Innocence: The Mockingbird Of Life

Anna Katibah

Period 4

Mr. LaPointe

12-14-03

Innocence: The Mockingbird Of Life

Parents teach their children morals and values to help deal with life. The book To Kill A Mockingbird takes place in Maycomb, Alabama during the depression. The main character, Jean Louise Finch a.k.a. “Scout”, learns many ethical lessons from her father Atticus, a lawyer. Within To Kill A Mockingbird, Atticus shows Scout that innocence is a “mockingbird”. Eventually Scout learns to kill each mockingbird of innocence she comes upon. Atticus teaches Scout and her brother Jem the coping skills to ethically deal with life’s problems.

The first way Atticus teaches Scout to deal with innocence is through perspective. On the first day of school Scout has a rough start because she tries to explain to the teacher why Walter Cunningham does not have a lunch. The way Scout stands up for Walter makes her seem rude, so Miss Caroline whips her hand softly with a ruler. Then during recess she fights with Walter because she thinks Walter intentionally got her into trouble in front of the new teacher, Miss Caroline. What Scout does not look at is that it is her teacher’s first day of school in a new community. She goes home and explains this to her father. Her father takes her experience and gives her moral guidance: “ ‘You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view...until you climb into his skin and walk around in it’ [says Atticus]”(30). When a person looks at things from someone else’s point of view, a greater understanding is found.

Atticus teaches his kids in the second place to practice non-violence by practicing it himself. When Atticus defends Tom Robinson, a black man, in a rape case against a white girl, great disrespect for Mr. Finch and his children is encountered within the community of Maycomb. The white girl who claims Tom Robinson raped her is Mayella Ewell. She is the only girl in the Ewell family. Her father, Bob, drinks all day and does not bother to take care of his children. One of Mayella’s father’s morals is to get money anyway he can off of a black man. ...

This is a preview of the whole essay

One night Atticus is visiting the Robinson’s house on business and comes outside because he is summoned through one of the Robinson’s children by Jem who is waiting in the car. Jem sees none other than Mr. Bob Ewell standing outside his car. Mr. Ewell walks up to Atticus, drunk, and spits in his face. Atticus takes out his handkerchief and wipes the spit off of his face. Now would be the right time for Atticus to punch Bob and get in a fight. Instead Atticus gets in the car and drives away. Atticus believes in the Taoist belief “action through non action”. This is apparently a part of his daily life. When Jem sees his father walk away, he knows his father “practices what he preaches”. Atticus gets in the car and only says to Jem, “ ‘I wish Bob Ewell wouldn’t chew tobacco’ ”(217).

Jem and Scout learn the values of perception and non-violence. Even though Atticus has been teaching the kids through example, the kids already know and portray non-violence and perception. These characteristics are built into Jem and Scout’s everyday life. The children always perceive Mrs. Dubose, a neighbor down the street, to be mean. Atticus merely teaches the children to perceive a different way. Such as the example: Is the glass half full, or half empty? Atticus teaches the kids to perceive this so called “mean” neighbor differently: “‘Whatever she says to you [Jem], it’s your job not to let her [Mrs.Dubose] make you mad’” (100).

Innocence is the mockingbird Scout has to overcome. People encounter many problems throughout life which need solutions. The only reason they do not know how to solve the problem in the first place, is because they are naive and innocent. Many different kinds of things happen to people and they deal with them by using principles they have been taught.