The central idea in chapter 15 in the text To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is that knowledge, courage, and age all play a role in how people view a man's humanity—regardless of color and the author uses theme as the literary element to portray the central idea. A theme is a message, or life truth, which the author is trying to share with the reader, by way of a piece of literature. In this novel, there are a number of themes. Among them are cowardice vs courage, ignorance vs knowledge, and age vs wisdom which are key in how the plot unfolds specifically in chapter 15, in how different people show signs of courage, intelligence, or utter ignorance.
The now mature Jem leads Scout and Dill into town on the night that Atticus comes to face …show more content…
Cunningham about his son despite being surrounded by a lynch mob.The audience wonders how Scout can remain so blissfully unaware of what is really going on. “Mr. Cunningham was moved to a faint nod. He did know me after all.’He’s in my grade,’ I said, ‘and he does right well. He’s a good boy,’ I added, ‘a real nice boy. We brought him home for dinner one time. Maybe he told you about me, I beat him up one time but he was real nice about it. Tell him hey for me, won’t you?’”(Lee 154); and within the moral universe of To Kill a Mockingbird, the behavior of both characters makes perfect sense: “Mr. Cunningham did a peculiar thing. He squatted down and took me by both shoulders. ‘I’ll tell him you said hey, little lady,’ he said. Then he straightened up and waved a big paw. ‘Let’s clear out,’ he called. ‘Let’s get going, boys.’ The men shuffled back into their cars and were gone“(Lee 154); with her innocence, Scout remains convinced of other people’s essential goodness, rather than branding them as evil. The mob members’ racism only make light of their humanity, their worthiness, and their essential goodness. So in reality, Scout was has more wisdom than the people in the mob because she knows better than to be a racist. Scout’s attempt at politeness makes Mr. Cunningham realize her essential goodness, and he responds with civility and
The now mature Jem leads Scout and Dill into town on the night that Atticus comes to face …show more content…
Cunningham about his son despite being surrounded by a lynch mob.The audience wonders how Scout can remain so blissfully unaware of what is really going on. “Mr. Cunningham was moved to a faint nod. He did know me after all.’He’s in my grade,’ I said, ‘and he does right well. He’s a good boy,’ I added, ‘a real nice boy. We brought him home for dinner one time. Maybe he told you about me, I beat him up one time but he was real nice about it. Tell him hey for me, won’t you?’”(Lee 154); and within the moral universe of To Kill a Mockingbird, the behavior of both characters makes perfect sense: “Mr. Cunningham did a peculiar thing. He squatted down and took me by both shoulders. ‘I’ll tell him you said hey, little lady,’ he said. Then he straightened up and waved a big paw. ‘Let’s clear out,’ he called. ‘Let’s get going, boys.’ The men shuffled back into their cars and were gone“(Lee 154); with her innocence, Scout remains convinced of other people’s essential goodness, rather than branding them as evil. The mob members’ racism only make light of their humanity, their worthiness, and their essential goodness. So in reality, Scout was has more wisdom than the people in the mob because she knows better than to be a racist. Scout’s attempt at politeness makes Mr. Cunningham realize her essential goodness, and he responds with civility and