In Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Lee presents a large social atmosphere that includes many different cultures and extremes. The story takes place in the southern town of Maycomb, Alabama during the Great Depression. This novel illustrates how the southerners perceived different ideas about each other and social norms. It is told through the eyes of a young girl, Scout Finch, as she is growing up and becoming influenced by societal attitudes. Throughout the course of this book Scout learns many lessons including: how a society functions, why there is conflict between different cultures, and what makes cultures different from each other.
Vanessa Rodriguez Mrs. Muñoz-Matheny English 9, Period 1 12 May 2016 Family Families will always grow together, like a bouquet of flowers. In the novel ‘To Kill a Mockingbird,’ Harper Lee clarifies the importance of a supportive family. Harper Lee walks around and clears up that having a supportive family is significant in the Maycomb town. Lee highlights the Finch family relationships and supplies a variety of quotes to prove their devoted bond with each other. A theme in the novel ‘To Kill a Mockingbird,’ is that family is priceless and worthy to rescue from danger, and this theme connects with real life crisis in the modern world today.
“You ain’t got no business bringin white chillun here they got their church we got our’n (Lee 158). This is just one of the many examples of this in To Kill a Mockingbird. Racial discrimination was also shown when Scout wants to go visit Calpurnia but Aunt Alexandra quickly tells her no and that she has no business going over there. “Atticus. I’ll go next Sunday if it’s all right can I Cal said she’d come get me if you were off in the car You may not Aunt Alexandra said it.
“You ain’t got no business bringin’ white chillun here-they got their church, we got our’n” (p. 119) Lula, a colored woman is a prime example of the two way road of racism. When Scout and Jem hear this they are completely astonished by the fact that the white race is looked down upon by other races. Racism is a problem that affects everyone; even the “master” race. “Now don’t you be so confident Mr. Jem, I ain’t ever seen any jury decide in favor of a colored man over a
Scout and Jem were explained by their father, Atticus, that racism does exist in the following sentences. “There’s something in our world that makes men lose their heads¬—they couldn’t be fair if they tried. In our courts, when it’s a white man’s word against a black man’s, the white man always wins. They’re ugly, but those are the facts of life.” (Harper 295).
Harper Lee has depicted the separation between Caucasians and African-Americans in “To Kill a Mockingbird” by showcasing how White talk and African-American influences conduct between people of different races. For instance, when the children, Scout and Jem went to the church with Calpurnia, and they accessed the church. Subsequently, Harper Lee stated, ‘Calpurnia tilted her hat and scratched her head, then pressed her hat down carefully over her ears. Meanwhile, Calpurnia said, “Now what if I talked white folks' talk at church, and with my neighbours? They'd think I was puttin' on airs to beat Moses” (139).
Like most places, Maycomb County, Alabama was full of hardworking people of integrity, as well as dishonest, indolent citizens. Atticus, a distinguished lawyer, raised his two kids, Scout and Jem, to be disciplined youth, practicing honest morals. Everyone in Maycomb admired Atticus for his respectable character, just as they all abhorred the Ewell family, for their cheating and lying ways. However, Atticus’ prominent role in town was suddenly challenged when he was chosen to defend in court Tom Robinson, a black man whom Mayella Ewell accused him of taking advantage of her. Eyes that once looked up to Atticus with deep admiration, now glared at him in disgust.
To Kill a Mockingbird is an important text worthy of all the recognition it received in the time following its original publication. A prime piece of fine American literature based in a period of extreme racial segregation and inequality. Set in a southern town of Maycomb Alabama during the depression, Lee follows three years of the life of eight-year-old Scout (Jean Louise) Finch and her older brother Jem (Jeremy) Finch as their father is, for three years, a fundamental figure in a case that had punctured the town as a result of the arrest and eventual trial of a young black man. As the years commence/continue, Scout and Jem, alongside the audience grow increasingly aware of prejudice throughout society as they learn the importance of perspective and being courageous when faced with adversity. By illustrating the influence of prejudice on society, Harper Lee challenges the perspectives of society, criticizing the nature of humankind to stereotype and be prejudice towards one another and in doing so, she successfully convinces the author to look beyond the facade society creates and locate the humanity that is concealed within everybody.
Final Essay Outline: Thesis Statement/opening paragraph: In the story To Kill A Mockingbird, discrimination and the act of being prejudice is common among the main characters, on both the receiving and serving end. Certain characters, like Scout and Jeremy Finch, Bob Ewell, and the town folk truly create the main problem and set the theme of the story. For example, when Bob Ewell accuses Atticus Finch of being an african-american lover, because he is defending Tom Robinson. Tom Robinson was accused of raping Mayella Ewell, according to Bob. Boo Radley is accused of being dead by Scout, Jem and Dill.
Father, lawyer, and friend, the gentlemanly Atticus Finch hopes to shape the character of his children. The novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, written by Harper Lee, is the story of the childhood of the young girl named Jean Louise “Scout” Finch. Throughout the book, Scout’s father, Atticus, tries his best to raise her and her brother, Jem, the right way as a single parent. To Kill a Mockingbird exemplifies the way the character of Atticus Finch either uses ritual or abandons it in order to develop certain character qualities within his children. He is specifically focuses on the development of honesty, courage, and humility.
Atticus Finch is the parent of two children, Jean Louise Finch, formerly known as Scout and Jeremy Finch, formerly known as Jem in Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mockingbird. Atticus is considered a role model in the eyes of a parent reading the novel, but what they do not know is how ineffective of a parent Atticus Finch really is. Atticus Finch is an ineffective parent because of his lack of safety for his children and the inability to control Jem and Scout outside of their home. Atticus constantly endangers Jem and Scout into situations they should not be exposed to at such an early age. Without the supervision of Atticus outside the Finch household, they commit acts of anarchy. Atticus Finch is simply a pathetic parent.
To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee takes place in Alabama during the Depression, and is narrated by the main character, a little girl named Jean Louise "Scout" Finch. Her family consists her father, Atticus Finch who is a lawyer and has very high morals. The other member is Jem, her brother along with their cook and housekeeper Calpurnia, who is African-American and is like a part of their family. Other than these three, the recurring characters in the story include Dill , the infamous Boo Radley, Mayella Ewell, Tom Robinson , Mrs. Dubose and Alexandra, Atticus’s sister. The whole story takes place between a time frame of three years.
Literature can be analyzed with many different critical lenses. While analyzing To Kill a Mockingbird, one may use a critical lens to recognize the different ideas throughout the novel. Harper Lee’s novel demonstrates her perspective on intolerance and discrimination within the early twentieth century. Firstly, intolerance of people who are different is very prevalent within the novel.
By being fair to everyone Atticus meets, he shows his children how to be intelligent, well rounded people. In the town where Atticus and his children live, the town is clearly cut in half between black people and white people. Scout and Jem do pick up on the racism around the town, but Atticus teaches them what’s right and what’s wrong. When Scout asks Atticus if he’s a ‘nigger lover’ he responds with "I certainly am.
How does Harper Lee vividly capture the effects of racism and social inequality on the citizens of Maycomb county in ‘To kill a mockingbird’? In the novel, ‘To kill a mockingbird’, Harper Lee conveys the theme of racism and social inequality by setting up the story in Maycomb, a small community in Alabama, the U.S back in 1930s. Lee presents some of the social issues of 1930s such as segregation and poverty in the novel. These issues are observed and examined through the innocent eyes of a young girl, Scout, the narrator.