To Kill A Mockingbird Essay

“She seemed glad to see me when I appeared in the kitchen, and by watching her I began to think there was some sort of skill involved with being a girl.” Jean Louise Finch, or Scout, as she is referred to fondly, is a young girl born and raised in the small town of Maycomb, Alabama in the 1930’s. Her father, Atticus Finch, is a lawyer chose to defend a black man who was falsely accused of raping a white woman. This white woman made this accusation to cover up the fact that she came on to a Negro during the racist times of the Great Depression. Harper Lee creates a “timeless classic of American literature” in her 1960 novel To Kill a Mockingbird through her use of a white man defending a black man and Heck Tate’s experience of protecting Arthur “Boo” Radley to demonstrate good and bad role models.
Atticus Finch followed through and came close to winning the case, but unfortunately, Robinson was found guilty. Atticus is a good role model because of the fact that he tried. Atticus stated about the trial, “You might hear some ugly talk about it at school, but do one thing for me if you will: you just hold your head high and keep those fists down. No matter what anybody says to you, don’t you let ‘em get your goat. Try fighting with your head for a change... it’s a good one, even if it does resist learning” (Lee pg 78). Atticus has great advice for Scout and always seems to know what to.
Women had fewer rights in 1932 than women have in today’s society. Scout is taught her role as a woman by Aunt Alexandra, , Calpurnia, Miss Caroline, and Miss Maudie, who all live under certain restrictions. Calpurnia was more of an influence at the beginning of the novel. She loved Scout and Jem like her own children. Calpurnia disciplined them like a mother, and loved them like a mother as well. By taking them to her church and telling Scout she could come to her house, she crossed a barrier from “housemaid” to a friend or a guardian. Calpurnia tells Scout about why she talks different around black friends than how she normally speaks. “Folks don’t like to have somebody around knowin’ more than they do. It aggravates ‘em” (Lee pg 128). This is one of the many lessons Scout learned in the book. Calpurnia taught Scout, as well as Jem, many priceless lessons. She teaches so many basic, yet key things to Scout. In conclusion, To Kill a Mockingbird is a novel about symbols and figures. The “mockingbird” can be named to a number of people throughout the entire novel. The two most noticeable connections to the children were Atticus and Calpurnia. Atticus made impressions on his kids that would last them a lifetime. Calpurnia taught them things that were helpful. Without Atticus and Calpurnia, Jem and Scout would not be the same. Together, these two characters represented the way Scout and Jem were raised. Atticus was, in fact, the key role model in both Scout and Jem’s lives. Atticus and Calpurnia were the two most prominent characters in delivering the moral values and explanations to Scout.