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Analysis Of To Kill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee

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Finding out how cruel society is at a young age is a lot to take in but gives so much in return. In the book To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, two characters Jem and Scout learn many valuable lessons that do not necessarily come from school education. Throughout the book, valuable lessons Jem and Scout learn are more found in real-life rather than in a school atmosphere. The school life of Jem and Scout is not mentioned in the book that much, but from the scenes they are mentioned, seems to the reader that the school is protecting them and holds them back. In real-life, Scout and Jem are revealed to court cases, racism, murder, and etc. and they use different lessons from the past to get over these events. Hardships are often throughout To Kill A Mockingbird and bring aha moments to Scout and Jem. Evidence from the book shows how a real-life situation is more valuable in lessons to Scout and Jem “After all if Aunty could be a lady at a time like this, so could I” (Lee 271). This quote shows though Scout and Aunt Alexandra heard about Tom being shot to death, Scout realizes how to turn this situation to help herself mature and looking on the bright side taking after Aunt Alexandra. This shows that when a real-life situation, such as Tom Robinson being killed, is brought up it teaches Scout how to turn any situation to help her mature which is a valuable lesson that cannot be learned in school. In class, schools try to protect the students from the real world and perfect
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Unfortunately, difficult childhood experiences still define adulthood even today. Harper Lee illustrates how childhoods are being shown as innocent, as well as how they can shape a person's future. In To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, she describes how difficult childhood experiences shape the future of kids; in America today, progress has not been made. Childhood is described as a time when children are young, innocent, and filled with a lack of knowledge when they are being put into these situations. In this novel, Jem and Scout, Jem’s sister, go through many troubles finding the truth about their surrounding racial community to being more mature and grown up after watching a trial about an African American being accused of raping a white woman.

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In Chapter 15 of Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, Scout’s compassionate actions eliminate the tension of the lynching mob. She asks to Mr. Cunningham,” Hey, Mr. Cunningham, how’s your entailment gettin’ along?”, which shocks and brings him into an uncomfortable environment (Lee). Scout manages to alleviate the tension of the situation when she began to interrogate Mr. Cunningham about the entailment, which leads him to call off the attempted lynching of Tom Robinson. Scout’s compassion to stop the lynching was clear in the chapter, when she asked Mr. Cunningham about his son, it did not phase him, to when she mentioned how bad entailments are.

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562 Words | 3 Pages

There are many important lessons that are taught to Jem and Scout, but there is one that has an important effect on the children till the end. This significant lesson is being able to identify right from wrong. Throughout the book, this lesson is demonstrated, but more specifically, there is one scene where this lesson stands out the most. The mockingbird scene has a compelling meaning towards the lesson. The foreshadowing of the scene, in addition to the symbolism of the mockingbird, and the affecting character of Scout, add an important effect on the stimulating Coming of Age experience of Scout and Jem.

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361 Words | 2 Pages

In the book “To Kill A Mockingbird” there are numerous coming-of-age events with Jem and Scout, who are brother and sister. Scout is a different type of girl, she wears clothes that make her look like a tomboy, has her hair cut short to her shoulders and is innocent and naive. Jem is a boy who is starting to spark an interest in things such as football and guns. Scout and Jem grow up in a time of racial discrimination and segregation in Maycomb, Alabama. Yet, have a father who shows them a disparate perspective of thinking.

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274 Words | 2 Pages

Earlier on in the book, Atticus tells Scout and Jem that “it's a sin to kill a mockingbird,” which becomes a key lesson in the later chapters in many instances, and helps us to understand Harper Lee’s theme of innocents being strongly impacted by coming into contact with evil (119). The first example of this that appears in chapter 25 is when Scout and Jem are on the back porch, and Scout finds a roly-poly bug, which she decides to smash. Jem stops her, citing, “‘Because they don’t bother you,’” when she asks why (320). Another instance where innocent people are profoundly changed by acts of evil is when Atticus and Calpurnia tell Helen Robinson (Tom’s wife) that her husband has been killed. She collapses on the ground in grief and has to be

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626 Words | 3 Pages

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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The story begins during summer in Maycomb, Alabama. The children of Atticus Finch (a lawyer) Scout, Jem, and their friend Dill become interested in Boo Radley, a recluse. The children begin to act out plays and try to talk to Boo. On Dill’s last night in Maycomb, the children sneak into Boo’s yard, but Nathan Radley fires a gun when he hears an intruder. The children scatter, but Jem loses his pants.

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1247 Words | 5 Pages

Many children have adults in their lives who influence the way they turn out in the future. These people can affect the children in negative or positive ways. Scout learns the importance of respect from Calpurnia, the ways of the world, how to live life to the fullest, and walking in someone else’s shoes to understand them throughout the entirety of To Kill a Mockingbird. Harper Lee truly portrays Scout ’s coming of age by using the character’s Calpurnia, Miss Maudie, and Atticus as very important role models in Scout’s life.

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1045 Words | 5 Pages

Jem and Scout learn many valuable life lessons throughout the novel and although they “grow up” at a much faster rate than other children in Maycomb, they will become people that have lots of wisdom and have been exposed to the real world. The experiences that the children have throughout their childhood help them solve problems, think wisely, and shape their

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743 Words | 3 Pages

Children are very impressionable people. Almost everything around them changes them in some way. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, the main characters, Scout and Jem, start out as little kids who spend their days making up stories and playing sill games. Then their dad, who is a lawyer, takes on a case defending a black man who has been charged with rape. Since they live in Alabama, The whole family has to absorb some pretty ugly things, which forces Scout and Jem to grow up quickly, and it gives them a different and more mature view of the world.

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1293 Words | 6 Pages

Throughout To Kill a Mockingbird, Jem and Scout share diverse interactions with the other people in Maycomb, that indicate children's evolving maturation. Harper Lee incorporates dialogue throughout the novel that shows the global issues of the 1930s. In the novel, Jem and Scout struggle to understand the social norms of the black population within the community. Beginning in innocence, the two mature through events in their life that build an understanding in a time full of prejudice and racial discrimination. Throughout numerous occasions, the kids are faced with the adversity of discrimination and resentment.

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864 Words | 4 Pages

While Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird is told through Scout’s perspective, Jem’s loss of innocence is the most tragic. In the beginning of To Kill A Mockingbird Jem and Scout both act like little kids, however as the novel progresses Jem begins to grow up much faster than Scout. When Jem tries to tell Scout that she needs to let Atticus work, he ostracizes her by

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583 Words | 3 Pages

In the historical fiction novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, Scout and Jem’s experiences in Maycomb shape their moral compass as they grow. In the beginning of the novel, Scout and Jem are naive and are politically inept, unable to differentiate between what is deemed acceptable and unacceptable in society. However, their father Atticus’s guidance shapes Scout and Jem’s capacity to grow as characters amidst a tumultuous time period of racial injustice. Through Scout and Jem’s experiences of the Tom Robinson trial and their near-death encounter with Bob Ewell, they have a strengthened perception of right and wrong. To start, the Tom Robinson trial communicates to Scout and Jem the importance of maintaining dignity in an environment where others hold

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915 Words | 4 Pages

The way the people and the town influence Jem and Scout make the characters more realistic and the overall story much more interesting. To Kill a Mockingbird is an exceptional novel that conveys many positive messages throughout. In her novel, Lee creates honest and relatable characters that take the reader on a journey through life in the south during the Great Depression. Readers are impressed by Lee’s eloquent writing and amazing characters, all of which make To

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714 Words | 3 Pages

Through To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee teaches us the righteousness of empathy. Harper Lee 's technique of writing and coinciding Christian beliefs weaved through emphasizes the importance of the story 's moral and themes. It is through Scout, the young dynamic and protagonist, that Lee opens the reader 's eyes to a realistic world of prejudice and inequality during the 1930s. Though introducing many characters throughout the novel, it is through Lee 's wise father character, Atticus Finch, that she further helps teach her readers life lessons, one being empathy. While narrating in first person, Lee further details her novel with the setting and use of style and diction.

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