In Part One of Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, both of the characters Uncle Jack Finch and Scout Finch mature and learn a new lesson about Life, and they show that any person can mature and learn from anyone at any point in Life.
One lesson in the book that I feel Jem learns as a part of growing up is moral courage. Atticus once told Jem that “courage is [not] a man with a gun in his hand. It 's when you know you 're licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what.” Jem had always seen bravery as important and often tried to show the courage in him but only learnt about what moral courage really was through a series events that took place in the book.
In the book, To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, has many themes but none more evident than the losses and suffering of innocent people. For example, Mayella Ewell expiriences this theme as she is forced by her father to go along with the false accusation of rape comitted by Tom Robinson. As stated by Atticus Finch it wasn’t Tom but Mayella who committed this, "She was white, and she tempted a Negro. She did something that in our society is unspeakable: she kissed a black man.” (271). Mayella jumped on Tom and Tom couldn’t defend himself because he could hurt her. Mayella states, “ I never kissed a grown man before, what my daddy does to me does not count” (265). Mayella is beaten senseless by her father constantly and Bob Ewell witnessed Mayella jump on Tom but was disgusted by what he saw
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. In Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, she uses characterization to show how different events and people shape children as they grow up and ultimately determine what kind of adults they will turn out to be.
Every human-being started out innocent, with a clear mind set, and from that view everything was simple; the line between right and wrong was clear, good and evil, equality and inequality, justice and injustice. However, as time went on this simple way of thinking changed, innocence was lost, and black and white became a million shades of gray. This common coming of age moment everyone experiences, whether it is for the better or worst, is shown within the book To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Therefore, the book represents the theme that children possess the ability to see people for who they are, without any prejudice or racism, because of their innocence and clear judgement, showing true knowledge of right and wrong, unless tainted by
“What doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger.” - Friedrich Nietzsche. Is that true? Does adversity really change people for the better? Going through tough situations can give individuals a new kind of strength, emotional strength, which lends them a chance to grow and mature. They will learn from these difficult experiences and use this knowledge to better themselves. It’s time to begin to appreciate the challenges, for they will promote growth in the long run. In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, the protagonist, Scout Finch, initially is exposed to adversity at an exceedingly young age. In her mind, she is living in an intricate world, until she stumbles upon grievous scenarios. Scout then began to realize that the town of Maycomb isn’t what she had it out to be. Evil things happen, moreover, people have numerous sides to themselves. Ultimately, Scout becomes a mature, young adult with
“The way that man called him ‘boy’ all the time and sneered at him, an’ looked around the jury every time he answered-” (Lee 226). In To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Aunt Alexandra figures out the kids are missing. Atticus and Aunt Alexandra figure out they 've been in the balcony of the courtroom all afternoon. Atticus sends them home, but agrees to let them come home after dinner. Aunt Alexandra was angry when she hears where the kids have been. Jem was sure they won the case, but they have never seen a jury support a black man over a white man. They wait a while for it to go back in session. Scout doses off thought about previous events that had happened. The court finally announced Tom Robinson guilty. This scene shows the coming of
A child’s innocence can be scarred because of life events. In To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee uses conflict and characterization in order to convey the idea that a simple child’s innocence can be shattered from life’s problems.
Coming of age through life experience is one of the crucial themes of Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird. This is clearly demonstrated through Jem’s loss of innocence throughout the novel. Jem Finch begins as a naive young boy and ultimately grows to the mature young man known at the end of the story. At the beginning of the novel, Jem’s only concern is to unlock mysteries about Boo Radley. Throughout the novel, Jem’s fixation with Boo Radley s becomes trivial in comparison to the more elaborate case his father, Atticus, takes on. Tom Robinson, a poor black man in Maycomb, becomes convicted by Bob Ewell of raping his daughter, Mayella. The occurrence of the Tom Robinson trial exhibits on Jem’s disappointment over the conclusion the jury decides.
Atticus has molded his children by exposing them to people in the town of Maycomb who have questionable morals in order to teach his children acceptance. Jem and Scout live in a primarily racist society and learn quickly that the children's
Growing up is a challenging part of life, as people grow up they choose the best path in life to further expand their interest. The Finch family goes through many experiences accelerating their maturity and knowledge. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird author Harper Lee displace the idea that everyone has to grow up disregarding the struggle needed to grow up this becomes clear to the readers when after every event in the story the characters change in their actions and thoughts.
Growing up is part of life. Whether you realize it or not with age comes knowledge and with knowledge comes maturity. For Scout losing her innocence is inevitable. From dealing with bad teachers, going to an old lady's house everyday for month, to seeing a man be wrongfully accused of rape, to realizing you’re childhood villain is your guardian angle. Growing up for Scout means learning courage, racism and empathy.
Children go to school to gain knowledge, but life can give children the most important education. In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, Jem, and Scout are two growing children navigating life in the 1930’s in racist Alabama. They see racism throughout their town and have to navigate how they want to live their lives or follow their town. In their own school, they see racist people, and they often question what they hear, see, and learn. Scout and Jem both learn most of their knowledge from, their father Atticus, their maid Calpurnia, and their neighbors. The people that are present in their lives shape Jem and Scout into the people they are becoming. Education from school helps Jem and Scout advance, but the information they learn from life allows them to mature.
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is a novel set during the 1930s in a small town in Southern Alabama called Maycomb. The story is told through the narrator, Scout, a young girl who lives with her father, a lawyer, and her older brother Jem. As a child, Scout is portrayed as a stubborn and obnoxious little girl who loves to read, play with her brother Jem, and fantasize about her mysterious neighbor, Boo Radley. However, her life gets turned upside down when Scout’s father agrees to do something that is deemed unacceptable in the south; he agrees to defend Tom Robinson, a black man who is accused of raping a white girl. Instantly, Atticus and his family go from being respected and beloved by their town, to being
While school may teach lessons, they are certainly not valuable life lessons. Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird repeatedly shows the ineffectiveness of the education system in a child’s morals. To Kill A Mockingbird takes place in the Great Depression era in Alabama, where education was not the best. Teachers would only seek to teach their classes average, everyday lessons rather than valuable life teachings. Throughout the novel, Scout and Jem learn more and more valuable life lessons through real life scenarios than they ever would have ever learned at school. They learn morals such as courage, selflessness, and equality through their own lives. Therefore, real life experiences give more valuable lessons than education to Scout and Jem.