to be around blacks or show any compassion for them; she doesn't want other people
around them either. Even though Alexandra does not call blacks by the same words other
townspeople call them, she still doesn't want to associate with them. Another instance is
when Calpurnia takes the kids to her church. Alexandra gets very angry with Calpurnia
because she took them to be around so many blacks. Most of them were good people and
the kids weren't being bad. Another example would be in the the court where the white
people were to sit on the ground floor and the black people on the balcony this is an
example of segregation.
Now, I shall be looking at the theme- symbolism. The characters Atticus and Tom
Robinson are refered as being "Mockingbirds." A Mockingbird is supposed to be innocent
and "sings his heart out" for us. The mockingbird motif arises three times during "To Kill
a Mockingbird". First, when Atticus gives Jem and Scout air guns for Christmas and
instructs them not to kill Mockingbirds. Second, a Mockingbird sings right before Bob
Ewell attacks Jem and Scout. Finally, Scout agrees with Atticus that prosecuting Boo for
Ewell's murder would be like killing a Mockingbird. Apart from the reference to a
"Mockingbird" there was also reference to "Bluejays". Bluejays are supposed to cause
mischief. I found out this when Atticus gave air guns to Jem and Scout and said "Shoot
all the blue jays you want, if you can hit 'em, but remember it's a sin to kill a
Mockingbird...Mockingbirds don't do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. They
don't eat up peoples gardens, don't nest in corncribs, they don't do one thing but sing
their hearts out for us. That's why it's a sin to kill a Mockingbird." The Mockingbird is
symbolic of Boo Radley, Atticus and Tom Robinson because they went out of their way to
help others, and have not harmed anyone. And the Bluejay is symbolic of Robert Ewell as
he caused misery and pain towards the "Mockingbirds", Atticus and Tom.
Harper Lee has used different dialect to show the persons background- rich
people speak in standard English such as Atticus Finch and uneducated people in non-
standard such as Robert Ewell and Calpurnia. Harper Lee has written this novel in two
parts. I think that the first part is more depressing than the second part because the first
part deals with prejudice and courage. At the end of the first part and towards the second
part, Scout eventually grows up. She is more mature and I believe she has learnt to
"climb into (anothers) skin and walk around it". Lee's implementation of imagery helps in
progressing the theme of the novel. An example would be when Scout was on the porch
of a house, she had once thought to be haunted, "Street lights winked down the street all
the way to town....In daylight, I thought, you could see the postoffice corner." Then, she
makes a transition, talking on the reflective tone, "Daylight,"she says "in my mind, the
night faded." Her reference to daylight is symbolic of the new view that Scout has. Her
knowledge has made a fresh "light" on things. She begins to describe the high points of
her young life in a more mature attitude, "A boy trudged down the sidewalk dragging his
fishing pole behind him......Winter and his children shivered at the front gate, silhouetted
against a blazing house." This imagery allows the reader to understand the change that
Scout has undergone. In the novel "To Kill A Mockingbird" themes are repeated such as
courage. We can see this when Boo Radley helps Jem and Scout. Firstly, by placing the
blanket over Jem to protect him and at the end of the play, when Boo killed Ewell to
rescue the children. Now, I shall look at the positive aspect of the novel.
I will be looking at the theme- growing up. "To Kill A Mockingbird" deals with
many basic lessons in human nature. The book "To Kill A Mockingbird" exposes many
issues that affect most people throughout their lives. Scout, the main character was one
of the most affected by these lessons. During the book she was exposed to xperiences. In
the three years that the book took place, she may have learned the most important things
she will learn over her entire life. One person that affected Scouts life was Arthur (Boo)
Radley. He brought curiosity, fear and then finally relief to her heart. There were rumours
that while he cut out the newspaper for his scrap book he "drove the scissors into his
parent's leg." He had tried to kill them. Even though this may have been just a rumour
the kids were terrified of the Radleys. They described him often as a monster "six-and-a-
half feet tall" with "bloodstained" hands. He was said to eat "raw squirrels and any cats
he could catch". Finally at the end of the book he proves he is a good person by saving
Scout and Jem's lives. In this instance Scout may have found that to negatively prejudge
someone is wrong. She also learned compassion.
Scout also learnt about the ugliness of life; about death and pain. This lesson
occurred while her brother had to read to a sick and dying old lady. This lady's name was
Mrs. Dubose. She had been a morphine addict and had decided to go clean till her death.
To die as a free women, to die knowing she had won. Probably the most important
person in Scout's life was the one who had set the best examples for her. This was Atticus.
He taught Scout how to deal with people. One of his teachings was to be the bigger
person. When Robert Ewell spits in Atticus's face and threatened his life, he did nothing
and walked away. All he had to say later was, "I wish Robert Ewell wouldn't chew
tobacco." Atticus reacts with his brain not emotions. He encourages Scout to do the
same. He also advised her that in order to know a person, you should try "climb" onto a
persons skin and walk around a little. Another lesson that he teaches is respect. Respect
for people who are different. People such as Boo Radley. The kids had been acting out a
play which involved Boo's scissor incident. They also tried to give a letter to him, so that
he would come out to meet them. Atticus found out about both incidents. They were put
in their place and told to, "stop tormenting that man." He then told them that, "what
Mr.Radley did was his own business." Atticus also commanded respect for black people.
He once told Jem that if a white man cheats a black man, "no matter who he is, how rich
he is, or how fine a family he comes from, that man is trash." At the trial he also
explained that there are bad and good black men as there are good and bad white men.
Now, I will be looking at the theme courage.Courage is the quality of mind that
enables one to face danger with confidence, resolution, and gain a firm control of oneself.
Many of the characters in "To Kill A Mockingbird" showed courage in their own way.
Courage can come in many different forms: emotional, mental, physical, and moral. The
many forms of courage are shown throughout the novel by the characters of Jem, Boo
(Arthur) Radley, Mrs. Dubose, and Atticus. One example can be found when Atticus
Finch is faced with the mob at the jail, where Jem turns up. And although being a child
and being powerless to physically do anything, he refuses to leave until after the crowd
has left. He shows that he is not scared of one of their ill-reputated neighbours. Scout on
the other hand, stands up for herself by fighting her classmates. Jem showed one of the
greatest acts of physical courage as he protected his little sister Scout from the attack of
Robert Ewell on the night of Halloween. Boo was also very courageous, he lived many
years without human contact. That is a lonely thing to do, and it took mental courage for
him to try and reach out to Jem and Scout when his father kept him imprisoned.
Emotional courage is shown through Mrs. Dubose; she was a morphine addict and it took
great courage for her to quit before her death to "die beholden to nothing and nobody".
Atticus is one of the most courageous characters in the novel. He showed moral courage
when he defended a black man who was falsely charged with the rape of a white woman.
He stood up for his believes despite of what the people of Maycomb thought of him as a
"Nigger lover" and a disgrace to his family. Another example of courage can be found
when Tom Robinson, after court, is taken away by the police. He is shot in the back while
running away. Maybe his running was one final act of courage. Maybe he knew that
being black, he could never truly live in peace and never be truly free. One final
character that shows courage is Boo Radley. Shunned by the town for keeping to himself,
his true personality is hidden beneath the stories made up for his choice to be solitary.
The night that Ewell attacks the children, he fights him off and eventually stabs him.
Radley knows that the town will be better off without this madman.
In comparison, Robert Ewell is not courageous. He takes a black man to court on
a lie rather than admit that his daughter was in the wrong. He takes advantage of the
fact that the whole town is prejudiced and gets them all on his side. He continues blaming
his actions on an innocent "Negro", who he then stands by and watches die without a
worry in the world. He tries to look courageous by confronting Atticus who he knows is
never going to fight back. He also makes threats towards and in the end attacks the
Finch children. In reality, Robert is a weak man who is prepared to go with the majority
rather than stop and think for himself. His daughter Mayella is put on the stand and does
not have the courage to tell the truth. She reels off a story that has been concocted by
Robert to cover himself. If she had have told the truth, she risked social isolation but I
believe she was more afraid of her father and what she faced if she disobeyed him.
Another text similar to "To Kill A Mockingbird" is "Roll Of Thunder" by Mildred
Taylor. The only difference between Lee's novel and Taylors is that "Roll Of Thunder"
mainly talks about prejudice whereas "To Kill A Mockingbird" about prejudice,
symbolism, courage and growing up. I believe that the novel "To Kill A Mockingbird" is
optimistic. This being because it mainly teaches us how people are equal and the
prejudice in the 1930's. "To Kill a Mockingbird" is a book that is full of morals. It
educates the people of today to be courageous towards life, to perish racism, to always
stand in other people's shoes and to finally learn from experiences in life.