In the story, Mr. Underwood didn’t talk about miscarriages of justice, he was writing so children could understand. Mr. Underwood simply figured it was a sin to kill cripples, be they stand, sitting, or escaping. He allied Tom’s death to the senseless slaughter of songbirds by hunters and children, and Maycomb thought he was trying to write an editorial poetical enough to be reprinted in The Montgomery Advertiser.
The setting is the fictional southern town called Maycomb. The town is divided like a hierarchy and the Finches are surprisingly well off. The Cunningham’s are below with the Ewell’s are near the end. Regardless of black people, such as Tom Robinson having better qualities than the Ewell’s, they lie at the bottom. For this reason alone, the panel of judges find Tom guilty from hardly any evidence.
Maycomb is apprehensive because of gossip and rumour about certain people such as Boo Radley. It creates irrational fears that many believe. Boo starts as a mere childhood superstition, but as he leaves presents for Jem and Scout, he intrigues them. Then he mends Jem’s pants and becomes gradually real to them. By the end of the novel, Scout meets him and he is finally human to her. Boo is the one of the book’s most important mockingbirds, and although he has suffered, he remains a symbol of good.
There are also gothic elements that foreshadow the plot but are balanced by traditional values. Examples are the fire that destroyed Miss Maudie’s house and the town bonding together to retrieve her possessions, the mad dog shot by Atticus, and the dark Halloween night when Bob Ewell attacked Jem and Scout but were saved by Boo Radley.
Scout Finch is a curious girl both mentally and physically. She is bright, thoughtful and acts with good intentions all at an early age. Distinct most girls, Scout are a sort of tomboy. She replaces dresses with overalls, plays with boys (Jem and Dill) and their games and fights other boys in school with no fear. That is a sign of physical courage. Scout starts as an innocent five year old with little understanding of evil. As the novel progresses, she encounters evil for the first time, in the form of racial prejudice. Throughout the book, Atticus nurtures Scout so that she develops and her strong character prevails over any evil she experiences. She retains her conscience without becoming corrupt or cynical. She illuminates moral courage when she tries not to react when some school children call her father names, such as coward. At the end of the story, Scout is still a child but her perspective of life has grown into that of a near grown-up-‘Just standing in the porch of Boo Radley was enough’. But you realise that Scout is like this because of the way Atticus has raise her.
Atticus Finch is a popular and appreciated man in Maycomb and embodies the moral voice of the novel. His occupation is a lawyer, people turn to him when in doubt, dilemma and requirement. His infinite courage is looked up to, including the poor. But his admirable conscience is exposed when he agrees to guard Tom Robinson, a black man accused of rape. He doesn’t abide the town’s racial prejudice and falls out with most of the white people in Maycomb. The citizens of Maycomb and Atticus have a clash of opinions on racial inequality. Yet Atticus admires people by being sympathetic and understanding, this he teaches to his children. He recognises people’s good qualities over their bad. Examples are Mrs Dubose and Mr Cunningham.
Atticus is a man of real courage. When defending Tom Robinson, he waits to protect him at the jail. He knows prejudices may hurt him, but Scout saves him from the situation with her innocence. Atticus becomes despised but after the trial, he wins back his honour and respect in the same high regard as before. Bob Ewell later confronts Atticus and spits in his face. Atticus’s exemplary behaviour makes him resist a physical battle and shows his real courage by walking away. Although Atticus is heroic, neither Scout nor Jem adore him until the end. Both are mortified that he is older than the other fathers and the fact that he doesn’t fish, hunt or play football so he has no physical aptitude. But his children’s attitudes towards him evolve during the story. They are shocked to find out that Atticus has the best shot in the town when he shoots the mad dog. And the children realise Atticus’s strengths are his intelligence and wisdom. When he says, ‘Before Jem looks at anyone else he looks at me, and I’ve tried to live so I can look squarely back at him,’ he ultimately wins their respect. Throughout the book, Atticus is consistently and rigidly committed to justice and proves this when he believes for a moment that Jem stabbed Mr Ewell as self-defence.
Jem Finch is a young boy entering puberty. Early on, he tries to conquer his fear. He runs past the Radley place, touches it and later returns there while he risks being shot at, just to fetch his trousers that were caught in the fence. Atticus tells him that this is only physical courage, and that it takes more to understand. He becomes confused and vulnerable when justice fails with Tom Robinson. But he learns from the traumatic times by duplicating the things Atticus had taught him and advises Scout. An example is when he protects a roly-poly bug from Scout because it has done nothing to harm her.
Through the end of the novel, we have learned the new definition; real courage. Our ideas on courage were manipulated. The novel itself is about the investigation of the good and evil in human philosophy. It is depicted through Scout and Jem, childhood innocence. They first assumed everyone was good since they have never seen evil but once they did, they confronted it and tried to understand. Atticus teaches his children the ethics of sympathy, understanding and courage. He appreciates superior qualities while understanding other people’s viewpoint of living.
