Racism is an important issue that is still present in today's society and relevant to the community. This is also one of the most important theme presented in the book. Racism is seen when Scout is ridiculed by her cousin, who said "Your dad is nothing but a nigger-lover!' Level of language is used here to show contempt. This is accentuated by contrasting the fact that its spoken out of the mouth of a child, which symbolises purity, with the influence of racism, showing the reader how widespread racism is in society. …show more content…
This broadens the understanding of the reader, as they view the differences between good and evil, and absorbs the challenges that the characters faces .The text shows the reader this by recounting the transition of Jem and Scout from a time of childhood innocence where they assume that all are good because they have never seen evil, to a more adult perspective, where they confronted evil and can incorporate it into their understanding of the world.
Evil is seen where the 'mockingbird' symbols are destroyed due to hatred, and prejudice. One example would be Tom Robinson, symbolising the Mockingbird that "does nothing but sing their hearts out for us." He is destroyed by the racial discrimination and the ignorance of the corrupted juries. Mr. Underwood refers to Tom being shot as the "senseless slaughter of songbirds," using alliteration to increase the impact of the phrase. Jem and Scout bear witness to the court hearing, and acknowledge unwillingly the ugly side of humanity lay bare before them, symbolising the "Sin" of killing a