Preview

Loss Of Innocence In To Kill A Mockingbird Essay

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
850 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Loss Of Innocence In To Kill A Mockingbird Essay
A loss of innocence is a recurring theme in Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird. In this novel a loss of innocence is conveyed through more than one character. Scout Finch is one, of few characters, to experience a loss of innocence. Her loss of innocence is prominent throughout the story and events that take place. The Radley game, getting racially shamed, the persecution of Tom Robinson, and getting attacked are a few events were the loosing of innocence is present. A loss of innocence is when someone gains the knowledge of what’s morally right or wrong; Realization that not everyone is kind hearted and that’s nothing is fair. At the beginning of the novel Arthur “Boo” Radley is introduced. Boo is mentally challenged and to the town he’s terrifying. “ he dined only on raw squirrel and any cats he could catch, that’s why his hands were bloodstained....There was a long jagged scar that ran …show more content…
Scout, Jem, and Dill all attend the Tom’s trial at the courthouse. “A jury never looks at a defendant it has convicted, and when the jury came in, not one of them looked at Tom Robinson.” (211). Scout watched as Atticus stated facts that were bond to prove Tom innocent; as the jury steps out scout notices Tom is being tried guilty. Scout watched Jem cry as he realized that Atticus couldn’t fix this; Scout begins to realize that her dad can’t fix everything and gains the knowledge of what people are really like. “I peeked at Jem: his hands were white from gripping the balcony rail, and his shoulders jerked as if each "guilty" was a separate stab between them” (211). She watched Jem throughout the trial; Jem had no doubt that they were going to win. All of the facts point to Tom being innocent and Scout watches Tom be convicted for something he didn’t do. Scout didn’t entirely understand what went on, unlike Jem, but she understood enough to realize that people will do whatever is best for

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    The trials verdict was made and Tom Robinson was proven guilty. There were plenty of evidence that supported Tom Robinson’s innocence, but because he is black he was treated unfairly. Jem was very disappointed when the decision was made because he thought Maycomb was a town filled with great and fair people. It affected Jem a lot and it made him overthink so many things, it also made him not talk to Scout much or anyone and that made Scout sad and worried about Jem. Meanwhile, Scout did not really care about the decision that was made because she did not quite understand what was going on.…

    • 107 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Have you ever seen someone get mistreated or treated cruelly? Like when people you think are fair and kind convict an innocent man just because he was African American. Experiences like these can lead to people realizing the world is far from perfect. This is called losing your innocence. In one book 3 children experience this kind of cruelty firsthand. Harper Lee’s purpose of writing this book was to show how the world may look fine at first but as you grow older you realize that not everyone treats each other kindly or fairly. In Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird”, the innocence of Dill, Scout, and Jem is taken away.…

    • 724 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Tom Robinson Sin

    • 789 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Unfortunately, the trial became the height of public interest. Soon after, Tom is shot as he tries to escape prison. This causes a great clash between Bob Ewell (who is glad it happened) and the Finches. This great schism reveals what the trial ultimately shapes--the consequences of killing a mockingbird, or an innocent man. It is also shown that Scout and Jem take a reclusive approach following the trial. This illustrates the idea that while in a state of innocence, humankind can see innocence personified. Following the trial, one important reflection stands out. Near the end of chapter 21, Scout reflects back on her feelings after the trial. She mentions that “a steaming summer night was no different from a winter morning” (210). In the context, she is referring to the coldness of the trial. It has left her with feelings of resentment toward the jury and many in Maycomb. She feels isolated. This example is the most effective illustration of the shaping effects of the trial on the meaning of the novel. This appears to be representing another consequence of “killing a…

    • 789 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Jem Finch Trial

    • 615 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The trial of Tom Robinson is very influential on Jem and Scout. This is an important depiction of how colored people were treated at the time. Although they are white and privileged, they understand that the trial was unjust. After the trial, the author writes, “I peeked at Jem, his hands were white from gripping the balcony rail, and his shoulders jerked as if each “guilty” was a separate stab between them” (Lee 282). Jem is smart enough to realize how obvious it was that Tom was innocent, but the…

    • 615 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    A lesson taught by Atticus in To Kill a Mockingbird is that you should never kill a mockingbird because they only create music and harm nothing. What Atticus meant by this is that you should never hurt an innocent person no matter the situation. In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird the mockingbird symbolizes all that is innocent and all that is harmless in society. Harper Lee uses two characters to show the innocence in people and to show how this innocence is often killed: Tom Robinson and Boo Radley. The theme in To Kill a Mockingbird, that often the innocent are harmed by the wicked unjustly and intentionally, only to be saved by the brave and intelligent, who try hard to show society who these people really are is clearly articulated throughout the novel by the use of the symbolism of the mockingbird infused in the…

    • 874 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In To Kill a Mockingbird, the author Harper Lee tells a story of innocence in our lives. Harper seeks the theme of innocence in several different ways, such as symbolism of a mockingbird, when violence increases innocence goes away and how Tom Robinson, exposes another aspect of innocence, as he is punished for a crime that he didn’t commit simply because of his race.…

    • 725 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Earnest Hemingway states that “all things truly wicked start from innocence.” This quote applies to Mayella Ewell as she corrupted herself and her innocence throughout To Kill a Mockingbird. Though Mayella may seem wholesome, she is a wolf in sheep’s clothing due to her part in the death of a virtuous, innocent man and then her part in the tormenting of the dead man’s wife. In chapter twenty-five, Scout realizes that “Tom was a dead man the minute Mayella Ewell opened her mouth and screamed,” (Lee 323) while she was pondering how a clearly innocent man could be tried as guilty (Lee 323). This quote illustrates how Mayella seemingly did worse than kill a man; she also had him declared guilty of a false crime, staining his reputation. To outsiders it will seem as if he was righteously killed, and what…

    • 415 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Scout and Jem’s father, Atticus, is an honest white man who is defending an innocent Negro man, although he is frowned upon by others. The white folks of Maycomb County think that they have a higher social status than the black community, and that the views of a Negro does not matter. The most blatant example of racism in the novel is when Tom Robinson was convicted of raping Mayella Ewell. Although the people of the town know that Tom Robinson was innocent, the jury still saw him as guilty because he is an African American man, and would never be able to win over a white man. This jury ruling causes both those who encouraged Robinson’s conviction and those who were convinced of his innocence to question their views of justice and fairness. This decision forces Scout and Jem to confront the fact that the beliefs that Atticus has taught them cannot always be accustomed with the reality of the world and the evils of human nature. Even their neighbor, Mrs. Henry Lafayette Dubose, who the children are scared of, is racist and calls Atticus a "nigger-lover" to his children. The children despise of her and “hated her. If she was on the porch when [they] passed, [they] would be raked by her wrathful gaze, subjected to ruthless interrogation regarding our behavior, and given a melancholy prediction on what [they] would amount to when [they] grew up, which was always nothing”…

    • 855 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Losing one’s innocence, or rather the simple act of growing up is inevitable. The children of primary focus in Harper Lee’s classic, “To Kill A Mockingbird”, succumb to their eventual fate by evolving into mature characters with help from the influential events in the town.…

    • 523 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Why do you think the thought of children growing up sometimes worries elders? In Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, A group of young children begin to discover and face the reality and the struggles of their neighborhood. Scout along with her brother and her best friend, Dill start to notice the many wrongs in their town. This book shows the children’s loss of innocence due to racism and other complications in their society.…

    • 523 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    ‘Growing up is a journey from childhood to loss of innocence’ How is this true from Jem in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird?…

    • 820 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Even in the pages before To Kill a Mockingbird, the author includes a quote preluding to the loss of innocence throughout the story. Charles Lamb said, “Lawyers, I suppose, were children once,” (Lee) I believe Harper Lee chose to include this quote before the story started to lead into the theme of children losing their innocence. Through this quote she insinuates that the heartless people we have in society today (not necessarily lawyers) were once innocent children. Basically, throughout To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee implies that children lose their innocence as they are confronted with difficulties such as runaways, prejudice, and attempted murders.…

    • 743 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    To Kill a Mockingbird

    • 534 Words
    • 3 Pages

    In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee suggests that Scout’s innocence is somewhat tarnished throughout the novel.…

    • 534 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The book To Kill a Mockingbird has many different themes. One that really stood out to me was Childhood Innocence, because the story is written from Scout’s point of view it portrays her childish and immature thoughts towards all of the events that happen in her life. Not only is Scout childish at times her brother Jem and her friend Dill also show irresponsible actions through the games they choose to play and the way they react to different things such as getting in trouble or just barely getting out of a tight spot. This analysis will go into depth of the continuous example of childhood innocence throughout the book.…

    • 658 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Harper Lee’s book To Kill a Mockingbird is significant because it gives many examples of individuals protecting the innocent. Jem, Scout, Tom Robinson, and Boo Radley are characters in the book that are examples of “innocents” who were in need of protection. In this story, the mockingbird is symbolic of the innocents. All of these characters in some way are like mockingbirds. For the purpose of this essay, I’ve chosen the two most symbolic characters Tom Robinson and Boo Radley.…

    • 920 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays