Innocence. Every human being is born with it, yet at some point in time that innocence will be lost. What must happen for someone’s innocence to be taken away? Does it come with age or do certain events speed up the process? Once someone loses their innocence does it change who they are? In Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird, the process of losing one’s innocence is shown to the readers. When a black man named Tom Robinson is accused of raping a white woman, he must go to court. Because of a detriment he possesses, his skin color, it is Tom against the white skinned people of Maycomb. One white man, different from the rest, knows that Tom is innocent so he decided to defend Tom during his trial. The man goes by the name Atticus Finch. Atticus’
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Jem has been exposed to many instances throughout his childhood that could have lead him to losing his innocence. He has always been more empathetic than Scout and, has been able to make connections to more things than Scout has. For instance, before Atticus accepts Tom Robinson’s trial, the reader’s experience Jem losing a piece of his innocence with the realization that Boo is trapped inside the house like a prisoner. When Jem and Scout find little gifts in a hole in a tree, they are euphoric. Neither of the children realize it is Boo providing the gifts until Boo’s older brother, Nathan, fills up the hole with concrete. Jem is then understands the truth that Boo has no freedom and is trapped in the house. Jem, despondent because of the truth, goes out onto the porch and cries. Scout says, “When he went in the house I saw he had been crying” (Lee 84). Although she acknowledges the fact that Jem is full of sorrow, she is oblivious as to why. Scout just thinks he is being maudlin, and does not make the connection Jem does about Boo. This shows how Jem is starting to realize that Maycomb is not as perfect as he originally thought. Even after realizing this though, he is still overcome with sorrow which shows how his values are the same since he still cares about the people of Maycomb. With the stress of the trial, Jem continues to understand the true character of those …show more content…
In the novel, the readers see Atticus successfully prepare his children for the reality of the world. Even though the process was harsh, the children kept their morals, and in the end became better people. Everyone goes through hard times, fictional or nonfictional. It is not in the events someone goes through that defines who someone is, or what type of person they are, it is what they choose to do in response to these events that someone’s moral and character comes out. Everyone has a choice in life. Nobody can decide the course of someone’s life except for the person living it. Anybody can be who they want to be, as long as they stay true to who they are no matter what they go
Jem has been exposed to many instances throughout his childhood that could have lead him to losing his innocence. He has always been more empathetic than Scout and, has been able to make connections to more things than Scout has. For instance, before Atticus accepts Tom Robinson’s trial, the reader’s experience Jem losing a piece of his innocence with the realization that Boo is trapped inside the house like a prisoner. When Jem and Scout find little gifts in a hole in a tree, they are euphoric. Neither of the children realize it is Boo providing the gifts until Boo’s older brother, Nathan, fills up the hole with concrete. Jem is then understands the truth that Boo has no freedom and is trapped in the house. Jem, despondent because of the truth, goes out onto the porch and cries. Scout says, “When he went in the house I saw he had been crying” (Lee 84). Although she acknowledges the fact that Jem is full of sorrow, she is oblivious as to why. Scout just thinks he is being maudlin, and does not make the connection Jem does about Boo. This shows how Jem is starting to realize that Maycomb is not as perfect as he originally thought. Even after realizing this though, he is still overcome with sorrow which shows how his values are the same since he still cares about the people of Maycomb. With the stress of the trial, Jem continues to understand the true character of those …show more content…
In the novel, the readers see Atticus successfully prepare his children for the reality of the world. Even though the process was harsh, the children kept their morals, and in the end became better people. Everyone goes through hard times, fictional or nonfictional. It is not in the events someone goes through that defines who someone is, or what type of person they are, it is what they choose to do in response to these events that someone’s moral and character comes out. Everyone has a choice in life. Nobody can decide the course of someone’s life except for the person living it. Anybody can be who they want to be, as long as they stay true to who they are no matter what they go