Lee 133). The behavior of Atticus’s children is a result of his advice. For example, Scout is able to understand people and their motives at a young age. Scout’s comprehension of adults progresses through the novel as readers see her develop. One example is when Scout empathizes with Boo and his family. Scout realizes that Boo has a disability, which is why his father makes him stay inside the house. Scout also makes the following observation: “...Fine Folks were people who did the best they could with the sense they hadm but Aunt Alexandra was of the opinion, obliquely expressed, that the longer a family had been sitting on one patch of land, the finer it was” (Lee 173). The previous quotation is another instance that Scout fully comprehends