What Is Eriko's Transformation In To Kill A Mockingbird

In life, people are motivated by the thought of reaching a goal. The idea of having something, being someone, or looking some kind of way. But sometimes the goal is not what matters; the journey is what's important. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus fights to prove the innocence of Tom Robinson -a black man-, in the racist town of Maycomb county. Atticus remained firm in his position and did not give up, even though all odds were against him. A similar characteristic is portrayed in Eriko, in “Where I'm From". Eriko’s grandparents (and ancestors) were born and lived in Japan. Her parents are immigrants from Japan making Eriko a Japanese decadent. Instead of following these societal inferences, Eriko insists that she is only American. She does

‘Make sure you look in a mirror when you get home. You’re definitely Japanese’”(Sugiura 3). This conversation might have discouraged Eriko, but id did not change her mind. This reveals Eriko’s perseverance by not choosing the easy route and going along with the girl's claims. Rather she preserved and maintained her position, not falling into societal pressures. Just like Atticus, Eriko saw that her position was harder to defend, but that did not stop her from pursuing it. This also happens in Quinn's life. Quinn does not allow the views of his friends and family to interfere with his quest to figure out who is right or wrong in Rashad’s and Paulie’s interaction. When his mother confronts him, saying “You think you are taking the moral high road, but what does this all mean for the rest of your family, Quinn? What does it mean for me and your brother?”(Kiely 6). Quinn knows that supporting who is right is morality better, but it also makes the family look bad. Just like Atticus, who does not care what the rest of the town thinks about Tom Robinson, Quinn does not care about what his friends and family have to say. Through this journey, he realizes there is no middle ground to make his family look good, while being fair to Rashad. He and Atticus understand that his decision can impact the people around him. He is willing to persevere through the pain and suffer the consequences, to be morally right. This is how perseverance is revealed -through not

I'll miss work tomorrow night. We'll all stay home and we'll have a family night at home for once.’
‘Ma,’ I said. ‘’I’m going to the march'’” (Kiely 6). Quinn's desire to attend the march/support the person he believes is right -despite his family not supporting him- shows his determination. Quinn has to preserve when things are hard and when the people around him disagree. Quinn does not give in to the common opinion but rather stays strong in what he believes. This connects to Eriko because Eriko too, preserved against the opinion that surrounded her. These two characters had perseverance through difficult and questionable times just like Atticus. Atticus preserved through the pain of losing the county trial. he continued to keep his hopes up for change at the State level. This is how the three characters, Atticus, Eriko, and Quinn, show perseverance by not giving up in difficult