Ciara Ragan
Mr. Ippolito
English Honors II
8 February 17
To Kill A Mockingbird Essay
Set in the 1930s, author Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird”, explores the adversities within the moral and social ladder in the fictional small town of Maycomb, Alabama. To Kill A Mockingbird, is a unique book among many poignant pieces of literature today in that the novel solely develops the author’s idea, brought to attention by Atticus Finch, strong father example to Scout and Jem as well as a lawyer, in the novel, to “…shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit ’em, but remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird” yet it successfully incorporates mature themes, like the racism in the South at the time. By the exploration of the the problems facing society today, Mockingbird creates a masterpiece of a work that has enraptured people’s minds and hearts for generations to come. The young protagonist, Scout Finch, witty narration mixed with her innocence and brash actions makes her the kind of heroine you can’t help but to root for. The events that take place in Maycomb are small-scale versions of the dilemmas that face our world today. But upon close examination, it is a complex novel dealing with themes of education, moral courage, and tolerance. Through the eyes of Scout, Lee educates the reader about the importance of moral education, as opposed to a formal education; also touched on is society as a whole on the subject of the destruction of innocence through learning experiences; as the characters learn, they grow to discover the difference between traditional bravery and moral courage, and prejudice versus tolerance.
The theme of growth from innocence to experience occurs many times in the first part of To Kill a Mockingbird. This process is one of the central themes in the first eleven chapters of this book, because it shows how Scout and Jem, Scout’s older brother, change and mature through learning to accept you lose a little as you grow up. They both learn particularly Scout, some of the abilities that disappear—like fairness, compassion, and a critical way of looking at the world—are well worth trying to keep, though they may be lost. A mockingbird, a harmless and innocent creature, also a symbolic part of the story, is depicted to be more than feathers. When Scout tells Miss Maudie, the Finch’s neighbor, about what Atticus says to Jem about killing mockingbirds, she expands on his idea to instill the mockingbird’s importance. Miss Maudie says,“‘Your father’s right… Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy… That’s why it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird’” (Lee 90). In addition to bearing the title of the novel, this passage demonstrates how the story of innocence is destroyed by evil. The “mockingbird” comes out to represent the idea of innocence. Thus, to kill a mockingbird is to destroy innocence. Scout’s character is used to show that others have been corrupted by society’s errors of which they are all guilty of. Scout sees first hand the small errors in people she has grown close to when Calpurnia, the Finch’s house maid who is highly respected by them, takes Scout to church with her. Scout notices a difference in Calpurnia amongst her congregation in her mannerisms. Scout says to Calpurnia, “‘Why do you talk n****r talk to the to your folks when you know it’s not right?’” (Lee 131). Calpurnia replies that it is because she’s black and Scout then says, “‘But Cal, you know better’”(Lee 132). Scout’s questioning of Calpurnia causes her to open her eyes and see someone else’s experiences. Calpurnia feels that she has to behave a certain way in front of certain people, which reflects the influence people have on other innocent ones. At this point, Scout is already becoming used to society’s innate racism and losing her childhood innocence as she is implying that the white people’s way of talking is better than the black people’s talk. This quote can also be interpreted as Scout telling Calpurnia that she knows she doesn’t have to change to fit in. What Scout doesn’t realize is in this moment, she is becoming just like the people she doesn’t like or want to become; the racists; by using unfair and quick judgement. However, Scout herself is a mockingbird in the way of how she herself has not yet been corrupted and so her childhood innocence is preserved. As the story progresses, Scout begins to gain knowledge and slowly begins to develop a sense of the world around her. As Scout gradually learns, she loses grasp of her innocence as she becomes accustomed to the way in which people are openly racist. Though Scout slowly loses this innocence, she gains something more important: an understanding of society around her and a deeper understanding of moral values. With Scout’s narration, the reader is presented the microcosm of Maycomb through her unknowing perspective and perceptual growth as she innocently repeats what she hears, believing her environment is acceptable. Throughout the novel, Scout portrays her childhood innocence in various ways. She does not recognize the meaning behind specific derogatory terms she hears on an everyday basis. Scout is continually asking her father to explain phrases and words such as “n*****r-lover” and “rape.” Because of her naivety, Scout also believes everything her brother says, fearing her reclusive neighbor, Arthur “Boo” Radley, and refers to him as the “malevolent phantom.” She believes the false rumors that surround Boo, feeding into her environment. At the beginning of the novel, Scout lacks perspective and the ability to control her emotions. Atticus is continually reminding Scout to keep composure and exercise tolerance throughout the novel. Scout is also not aware of the overt prejudice and hypocrisy prevalent in the small town of Maycomb. She has yet to understand the level of oppression facing African Americans until she witnesses Tom Robinson’s trial. With Scout’s naivety about the town throughout the book, it is then better for the reader to assess the value of the town’s characters. The cultural biases and opinions of the town is presented from a child who lacks the guile of one older. With Scout’s judgements, there is a development from an imaginative naivete to a level of experience that reveals the truth of life’s deceits and games.
Because of the exploration of the story’s larger moral questions take place within the perspective of children, the idea of educating them is necessary to involve the development of all of the novel’s themes. In one aspect of the book, the plot of the story explores Scout’s moral education and the theme of how children are educated. They are taught to move quickly from innocence to adulthood and these lessons recur throughout the novel. This theme and idea is explored most effectively through the relationship between Atticus, as he devotes himself to instilling a social conscience in his children. Moments that take place at school provide a direct counterpoint to Atticus’s effective education of his children. Scout is frequently confronted by teachers like Miss Caroline, who is either frustratingly unsympathetic to children’s needs or morally hypocritical. Scout shows how moral education can be taught and come from someone who is younger, just as well as someone who is older. Both Jem and Scout are shown going through a tremendous amount of growing up not only physically but also mentally, morally, and emotionally. In this way, Atticus’s ability to put himself in his children’s skin makes him an excellent teacher, while Ms. Caroline’s rigid commitment to the techniques she uses, makes her ineffective as an adult example. The fact that the very institution preparing the next generation for the future is flawed and teaches narrow mindedness (in the case of Scout being reprimanded for having a higher literacy level outside of school), only can foreshadow the next generation being just as prejudice and discriminative as the current one. Miss Caroline doesn’t understand the ways of a small town, and the small town doesn’t understand the ways of Miss Caroline, leading to a breakdown in broken communication and rigid progress. Therefore, the lack of progress and communication, prevents proper education to take place. Yet, Atticus suffices for adult examples outside of the home like Ms. Caroline and her ignorance. As the novel progresses, Scout and Jem mature, and various characters, most notably Atticus, impacts and guides in their moral development. The novel’s commentary about education is that the most important lessons are those of sympathy and understanding, and that a sympathetic, understanding approach is the best way to teach lessons. Through the contrast between Atticus and Miss Caroline’s influence on children, shows how experience is key in teaching. Miss Caroline’s disconnect in relating to someone’s situation, environment, and other human beings, shows through her teachings. She insults the intelligence of all her students by reading them stories below their grade level. She particularly insults the intelligence of Scout, who is already a highly skilled reader thanks to the example and encouragement of her father, whom Miss Caroline then proceeds to denigrate as a negative influence on Scout’s learning. Before long, the teacher is so frustrated with Scout that she actually raps the girl’s hand with a ruler, punishing her physically in a way that Atticus never would. Throughout the novel, Atticus’ assistance to Jem and Scout’s development becomes evident. Atticus takes every opportunity to attempt to teach his children the importance of having an open-mind. Atticus, instead, shows his children intellectual and moral respect, treating them as young people who are developing quickly into adults and who are capable of understanding reason. He doesn’t hesitate to tell them when they are wrong but he never once hits his children, nor does he act condescendingly to children in general, as Miss Caroline does. In fact, Atticus treats his children with the dignity and respect he shows everyone, including Scout’s teacher herself, whom he easily forgives for her mistakes. By having a contrast between Miss Caroline and Atticus, it is portrayed to the reader once more that those who hold authority and guidance, underscore important ideas and strengthen the educational aspect and structure of the novel.
The novel covers an aspect of the moral nature of human beings– that is, whether people are essentially good or evil. As the story progresses, it approaches the questions surrounding this idea by showing Scout and Jem’s transition from a perspective of childhood innocence, in which they assume people are good because they have never seen any evil until faced with a more adult perspective. As a result of the portrayal of transitioning from innocence into young adulthood, this theme involves the threat that hatred, prejudice, and ignorance pose to the innocent: characters such as Scout and Jem and a more unlikely character, their neighbor Boo Radley. Like Scout and Jem, people such as Boo Radley are not prepared for the evil they encounter and as a result, they are destroyed. Boo is an innocent person by virtue of his lack of contact with society. It may be that his mental status is not 100% creating a situation in that he is forever a child without the adult ability to reason. Boo serves as a fearful, mythologized presence through the majority of the story despite never actually appearing until near the end of the book. He has a past that leaves for his habits and appearance to become the subject of urban legend after he is placed under house arrest as a young person; his reputation, fueled by town speculation and gossip, becomes that of a crazed maniac who prowls the streets of Maycomb at night and eating stray animals. These stories are expanded by the imaginative games of Scout, Jem, and Dill, next door friend, who re-enact the life and times of Boo in an attempt to get him to come outside. Despite all of the tall tales spread around the neighborhood, Boo is actually a very innocent person and is one of the metaphorical mockingbirds referenced by the book’s title. As one of the human mockingbirds of the novel, Boo Radley is an innocent and harmless man accused of crimes he did not commit; instead, he attempted to befriend Jem and Scout, leaving them gifts in the knothole of a large tree to show his kindness; until his brother Nathan seals the hole. Rather than being the monster that the town seems to think he is, Boo passive and gentle. Although he is a good person, he is threatened by the presence of evil. When Miss Maudie’s house goes to fire, Boo becomes a recluse. He then observes Jem, Scout, and Dill in their activities. It is not until Boo is disturbed by Bob Ewell’s attack, when he recognizes the evil that men do, thus losing his ingenuousness. Having grown to care for the children with whom he has tried to interact with, Boo rushes to help Jem and, in so doing, arrests Ewell in his reprehensible act, stabbing him to death. Yet, Boo remains a “mockingbird,” an innocent of society who intends no harm. Boo, the man of the strangest ways but the purest at heart, keeping to his house as the community batters away at him. Therefore, Boo Radley loses his naivete of perception of mankind–if he even has it when his killing of Bob Ewell is in defense to save Jem and Scout, transforming into His heroic act can be seen as a loss of innocence, however, he does not lose his innocence of soul as he remains a “mockingbird.” Possibly, he is afraid of adults because the only time he ends up doing good deeds, he is doing them for the children. After the Tom Robinson trial, Jem and Scout start to have a different understanding of Boo Radley, merely a shy man. “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” (117). Having seen a sample of the horrible things their fellow townspeople can do, choosing to stay out of the mess of humanity does not seem like such a strange choice. Boo is just like Scout and Jem, a middle aged child isolated from the world around them. Throughout the story, Boo grows from being viewed as a miserable being into the main and innocent point of the book, the mockingbird. Finally faced with Boo, Scout does not even recognize him after all; she’s never seen him before, except in her dreams. As Atticus and Mr. Tate debate over what to say about Ewell’s death, Scout intervenes. She chooses to oppose her father in revealing Boo, sparing him by his fear of being in public. “’Well, it’d be sort of like shootin’ a mockingbird, wouldn’t it’” (276). Not only in this moment does Scout mature but she finally gains a full understanding of Boo’s position. Jem and Scout come to grow and realize they have to lose their childlike imagination and face the reality of their childhood. Like Boo, Jem and Scout slowly begin to learn they have to overcome Maycomb’s “disease”- ignorance.