To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is a classic novel that uniquely describes life in a 1930s southern town through the eyes of a young girl named Scout. Throughout the novel, readers get to know Scout and see her grow up. There are many impactful themes that are expressed in To Kill a Mockingbird, including prejudice and the impression that things aren’t always what they seem. Although these are both very crucial parts to the story, there is a theme that stands out a little bit more than the rest. This theme is growing up, or coming of age. Lee includes a coming of age moment in nearly every chapter. One coming of age moment that is very important to this novel is when Scout learns about the Holocaust in school. Harper Lee reveals this coming of age experience by using the literary elements of conflict, symbolism, and additional themes.
Miss Gates, Scout’s third grade teacher, states the …show more content…
To Kill a Mockingbird touches on multiple other themes in addition to the theme of coming of age. Prejudice is a clear theme established in this book. People show prejudice to Boo Radley and they assume bad things about him without ever meeting him. Tom Robinson is accused of rape mainly because he was a colored man, and Mr. Ewell and his daughter, Mayella, needed a scapegoat. Another theme developed over the course of the novel, is the idea that things aren’t always what they seem. For example, you would expect a woman like Miss Gates, who has an immense influence on children, to be honest and fair. We know that Miss Gates holds prejudice beliefs, yet she continued to preach to her third grade class about how being prejudice is wrong. Another example is during the trial, all evidence pointed to the innocence of Tom Robinson, but the jury still deemed him guilty. Scout learns a little bit about these themes in every chapter and, in the end, they help her learn about the real world and come up with her own
Miss Gates, Scout’s third grade teacher, states the …show more content…
To Kill a Mockingbird touches on multiple other themes in addition to the theme of coming of age. Prejudice is a clear theme established in this book. People show prejudice to Boo Radley and they assume bad things about him without ever meeting him. Tom Robinson is accused of rape mainly because he was a colored man, and Mr. Ewell and his daughter, Mayella, needed a scapegoat. Another theme developed over the course of the novel, is the idea that things aren’t always what they seem. For example, you would expect a woman like Miss Gates, who has an immense influence on children, to be honest and fair. We know that Miss Gates holds prejudice beliefs, yet she continued to preach to her third grade class about how being prejudice is wrong. Another example is during the trial, all evidence pointed to the innocence of Tom Robinson, but the jury still deemed him guilty. Scout learns a little bit about these themes in every chapter and, in the end, they help her learn about the real world and come up with her own