Relationship Between Good And Evil In To Kill A Mockingbird

To Kill a Mockingbird Essay What can one say about the relationship between good and evil? It is the coexistence of what is pure and innocent and what is dark and vile. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, the thin line of this theme is shown throughout the novel and is hard to miss. Such as when Boo protects the kids from a fire and Bob Ewell, the mockingbird as a symbol purity and innocence, and Atticus defending Tom as a black man in a predominately white community of the 1930s. The novel wants the readers to come to a conclusion by the end of it; that being whether people are primarily good or bad. “One thing that doesn’t abide by majority rule is a person’s conscience” (pg. 140). There are a couple of examples of this …show more content…
The mockingbird is a symbol of purity and innocence. Mayella Ewell is a “mockingbird” in the story along with Tom and Boo. This fact is contrary to popular belief, but as the story unfolds, one starts to see the situation for what it really is. She is naive, simply put, and does not know any better. Mayella has a very difficult life. Her family is poor, her father mistreats her and her siblings, she has never known love or a kind word or touch. Tom was the first person to ever show her kindness and, although he never put a finger on her, she wanted his touch as well. She had tried to tempt him, but gladly, before anything could happen, Tom ran away and Mayella had to face the wrath of her belligerent …show more content…
Courage has several different interpretations. The one being used in To Kill a Mockingbird is: having courage is being bold enough to do the unthinkable, what people say cannot be done, and not giving it a second thought. “Simply because we were licked a hundred years before we started is no reason not to try and win”(pg.101). This is what Atticus told Scout when she asked him why her was defending Tom if he knew he had no chance in winning. Atticus was aware that he was going to lose, yet he was still encouraged to push on by the slight chance he had of succeeding. He had faith and endurance, he knew that he could have won the people over. Another person that had was courageous is Mrs. Henry Lafayette Dubose. Miss Dubose was on her deathbed and wanted to be free of her morphine addiction before she passed on. She did not want to pass on to the next world still bound to something of the world she was leaving from. She suffered through the excruciating pains her body put her through everyday just to fulfill her dying wish. That is true