More handpicked essays just for you.
Themes of to kill a mockingbird
Analysis – ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ (Lee. H, 1960) –
Characterization in to kill a mockingbird
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
The theme of this novel is "Not everything is the way you predict it is". I believe this thematic statement suits the story because throughout the book there are lots of surprises, and most situations don't go the way people predict they will. For example, Aunt Alexandra was first seen as mean, according to her attitude towards Scout. At the end of the book Aunt Alexandra hands Scout her overalls, as mentioned in the story, "the garments she most despised." Because she always wanted Scout to be a lady and wear dresses.
As these events take place, themes pop up throughout the book. While there are multiple possible lessons and themes hidden in To Kill a Mockingbird, three significant themes that are included are hidden identities, courage and Jem’s maturation. A theme incorporated into the book is hidden identities that characters have that readers might not know about. When a “mad dog” comes into the neighborhood, people aren’t sure what to do about it.
The main theme of “ To Kill a Mockingbird” The main theme of the novel is about how people learn and grow to understand the world and how complicated it is, including issues such as prejudice, discrimination, and unfairness. Harper Lee uses the novel to show that these issues are everywhere in society and can have serious consequences. But also shows that empathy, kindness, and doing what’s right can make a major difference.
In To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee reveals that even if the battle is lost before the start there still needs to be a fight. On the very first page Harper Lee includes an example of this theme. “When he was nearly thirteen, my brother Jem got his arm badly broken at the elbow. When it healed, and Jem’s fears of never being able to play football were assuaged, he was seldom self-conscious about his injury” (Lee 1). When he was 13 Jem almost breaks his arm and it ends up being crippled but he still persevered and played football.
Numerous times, like when Scout was arguing with Atticus, Atticus always speaks his wise words, like, "You never fully comprehend a person unless you consider things from his point of view" (39) which shows Atticus’s efforts to instill compassion and empathy in the children. Due to her eventual understanding of Boo Radley, Scout is a great illustration of the theme. Until Scout "stepped into his shoes" when walking Boo Radley home, she was unable to understand the true depth of Boo. She expressed her understanding clearly when she reiterated something similar to what her father had said, "One time he said you never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them. Just standing on the Radley porch was enough" (374) showing she finally began to mature enough to understand Boo.
For example, in the novel it states, “People said he went out at night when the moon was down, and peeped in windows.” (pg.10) This tells the reader that Scout who is the main character is being told false information about a black man named Mr. Radley about how he is creepy. Mr. Radley was being judged before anyone got to know who he was. Most of the people in Maycomb thought he was creepy because he would never come out of his house, but he did that because he didn’t want to be criticized by the other town folk in Maycomb.
In a movie, music sets the tone and mood and also gets the watcher’s attention also have different emotions. To Kill a Mockingbird takes place in the 1930s’ during the Great Depression. The main character Scout Finch has a father named Atticus Finch. He is a lawyer who decides to take a case involving a black man named Tom Robinson who is being accused of sexually assaulting a white girl named Mayella Ewell. Mayella Ewell comes from a poor family who is viewed in the Maycomb society as “white trash.”
To Kill A Mockingbird Literary Analysis Throughout To Kill A MockingBird, by Harper Lee there are many acts of courage. This is shown in Atticus Finch, Jem Finch, and Boo Radley. Atticus shows the most courage in the book but all three of these characters show true courage in some way, shape, or form. Boo Radley showed a lot of courage, but he was not in the storyline as much as Atticus. Throughout To Kill A Mockingbird, courage is defined as standing up for people and doing what’s right.
These themes are shown in this story because many characters were misrepresented by society, such as the radley family for a multitude of reasons including looks, morals, and religious beliefs. Specifically, people judged Nathan Radley, Boo’s father, for not allowing Boo to be exposed to society, when in reality Nathan was just trying to protect his son. Another example is shown when Atticus treated Mrs. Dubose with nothing but respect, even though he was aware that she was addicted to morphine, he recognized her bravery and courage to quit her addiction when nobody else
Harper Lee uses imagery in To Kill A MockingBird to help to set the scene. Harper Lee uses the five senses to help make the story more interesting. One sense that Lee uses is the sense of sight. Lee demonstrates the ability that Thomas Robinson “guided his arm into the Bible and his rubber-like left hand sought contact with the black binding” painting a picture for the reader showing what his physical appearance/ability is(Lee 254). The moods that are implied to each scene are anywhere from happy to angry as the story progresses.
In the semester prior I had some challenges in my english class. The challenges weren’t really bad, but the challenges were affecting my grade. For example, I would procrastinate on doing the notes for “To kill a Mockingbird”, over the christmas break. Also, I found it harder to do the notes by myself than it was with a partner.
Themes God giveth and god taketh away: Crusoe believes he is on the Island because he has angered god by disobeying the wishes of his father. Once he begins trying to repent for his sins by praying and educating Friday in the ways of Christ,partially so that he may experience deliverance. Many positive aspects on the island develop after religious devotion, such as his ability to transition to working for comfort besides survival, finding a companion in Friday, and eventually being rescued. It is natural for man to kill in fear of being killed: In the beginning of the book Robinson and Xury kill large African animals and speak of how they fear them.
To Kill a Mockingbird has many of underlying themes such as racism, courage, respect, femininity, etc. But the theme that fits this book most appropriately is innocence and the harm caused to the innocent by evil and bigotry. Examples of this include Jem, Dill, Tom Robinson, Boo Radley. While all these characters have completely different personalities and circumstances they all have one thing in common. All of them were innocent at one point and were harmed by the evil of
In the Southern Gothic novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee uses the role of theme to reveal an important life lesson of courage. In this scene of the story, Atticus reveals to Jem that Mrs. Dubose has just passed away. As Jem is in shock, Atticus reveals to Jem that Mrs. Dubose was a morphine addict for years, and that she used Jem’s storytelling as a distraction until it was time for her daily dose of morphine. As the days progressed, Mrs. Dubose increased the duration of Jem’s storytelling to keep her off of the morphine for longer periods of time.
Theme of To Kill of Mockingbird Harper Lee shares the novel To Kill of Mockingbird in order to include her own adolescent adventures into the Scottsboro trial. Her fictional spin on this infamous American tragedy highlights some of the main aspects of human behavior that plague the entire planet. Maycomb, the town in which the various events unfold, provides the backdrop for the readers to immerse themselves into the full extent of Lee’s writing. The theme of systematic racism and racial inequality is voiced throughout the novel through the use of various literary techniques.
