Alec Helgeland Block 4 December 1st, 2015
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is a great story regarding the morality of people and the difference between right and wrong. Scout, a young girl that lives in a small Alabama town that is known for very old and outdated beliefs. She explores a spooky house that is owned by Nathan Radley who has a brother nicknamed “Boo” that has a reputation of never leaving the house. As they explore the property they are shot at and as they run away Jem (Scout’s Older Brother) loses his pants and tears them on the fence. When he returns for them, he finds them fixed with the hole stitched up. Shortly after, a fire breaks out in a neighbor 's house and as scout watches a blanket is put …show more content…
This theme takes a look at the morality of man based off his beliefs and decisions that he makes to help explain the moral nature of man. The book approaches this question by showing Scout and Jem’s transition from a perspective of childhood innocence, in which they assume that people are good because they have never seen evil, to a more mature perspective, in which they have confronted evil and must incorporate it into their understanding of the world. This morality of man is shown to have a large effect on both Scout and Jem. Scout is able to maintain her faith in human kindness despite the trial and especially after she witnesses the heroic bravery of Boo Radley to help save her and Jem. But Jem on the other hand, is badly shaken by the trial and he loses his faith in the town and he now believes the justice system does not represent justice. This brings him toward depression and …show more content…
The different social groups are very well explained and this book helps represent these groups very well. The book shows the hardships that the African American church faces and it also shows how the racist community has an effect on a variety of social events and areas. These places include of the justice system, school, and church activities which leads to a very divided community. Individual characters also show the groups very well. Atticus represents the importance of education and the need for proper morality. Bob Ewell represents the effects of racism and hatred. This is shown by his animalistic attempts to attack innocent citizens and his hatred toward people for no true reason. Calpurnia, the African American cook helps represent the misrepresented black community and that the vast majority are caring individuals that the racist community simply does not see.
The characters also go under important changes during the book. Scout begins as a foolish child who has little understanding of empathy. As events proceed in this book she realizes the actions that she makes affect other people. She becomes much more self aware and it shows in a variety of situations. She learns that people can be good or evil and that she can still rely on the goodness of people. As the novel progresses, this faith is tested by the hatred and prejudice that emerge during Tom Robinson’s trial but she overcomes these prejudices