Literary Analysis Of To Kill A Mockingbird

To Kill A Mockingbird Literary Analysis As most people have read the novel “To Kill A Mockingbird” by Harper Lee, many have wondered, what contributes most to the story’s themes? Well, throughout the novel, there are three main literary elements that come into play. In the passage “‘It ain’t right, Atticus…”’(pg.284) to “I looked up, and his face was vehement”(pg.296), Harper Lee uses the literary element character, setting, and tone to develop the theme that recognizing perspectives contributes to coming of age. As many other themes in the novel, the theme will show a change in how Jem starts to view the world, and the major roles included in it, such as racism. But his perspective comes mostly from the kind of character he is. The
As Jem and Scout are watching the judge convict, Scout starts to cry, but Jem does the opposite. “‘It ain’t right’ he muttered, all the way to the corner of the square where he found Atticus waiting”(pg.284). When readers examine this passage, they are able to sense this feeling of Jem transitioning into Mr.Finch. As he is hearing the convict, a feeling of anger overpowers him, enabling him to see how racism is affecting the South deeply. This contributes to the theme by showing Jem’s turning point from a kid to a mature man. Also, his perspective plays a huge role in this, as his anger is controlling his actions. Since Scout hasn’t realized the power of racism yet, her emotion are just for Tom, not for the movement. Another example of tone in the novel is when Jem is trying to tell Atticus that Maycomb County needs to understand that Tom Robinson didn’t do nothing to the girl. “‘He didn’t kill anybody even if he was guilty. He didn’t take anybody’s life”’(pg.293). This quote shows how Jem’s tone towards helping Tom has changed from anger to reason. The theme supports this by showing how the perspective of Jem is beginning to see the trial from all the different sides. Although he is too young to even participate in this kind of situation, he is beginning to understand the concepts of the kind of people there are in this world. Altogether, Jem’s coming of age for becoming a man can be seen in
In this passage, Harper Lee uses the elements of character, setting, and tone to describe the theme of recognizing perspectives. As Jem is witnessing the trial of Tom Robinson vs. Mayella Ewell, his character as a whole has changed from being a boy to becoming a man. Also, the setting of both the court and Maycomb County has showed Jem that the world will never be a perfect place, as long as racism will be around. Lastly, the different feelings and emotions Jem feels during the trial and at home with Atticus has shown readers the different ways a boy can experience his coming of age. Therefore, the novel “To Kill A Mockingbird” by Harper Lee, can be understood at a level in which readers are able to experience racism during the Great