Theme Of Good And Evil In To Kill A Mockingbird
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is a riveting novel about a family discovering the cruelness of the world. The story is told through the eyes of Jean Louise "Scout" Finch, a girl who spends her time running around in overalls and chasing after her older brother Jem. Throughout the course of the novel, Scout witnesses the revolting aspects of human nature and learns the answers to questions concerning evilness corrupting the beautiful innocence of a child. Taking place in the small, peaceful town of Maycomb, Alabama, To Kill a Mockingbird is set in a time when racial tension is high. After Scout's father Atticus takes the job of defending a black man in court, Scout is teased by the other children in school. When she asks her father about the names he is called, Atticus tries his best to explain the situation. Scout has faith her father will win the case, even when he admits it would be unlikely. But when Atticus loses, Scout becomes discouraged and starts to question the ways her world works, and eventually experiences the terrors of racism.
…show more content…
Ultimately, this confronts the concept of good and evil in humanity. Because of Atticus's strong beliefs about white and black equality, he takes the case of defending a black man against a white woman. Atticus tolerates–and even embraces–the hate he experiences and teaches his children to do the same. "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" (Lee, 39), Atticus says. He says this to discourage Scout from picking fights with another child, but this can apply to the way Bob Ewell harasses the Finches after the trial was over. Atticus handles problems with grace, like a gentleman, and hopes his children will do the same in the face of
Ultimately, this confronts the concept of good and evil in humanity. Because of Atticus's strong beliefs about white and black equality, he takes the case of defending a black man against a white woman. Atticus tolerates–and even embraces–the hate he experiences and teaches his children to do the same. "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" (Lee, 39), Atticus says. He says this to discourage Scout from picking fights with another child, but this can apply to the way Bob Ewell harasses the Finches after the trial was over. Atticus handles problems with grace, like a gentleman, and hopes his children will do the same in the face of