To Kill a Mockingbird A Discussion of Major Themes Within the Text

A detailed Summary of To Kill a Mockingbird A Discussion of Major Themes Within the Text

The novel To Kill a Mockingbird is a rich text consisting of themes that were the harsh reality of the novel's setting; rural Alabama during the 1930's. Racism, discrimination, prejudice, and hatred are all among the issues that author Harper Lee deals with. In addition to these weighty and unsettling topics in the novel, Miss Lee revolves her plot around the life of a young girl named Scout Finch.

Scout is telling the reader the story in retrospect when the novel begins. We learn she is six years old and has an older brother named Jem. Central to the plot is the children's innocence. Their relative naivete can be observed through the simple ways in which they play and pass the time. Jem and Scout are fascinated with the mysterious "Boo" Radley, a recluse who, according to Jem, comes out only at night to eat cats and squirrels in addition to looking through people's bedroom windows. The scare each other with ghosts stories and Scout gets into fights almost daily. When the novel concludes, she looks back at the events that have transpired throughout the length of the story and we reali

ze to what extent both her and Jem's characters have grown. One of the most profound examples of the innocence the children bear is during Tom Robinson's trial. Jem is convinced that the jury will be forced to acquit Tom because his father Atticus had proven him innocent beyond a shadow of a doubt. When the verdict returned is in fact the exact opposite, Jem is astonished. His hands were "white from gripping the balcony rail. And his shoulders jerk as if each guilty is a separate stab between them". Unlike many of those in Maycomb, the children see things with an unbiased eye. They harbor no prejudice or discriminatory feelings towards anyone, no doubt because of their upbringing by their morally inclined father, Atticus Finch.

The title of Miss Lee's novel is in fact a reference to something that the wiser-than-his-years Atticus Finch tells his children. He says that it is a sin to kill a mockingbird because all they "don't do one thing but sing their hearts out for us". The killing of a mockingbird, a creature that harbor's only good intents, can be applied to several characters in the novel. Tom Robinson was a good kind man who had never harmed a soul. However, guilt, hatred, and bigotry lead to his murder. Boo Radley is another instance in which the author applies this metaphor. After Bob Ewell attacks Jem and Scout coming home from the Halloween pageant, Boo in turn assaults him; stabbing him in the ribs and killing him. When Atticus figures out that Boo had done it and that Sheriff Tate is not going to prosecute him, he tries to explain the situation to Scout. However, Scout is already more aware of the circumstances than Atticus thinks, and says that taking Boo to trial would be like "killing a mockingbird" in that it would be unfair to punish Boo for saving their lives and for simply being a good

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Approximate Word count = 1235
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English