To Kill a Mockingbird

The major theme of this novel is the injustice and prejudices which affect the lives of innocent people who have to live with them. To hurt or destroy something is shown to be like "killing a mockingbird" whose only contribution to the world is beauty. The two main plots of the novel are separate at first but come together at the end, both supporting the theme. At the beginning, we see Scout and the other children fascinated by the hibernation of Boo Radley, and try to see him or get him out. As the story unfolds, and the children mature, they also become involved in their father’s court case defending Tom Robinson, a negro who is accused of rape. The themes of injustice, suffering, and prejudice then become a part of the everyday lives of these children. After the trial, the plots concerning Boo Radley and Tom Robinson come together when Boo saves the children’s lives when they are attacked by bob Ewell who is angry at the way he was treated during the trial. Scout takes Boo home at the end of the day and when standing on his front porch she sees the town as he seen it for many years. She understands why he has stayed inside and also understands why her father and Heck Tate did not charge him with killing of Bob Ewell. Scout sees Tom Robinson and Boo Radley as victims of the the society in which they live. They are like the mockingbirds who add beauty and harm no one, but are sometimes destroyed by those who do not know the difference.

Point of View - The person through whose eyes we view the action of the story. In this novel we see the action through the eyes of Scout, a six year old girl. The author’s choice of Scout as the narrator has advantages and disadvantages.

1. We only get first-hand accounts of those incidents which Scout herself witnesses. All other incidents are related to us by hearsay. This means that everything that happens in the story is colored by Scout’s opinions.

2. It is difficult to accept the fact that Scout, a mere six-year-old, would be able to comment in such a grown-up manner on the various things that happen in the story. It is much more likely that a six-year-old would simply relate the incidents and leave the reader to interpret their significance. It seems that at times the point of view is that of a small girl, whereas at other times it is that of a grown woman looking back to the time when she was a small girl.

1. We get to see the action through the eyes of a child who has not been influenced by the prejudices of grownups. This gives us a fresh insight into the problems of childhood and of the south.

2. The use of the first person point of view draws us closer to the narrator and we feel a part of the action. This is especially true in the first part of the book. As the story moves into the trial it seems that we become watchers of the action rather than participators. This is necessary because obviously Scout, a very young girl, could not closely witness all of the details of a rape trial.

Often a writer will use an object in the story to represent a key idea. This is true of To Kill a Mockingbird. Here the mockingbird is a symbol which represents the basic theme of the novel.

Miss Maudie Atkinson tells the children that a mockingbird harms no one; all it does is add beauty and song to the world. Atticus says, "... it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird." as we read and encounter other refernces to the mockingbird, we begin to realize that the mockingbird represents the victims of injustice and prejudice on our society. It symbolizes innocent people who are made to suffer through no fault of their own. The sin of killing a mockingbird is equated with the perpetrating of injustice upon innocent individuals.

"Mockingbirds" are scattered throughout the novel. The two most obvious are, of course, Tom Robinson and Boo Radley. Boo Radley is a mockingbird because he had apparently chosen to withdraw himself from the evils of society. His neighbors, because they cannot understand his actions, constantly ridicule him. From the moment he got into trouble with the law as a boy to the time when he came out to save Jem, Boo Radley is an innocent victim of society. Even when he does save Jem, he comes perilously close to being charged with the murder of Bob Ewell. The fact that he is not so charged serves to reaffirm out faith that indeed there is still some justice in the world.

Tom Robinson is the classic victim of injustice which us caused by nothing more than racial prejudice. He has an excellent reputation in Maycomb yet is convicted of rape and later shot when he tries to escape from prison. In this case we have the clearest instance of the symbolism of the mockingbird. He can picture Tom being shot down while trying to escape the prison walls and compare it to the brutal killing of an innocent bird attempting to take to the air. Tom Robinson is surely a mockingbird.

Other characters in the novel are also mockingbirds:

1. Atticus: He is ridiculed and publicly humiliated because he chose to defend a negro. The people of Maycomb conveniently forget the reputation for fairness and justice that Atticus has built for himself over the years and viciously attack him for continuing to be fair and just.

2. Helen Robinson: She tries her best to bring up her family after Tom’s death but is pestered by the Ewell’s and ignored by the "do-gooders".

3. Mrs. Dubose: She is hated by the children, who cannot understand that her meanness i sjust her way of forgetting her pain.

4. Miss Maudie: She loves her flowers and spends most of her time taking care of them. For this, certain religious people say she belongs to the devil.

5. Calpurnia: She must not behave in her natural way when among her own people. Also, she is in danger of being fired because of her "influence on the children": she is unfortunately black.

6. Miss Caroling Fisher: She experiences difficulties during her first year teaching because she has come from away and does not understand the ways of the Maycomb people.

7. Mayella Ewell: Mayella is a victim of family circumstances. Because of her father she is poor and friendless. It is no doubt her loneliness that causes to try to seduce Tom Robinson.

8. The Cunninghams: Through no fault of their own they are poor and suffer as the victims of that poverty. Despite this, they are hardworking and proud.

9. Dill: He is sent away to Maycomb every summer, apparently because his parents are separated and his mother wants her freedom.

10. Jem and Scout: They are taunted and insulted because their father is defending a negro. Bob Ewell even tries to kill them. Both are innocent victims who are caused to suffer through no fault of their own.

Irony in "The Missionary Society" Chapter

There is so much irony in Harper Lee’s description of the tea held by the ladies of the Maycomb Missionary Society that it actually becomes biting satire. (Satire is criticism of social evils or character imperfections.) The irony in the scene is that while the missionary ladies are meeting for the apparent purpose of improving the spiritual condition of some remote tribe, they resort to backbiting about and otherwise ignoring the obvious needs within their own community. They refuse to help Helen Robinson, a black mother who is in desperate need, because as white ladies with background they cannot be seen mixing with blacks. Since the primitive tribes they are so concerned about are also blacks, we see the obvious hypocrisy of these ladies. Scout sees their hypocrisy and declares that she does not want to become a lady.

Character Sketches

Atticus Finch:

Atticus is a man of conviction. He exhibits qualities of passionate concern for justice, idealism and realism, sense of duty, faith in people and in the law, shows dignity towards others, shows humanity, believes in education and reason, has high expectations, has a role as the conscience of his community, has self-discipline and shows remarkable courage.

As the plot progresses, Atticus faces numerous areas of tension as a result of his defending Tom Robinson. As a result, our respect for Atticus grows. He is real, like us. He faces problems in living by his principals, as we do ours. He is truly a human being. He finds himself lonely, which is a direct result of his principals.

Tom is a Negro who exhibits compassion and respect for all people. The author does not present Tom as a complex character. He is placed in unfortunate circumstances which arise due to his skin color and his natural kindness. These circumstances and personality characteristics eventually leads to his arrest, mistreatment and death. He is an innocent victim, a mockingbird who is defenseless against the injustice thrust upon him. His defenselessness is further emphasized by his withered arm. Because he is a Negro, the white man’s world frightens him and makes him even more insecure. Even the white man’s court system fails him, despite Atticus’ passionate, whole-hearted and brilliant performance in court. In the end, he runs out of fear, and dies as a result.

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