To Kill A Mockingbird Theme Analysis
To Kill A Mockingbird Theme Analysis
Never in a million years did Harper Lee or anyone else living in the 60’s think we would have an African-American president. Harper Lee wrote To Kill a Mockingbird to create a conversation about racial issues and injustice in America. The novel centers on the Finch family, a progressive family living in the 1930’s South. Atticus Finch is tasked with defending an innocent man, Tom Robinson, in a rape accusation case. Seems simple. The only issue? Tom Robinson is black. The story is told through the point of view of Atticus’s child, Scout, who gets a first hand experience along with her brother, Jem, of the coming-of-age experiences and frustrations that come growing up in a racially divided society. The …show more content…
Rather than learning from Atticus how life is and how people tend to behave, they get first hand life experiences and try to work through what is morally right. After the court case, when Tom Robinson is convicted, Jem has a huge emotional struggle to work though in his mind. He just does not get it. It does not make sense to him why someone would be convicted just because the pigmentation of their skin is darker than most. He says: ‘“Atticus-’ said Jem bleakly. He turned in the doorway. "What, son?" ‘How could they do it, how could they?’ ‘I don't know, but they did it. They've done it before and they did it tonight and they'll do it again and when they do it—seems that only children weep. Good night.”’ (285). Prior, a passage discusses how these were “twelve sensible men” that were on the jury, but could not find it in themselves to find Tom not guilty. Jem does not understand how these seemingly good people in other aspects of life are able to bring themselves to stare Tom in the face and tell him he , when they know he really did not do anything. He goes into a depressed state for quite some time. Even just being a kid, this way of society tears him apart. And, the worst part of it is that although he hopes, he knows that this is how things are going to be for a very long time. Atticus ending his response to Jem by saying “seems only children weep” is the worst part for Jem because someone like his father who is so opposed and different than everyone else on this topic of race has even come to expect and almost accept how things are. Scout, on the other hand, being younger, is not as attuned to the specifics and reasoning on the court case, but experiences the negative side effects of Atticus challenging the rest of society, especially in school, and has to decide what her values are. Talking to Atticus one night at dinner, she says, ‘“Do you defend n******,
Never in a million years did Harper Lee or anyone else living in the 60’s think we would have an African-American president. Harper Lee wrote To Kill a Mockingbird to create a conversation about racial issues and injustice in America. The novel centers on the Finch family, a progressive family living in the 1930’s South. Atticus Finch is tasked with defending an innocent man, Tom Robinson, in a rape accusation case. Seems simple. The only issue? Tom Robinson is black. The story is told through the point of view of Atticus’s child, Scout, who gets a first hand experience along with her brother, Jem, of the coming-of-age experiences and frustrations that come growing up in a racially divided society. The …show more content…
Rather than learning from Atticus how life is and how people tend to behave, they get first hand life experiences and try to work through what is morally right. After the court case, when Tom Robinson is convicted, Jem has a huge emotional struggle to work though in his mind. He just does not get it. It does not make sense to him why someone would be convicted just because the pigmentation of their skin is darker than most. He says: ‘“Atticus-’ said Jem bleakly. He turned in the doorway. "What, son?" ‘How could they do it, how could they?’ ‘I don't know, but they did it. They've done it before and they did it tonight and they'll do it again and when they do it—seems that only children weep. Good night.”’ (285). Prior, a passage discusses how these were “twelve sensible men” that were on the jury, but could not find it in themselves to find Tom not guilty. Jem does not understand how these seemingly good people in other aspects of life are able to bring themselves to stare Tom in the face and tell him he , when they know he really did not do anything. He goes into a depressed state for quite some time. Even just being a kid, this way of society tears him apart. And, the worst part of it is that although he hopes, he knows that this is how things are going to be for a very long time. Atticus ending his response to Jem by saying “seems only children weep” is the worst part for Jem because someone like his father who is so opposed and different than everyone else on this topic of race has even come to expect and almost accept how things are. Scout, on the other hand, being younger, is not as attuned to the specifics and reasoning on the court case, but experiences the negative side effects of Atticus challenging the rest of society, especially in school, and has to decide what her values are. Talking to Atticus one night at dinner, she says, ‘“Do you defend n******,