"Discuss Harper Lee's presentation of the theme of family life in the novel"
There are many different kinds of family life in "To Kill A Mockingbird". There are white families and black families, high-class families and lower-class families. I think that Harper Lee exaggerates the family hierarchy, i.e. the lower families are shown as being very poor and the higher families are shown to be almost perfect, to make it more clear to us how different the families are.
The Finch family would be an example of an almost perfect family, which is highly ironic considering that there is no mother. They are a relatively well off family and stand near the top of Maycomb's social hierarchy. There is a lot of love, trust and security within the family. Atticus is a very good father and has brought Scout and Jem up to be very mature and respectful. He devotes himself to his children despite criticism from family and neighbours who think his children lack discipline and proper guidance. Atticus is a wise man, committed to justice and equality, and his parenting style is based on fostering these virtues in his children - he even encourages and to call him 'Atticus' so that they can interact on terms as equal as possible. Throughout the novel, Atticus works to develop Scout's and Jem's respective consciences, through teaching, as when he tells Scout to put herself in a person's shoes before she judges them. He is a kind and loving father, reading to his children and offering them comfort when they need it, but he is also capable of teaching them harsh lessons. We quickly realises when reading To Kill a Mockingbird that Scout is who she is because of the way has raised her. He has nurtured her mind, conscience, and individuality without bogging her down in fussy social hypocrisies and notions of etiquette.