Beckford-7
English II
May 20, 2013
To Kill A Mockingbird Literary Analysis Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird shows life through a child’s eyes as she is growing. During the 1930s, blacks were thought of lowly than whites, no matter class. Women were underneath men and girls were supposed to help around the house. The novel contains many themes, including racism and equal rights, but one of the less noticed, but still very relevant to the plot, is the maturing of children and the effects it may have on their lives. Tom Robinson, a wrongly tried negro, convicted of raping and abusing Mayella Ewell, largely influences Jean L. Finch (Scout), Jeremy A. Finch (Jen), and Charles B. Harris (Dill). Through the new experiences that the Robinson trial has brought to each of them, Scout, Dill, and especially Jem have developed new feelings and ideas. The process of growing up for each of these characters shows the shift made from immaturity and youth to the gaining of knowledge and through new experiences, the coming of the loss of innocence.
Beginning after Mrs. Dubose’s death, Jem begins to show hints of maturity, and even more signs come during the Robinson trial. Jem’s first change was in higher knowledge on true bravery, giving him a new and truer meaning of courage, shown after Mrs. Dubose’s death. He learned about tolerance and courage from Mrs. Dubose in the beginning of the book, he had wild imaginations just like any other child, but towards the end of the book, he is becomes more like Atticus. Mrs. Dubose fought her Morphine addiction during her last days alive having Jem read to her every day for a few weeks to help her keep her mind of her addiction. Jem thought Atticus forced him to do this for destroying her beloved camellias. But, in fact Atticus shows Jem and Scout that even though she knew she was to die, she still fought her addiction anyway because it was right. "I wanted you to see what real courage is… It's when you know you're licked before you begin but you begin anyway… she died beholden to nothing and nobody. She was the bravest person I ever knew” (Harper 112). This statement by Atticus changes Jem’s views on bravery and courage, shedding light on how he understands the injustice in the Tom Robinson case.
During the Robinson trial, Jem and the others don’t understand why the jury would be so cruel to wrongly convict Robinson, solely because of the color of his skin. Through this experience, they learn how the majority of people in such a previously wonderful town think about the life a black man. “It was Jem’s turn to cry. His face was streaked with angry tears…”(Harper 242). Jem truly doesn’t comprehend how people could be so hateful as to convict Tom so unjustly. Jem doesn’t understand the mindset of the rest of the peoples in Maycomb. However as the trial had progresses Jem shows that he understands that it was unjust. “’It ain’t right’”(Harper 242), Jem repeats to himself after the hearing was complete. Jem is baffled by the extremes of prejudice that the citizens of Maycomb county posses against blacks. “… I’ll never understand those folks as long as I live”(Harper 254). This quote further proves Jem and Scout have a fresh outlook on life; they no longer view everything through the eyes of an innocent child. Yet they neither have the same views as most of the adults in Maycomb County; they don’t posses the hate and prejudice contained in many adults.
The newly found maturity in Scout and Jem changed their views on Arthur (Boo) Radley, not because he saved Jem’s life, but rather because they have a new understanding of things. “The Radley place had ceased to terrify [Scout]…”(Harper 277). Scout has gained much knowledge of how things work in real life and she has lost the childlike vision and fantasies/nightmares of Boo Radley. “’If there’s just one kind of folks, why can’t they get along with each other? If they’re all alike, why do they go out of their way to despise each other? Scout, I think I’m beginning to understand something. I think I’m beginning to understand why Boo Radley’s stayed shut up in the house all this time... it’s because he wants to stay inside.’” Jem’s speech shows the battle going inside him between childhood innocence and his new awareness of life’s cruelty.
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