A)We all know that good literature expresses a theme. This is definitely the case in To Kill a Mockingbird. Harper Lee plays with various universal themes that her readers can relate to. I noticed that Lee made a point to show that ignorance and naiveness are two totally different things. This is most obvious when she uses Scout, a young tomboy to tell her own story. Through Scout we meet Boo Radley, whom to the rest of Maycomb, is, well, a freak because he chooses to live in seclusion.
Scout however, though she has never actually met him, uses Boo and his home as sort of like her playground. She finds him mysterious, interesting, and spooky. Another example of where Harper Lee used Scouts naivness is all throughout the trial of Tom Robinson. Scout, whos father Atticus was a very prominent lawyer in the town, defended Tom in his hideous trial. Tom, who was on trial for raping Mayella Ewell, was innocent, but he was being accused based solely upon his race.
Scout and her brother Jem were so accepting of Tom, and their father defending them, do to Calpurnia, the familys faithful Negro cook. Because Scout had this bond with Calpurnia, she was not as ignorant as the other people of her society, and did not understand what was the big deal over someones skin, this was also shown when she got offended when she heard her father referred to as a B)Harper Lee definitely did a great job of writing a novel that readers of my age can relate to. Especially teens in the South, where, some people still view black people as inferior. In Maycomb, blacks were still thought of as slaves, and therefore, treated like dirt. This shows how predjuice and evil our world was, and probably always will be. Everyone can relate to some form of racism.
Whether it be from the brand of shoes you choose to wear, or the activities you choose to participate in. I also thought that she portrayed the three children in the story very well. They were all very innocent and naive, and always looking for adventure and excitement. No matter where or how they had to go C)In the book Mockingbird, I thought that the most important word was ignorance. This is what had most of the people in Maycomb afraid of people that were different.
This is what made them so hostile towards Tom Robinson, who only was helping a white woman, but wound up being charged for rape. The most important passage in my opinion is when Atticus Fitch, tells his children in Chapter Ten that – remember, it is a sin to kill a mockingbird. This really proves how Lee was portraying characters throughout her book as mockingbirds; harmless and innocent people, singing their own songs, but yet always harasses by their peers. I really like how Atticus worded this passage, and made it so that Scout understood. The most important element in the story, would be prejudice.
If Maycomb wasnt built solely on tradition and racial prejudice, I dont think half of the events in the story would have taken place. D)I thought the ending of the book had alot of twists and turns. I knew that somehow, Boo Radley would finally come out, but I think the way Harper Lee did it, was great. We see how Scout changed her view and realized how Boo Radley was actually a good person. I think it was good that Atticus did not bring Boo to court, because I don’t think he committed the crime. Another thing, I think that it was absolutely terrible that Tom Robinson was falsely accused, but I do think that if he had been let free, it would have taken away from the drama in the novel.
I liked how Harper Lee showed us how Scout matured so much and learned from her experiences. Bibliography:
