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To Kill A Mockingbird Themes

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Right Vs Wrong
What if you were a child growing up in a time where everyone around you didn’t believe what your family believed in? What if you weren’t treated the same because of what you believed in? In Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, Jean Louise or Scout is bullied and teased because of her dad defending an African American in court. Due to this Scout countlessly gets teased and called names such as “Nigger Lover”. Scout always tries to keep it cool but can’t hold in every time. The three most prominent themes in To Kill a Mockingbird are power of words, female roles, and wisdom of experience.
When Atticus is defending Tom Robinson in court and questioning Mayella Ewell he phrases his words and sentences to have her fall …show more content…

When the kids are being bullied for Atticus being a “Nigger lover” he acts like that’s is usual. Atticus uses his experience in court to make everything go his way which is what makes him such a good lawyer. “I’m no idealist to believe firmly in the integrity of our courts and in the jury system—that is no ideal to me, it is a living, working reality. Gentlemen, a court is no better than each man of you sitting before me on this jury. A court is only as sound as its jury, and a jury is only as sound as the men who make it up. I am confident that you gentlemen will review without passion the evidence you have heard, come to a decision, and restore this defendant to his family. In the name of God, do your duty.” (Chapter 20). In this quote it shows Atticus using his experience in a courtroom to get the jury to choose innocent. He makes the jury feel like if they don’t choose his side they will choose the wrong side. Atticus uses his wisdom in the courthouse to even help his children make things better or talk them into doing the better thing. "Courage is not a man with a gun in his hand. It's knowing you're licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what. You rarely win, but sometimes you do." (Chapter 11 Pg 112). In this quote Atticus is using his experience as a lawyer to teach his kids what courage is and how it is actually used. T this time Jem is the only one who understands this quote because Scout is to young to understand. Atticus is considered one of the wisest man in maycomb county the entire book because of his understanding of everything and everyone. “You just hold your head high and keep your fist down. No matter what anybody says don’t you let ‘em get your goat. Try fighting with your head for a change.” (Chapter 4). In this Atticus is resolving Scouts issue on fighting people that talk

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This was about the upcoming court case that was very unpredictable and could even lead to a death of his colored man that he is defending in a very high risk authority moment. Atticus has good in him but he also has a sketchy past leaving

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He emphasizes the importance of the law and the principle of innocence until proven guilty. He establishes himself as a credible and trustworthy figure by referencing the integrity of the court system and the jury. Atticus shows this when he says "Gentlemen, a court in this state, in this country, is only as sound as its jury, and a jury is only as sound as the men who make it up" This emphasizes that the justice system is built on the integrity of its members and that the jury is responsible for upholding that integrity by making a fair and just decision. By emphasizing his own belief in the justice system and the importance of the jury's role in it, Atticus is establishing himself as a credible and trustworthy figure and appealing to the jury's sense of morality and

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He had compassion in his heart and the thought of equality in his mind. He understood when people needed help but could not pay for it, and he knew that “it takes a long time sometimes…that you all’d ride [the harsh times] out together [SIC]” (205-206). He was troubled by the narrow- mindedness and prejudice of the townspeople. He knew, sadly, that the people in the court would automatically assume “that all Negroes lie, that all Negroes are immoral beings, that all Negro men are not to be trusted around our women” (273). Atticus felt that he needed to uphold the justice.

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This especially comes to light when the trial is taking place and he uses his moral compass to decide what is the right thing to when he is honorably defending Tom Robinson for a crime that he didn’t even commit. Atticus gains a great deal of respect from his children after the ordeal and his considered in the

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(75 Lee). Atticus feels that if he doesn't defend Tom Robinson a black man, in trial he wouldn't feel right telling Jem and Scout what to do. Mr.Finch is the type of person to know what he’s getting into when he talks to someone. Scout doesn’t understand why Ms. Caroline doesn’t want her to read and Atticus tells her “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view…until you climb in his skin and walk around in it.” (30

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Well, it´s halfway over. The Holiday Rush, the cooking the cleaning, the over-flow of relatives and friends...  Today, people are setting up their new appliances, furniture, and half-priced nick nacks around their houses and tending to their aching muscles and bruises caused by drop-kicking other shoppers on Black friday.   Now, comes the less life-threatening rush of Cyber Monday.  People are dusting off their keyboards and bookmarking their favorite online stores, patiently waiting for the precise moment to pounce. By this coming Tuesday, the maddness will finally be finished.

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Atticus teachesJem that courage is not a man with a gun it’s,”when you know you’re licked but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what”(149). In deeper meaning, Atticus uses hes real courage in the Tom Robinson’s trial though the whites shamed him. It was against society’s code to like the blacks but Atticus risked his life numerous times in order to persue his morals of equality like the night a mob threatened Atticus to give Tom to them so they could murder him. Again he demonstrates his courage while staying calm when his life was threatened by Bob Ewell.

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Atticus was given an impossible case to win, but he dedicated a majority of his time on the case. “This case, Tom Robinson 's case, is something that goes to the essence of a man 's conscience — Scout, I couldn 't go to church and worship God if I didn 't try to help that man” (104). This quote truly portrays Atticus’s character and mindset. During this time period, not many other lawyers would feel this way about that particular case. Atticus’s implies that he would not be able to carry on with his life without helping Tom Robinson and that he wanted to help Tom walk away a free man.

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As the case goes on, Scout becomes more, mature. She begins to see that the people in her town are infected with the disease, and that not everyone may be so friendly as they appear to be. When Scout and Jem walk in the courthouse, she begins to notice that even though Atticus has the proof to save Tom Robinson, racism is always going to win no matter what. She began to notice that white people still went on Mayella’s side even when they knew that what Tom “did”, was actually her dad. In the courthouse, Dill suddenly began to burst into tears because he was upset on how Tom was being treated.

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In this, Atticus was explaining to Scout why she should not fight people just because they said that he was a “nigger lover.” In conclusion, Atticus is a little easier going on his kids, but he always tries to makes a lesson out of

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Through this remark from Juror 8 we see that he shows some compassion for the defendant. Having the ability to show compassion for others Juror 8 and Atticus

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However he held his head high. For another example of courage, Atticus felt he could not look his children in the eyes if he did not do the right thing and help Tom. Atticus stayed strong and courageous through the scorn, spite, and hatred of society. “It was times like these when I thought my father, who hated guns and had never been to any wars, was the bravest man who ever lived.” (115-116).

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To Atticus, it would not be fair for him to deny what he lives by just for his children, people he is raising to be morally upright like himself. He makes it clear that “He’s the same in the courtroom as he is on the public streets”(Lee 203). Even in the most unfair situations like Tom Robinson's trial, Atticus shows how difficult acting on moral courage can be for himself, but also the importance it has for him and his

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Atticus is faced with many threats along the way and is shunned in the community for defending a man of such a heinous crime. During the trial Atticus makes many strong arguments and it is plainly

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Atticus was a good man who did not expect much from others. He would only ask for what he knew people can provide. There were lots of people in Maycomb County who could not afford to pay Atticus upright, yet he would always provide his services. Another prominent thing that made Atticus such a good person was his willingness to never give up, especially on others. “Simply because we were licked a hundred years before we started is no reason for us not to try to win.”

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