There are various themes in the book To Kill a Mockingbird (TKAM) by Harper Lee. What stuck out was “Don’t spread lies”. This is my claim because people were spreading rumors about Tom Robinson, and Boo Radley who were both very important characters. The people in this story said Tom had raped Mayella. The people were telling stories about Boo that he had gone to jail when he was little, which caused many people in the town to be afraid of him.
So, if everyone knows that lying has consequences, then why do people even lie in the first place? In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee answers this question. The main characters in this book are two kids named Jem and Scout, as well as their father named Atticus. The book takes place in the 1930’s when segregation and racial injustice were prominent. Therefore, when Atticus is appointed to defend a African American man, named Tom Robinson, who is accused of raping a white woman, it is a big deal.
The first time that equality plays a big part in this novel is right off the bat in Chapter 2 involving Walter Cunningham Junior. Everybody treats Walter differently right away, knowing that his family does not have as much money as everyone else, with quotes such as, “Walter’s one of the Cunningham’s, Miss Caroline” (Lee 20). This quote helps prove that people treat Walter differently, because Scout is referring to him as a “Cunningham”. She is saying this as if he is the town scum or that he is lower on the social scale. One incident that does occur throughout all of this happening is when Scout and Walter get into a fight in the school yard.
“Scout, I’m beginning to understand something. I think I’m beginning to understand why Boo Radley’s stayed shut up in the house all this time…” (227). Prejudice and discrimination are major issues that are present in the town of Maycomb; Scout and her brother Jem are young children who learn about the disturbing existence of the bigotry that they were previously unaware of in their familiar southern hometown throughout the trial of Tom Robinson, an innocent African American who is accused of rape by a white woman. To Kill a Mockingbird introduces a world that harbors prejudice against some of its very citizens and describes how discrimination was a major flaw in society and still is a flaw present day society. The author, Harper Lee develops a major theme of people should not discriminate against others solely due to prejudice on the basis of differences for it leads to consequences using dialogue between the characters, thoughts from the narrator 's perspective, and descriptions of beliefs during the time period throughout the book To Kill a Mockingbird.
Mayella’s father Bob ewell saw her seducing to the black guy so he hit her madly and turned Tom robinson nobility his life onto death. Bob ewell was the most evil person in the novel that tried to kidnap scout and jem after a hallowen party but boo radely saved them .He was a liar because he forced his daughter to commit a false testimony against tom Robison and he was a racist because he hated nigros that considered them as a second class. Harper lee’s language contains a lot of imagery and sensory language and the dialogue in the novel was written in a slang style to show each character’s identity. There is a difference in language used by the white and the black. Bob ewell used foul and harsh language which showed his poor class.
Mayella’s dad was mad at some of the events that happened during the trial because Atticus had chosen to represent Tom and certain questions that he had asked Mayella. Her father confronted Atticus in town, spit on him, and told him that he was going to kill him. Atticus did not care what was being said to him and chose to walk away. Even when Scout tells Atticus that kids have been bullying her because their dad is protecting people of color he tells them to ignore them because it should not matter what they are saying. He teaches his kids to have a strong sense of justice, to be open minded, and always do what is
Billy Graham said, “Racism and injustice and violence sweep our world, bringing a tragic harvest of heartache and death.” Harper Lee depicts this in To Kill a Mockingbird by illustrating racism through Tom Robinson’s unjust trial. The novel is set in the 1930s in a small southern town in Alabama called Maycomb. In the town, a black man named Tom Robinson is accused of raping a white woman, Mayella Ewell. The people of Maycomb are quick to accuse Tom due to his race. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee uses the motif of racism to convey the theme that African Americans were dehumanized and not given equitable treatment during the 1930s in Alabama through Tom running away from the Ewells at the time of the alleged assault, the jury convicting Tom, and talk of Tom’s death being expected of him.
In the novel, racism is most prevalent when Atticus takes up a case where a African-American man has been accused of raping a white girl, and Atticus is fighting for Tom Robinson who is the accused rapist. Tom Robinson, the kindly, meek and physically disabled black accused of the rape, is the target of innumerable racial taunts and is regularly referred to by angry white town folks as a “nigger.” Later, in scenes involving Tom Robinson and the angry white mobs that aim to lynch him that reveal
He is seen as an enemy to the Finch’s after the trial because of his verbal and physical actions. Bob Ewell antagonizes and causes fear for these young kids, this is why conflicts arise. This grown man is not only causing conflicts for the children but their father, Atticus too. To add more on, in the book Scout and Jem were on their way home from Scout’s school play. On their way home Jem kept stopping, he explained to Scout that he felt they were being followed.
Scout and Jem are the children of Atticus Finch, the lawyer who is trying to defend Tom Robinson in the court. In the article “Lynching” by Mark Twain, He talks about how mobs are formed by cowardly people. The three main themes in To Kill A Mockingbird are Loss of innocence, Power of words and Role of women. The first theme of To Kill A Mockingbird is Loss of innocence. In To Kill A Mockingbird, Scout is losing her innocence due to her lack of a filter and too much curiosity.