Theme Of Acceptance In To Kill A Mockingbird

Improved Essays
In the award-winning novel To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, praises the acceptance of all types of people, regardless of social classes, race, and gender. Racism, discrimination, and social classes were explored into this book. Despite the taboo topics, it also has a moral meaning behind the story; acceptance. The protagonist, Scout, learns to accept all types of people throughout the novel even though she grew up in a Southern town where most white folks are racist. To Kill A Mockingbird praises the acceptance of all types of people, regardless of social classes, race, and gender. As the novel went on, we learned that some people are poor and some were just really poor that they don’t know where their next food is coming. “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view... Until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it” (pg. 30). Scout invited Walter Cunningham for dinner but Alexandra refused to have him for dinner due to the fact that they are “white trash”. The Cunninghams are a different social class than the Finch’s since they are poor but that didn’t stop Scout to continue being friends with Walter. Scout didn’t care if the Cunninghams came from a poorer social class because she knew it was wrong to judge someone …show more content…
“Racism is still with us. But it is up to us to prepare our children for what they have to meet, and, hopefully, we shall overcome,” Rosa Parks stated (Website Quote). Atticus wasn’t racist and he raised his children, Jem and Scout, to accept African Americans as if they were equal to white people. The Finch’s love Calpurnia and accepted her as part of her family despite of her skin color, and Atticus accepted to represent Tom Robinson in the court even when he knew the white folks of Maycomb won’t accept it. The African Americans are the symbol of mockingbirds because they don’t bother anyone or cause

Related Documents

  • Great Essays

    Later in the book, Scout shows that she understands Cal’s lesson by telling her brother, “That Walter’s as smart as he can be, he just gets held back sometimes because he has to stay out and help his daddy. Nothing's wrong with him” (304). She shows that she now has empathy for Walter and she is willing to stand up for him against her brother. Scout has once again proved that she is now able to understand a situation from multiple perspectives and find empathy, something she could not have done in the beginning of the…

    • 2117 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    People of today’s society, and even from one hundred years ago, have been victim of wanting to be “normal”, usual, and most important, accepted. This drive and fear of rejection have been the catalysts of the formation of civilizations and industries abroad. This pattern can even be seen in things such as literature and the arts; characters in such things are either rejected or have rejected someone for the sole purpose of their own benefit. The theme depicted in the book To Kill A Mockingbird and the musical The Phantom of the Opera is the struggle for the individual to live openly in a society that has rejected his flawed existence. Some of the characters in To Kill a Mockingbird had very descriptive images of them that helped to support…

    • 1221 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Harper Lee’s classic novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, follows the story of a young girl named Scout progressing from an immature, naïve mentality to a more mature one, brought upon by the cruel events which occur amidst the lazy Southern town in which she lives. Lee explores the idea of social conditioning contributing to the darkness that is so apparent in society, and commends those who fight against it. She acknowledges the bravery of individuals who overcome personal darkness, but also acknowledges the difficulties of facing both personal demons and the prejudice of an unbalanced society. Lee illuminates the idea that society can sometimes raise us to contribute to cruelty such as prejudice, and recognises individuals who see past these original…

    • 690 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Scout would have just tried to beat up Walter because he is poor and no one associates with the Cunningham family. During the trial, equality being increased by empathy is shown when Tom Robinson is getting cross-examined by Mr. Gilmer. Mr. Gilmer asks about the chiffarobe and why he was doing that for Mayella. Tom explained that she asked for help with things in the house and there was no one else to help her with it, so he decided to help her. Mr. Gilmer clarifies that Tom Robinson just helped her for one penny.…

    • 1998 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Walter Cunningham is a boy who lives in Maycomb. His family doesn’t really have money there for they are judged pretty harshly. When Scout tries to invite Walter over for lunch, Aunt Alexandra says “I’ll tell you why” she said “He’s trash, that why you can’t play with him” (225). Aunt Alexandra most likely came from a very good family line because they seem pretty well off. Because of her heritage she and her family believed that they are better than everyone else.…

    • 1002 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    However, Atticus’ sister thinks different than him. After Scout says she wants to invite Walter Jr. to her house, her aunt tells her he can’t because of their different social class. In aunt’s words, “I’ll tell you why,... Because--he--is--trash, that’s why you can’t play with him. I’ll not have you around him, picking up his habits and learning Lord-knows-what” (225).…

    • 1148 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    To Kill A Mockingbird written by Harper Lee is written to address the horrendous issues of the 1930’s, The Great Depression, the Jim Crow Laws, and segregation. It explores a variety of themes, all of which affect the reader greatly. Its portrayal of white supremacy, injustice, and prejudice is evident in many occurrences during the novel. The way the characters react to these times of hardship, however, defines their real strength stated by Martin Luther King Jr with the quote “the ultimate measure is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy”. These significant themes, white supremacy, injustice, and prejudice, are reflected through the characters Scout Finch, Atticus…

    • 1088 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The word racism, what does it referred to? According to google definitions, “The belief that all members of each race possess characteristics or abilities specific to that race, especially so as to distinguish it as inferior or superior to another race or races”. As individuals, we see ourselves more superior than others. In "TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD", one of the major themes is racism.…

    • 711 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Harper Lee uses the topic of racism/prejudice to demonstrate the idea that characters in Maycomb society faced discrimination based on their race, class and gender as shown through Scout, Atticus and the Robinson Family. In the novel…

    • 1016 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    To Kill a Mockingbird was written by Harper Lee in the early 1960 's. The story takes place in the town of Maycomb, Alabama. All is normal in this southern town until a particular court case involving an African American man named Tom Robinson comes to the attention of the residents of Maycomb. The case has also come to the attention of Atticus Finch. Atticus is a small town defense lawyer who, unlike anyone else in the town, disagrees with the false accusation of rape againest Tom Robinson.…

    • 1429 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    In the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird written by Harper Lee, there are many different themes depicted such as hypocrisy, prejudice, courage, coming of age/loss of innocence, justice, femininity, but racism is illustrated more heavily. Living in maycomb, racism is allowed; if you were not racist towards the blacks then you would be criticized by being called names such as “nigger-lover”. Atticus ignored the rest of the people in Maycomb and went out of his way to support a black man known as Tom Robinson, who was accused of rape. Racism is the key theme in the novel.…

    • 123 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Aunt Alexandra, who stays with the Finch Family for the betterment of Scout, infuriates Scout because Scout’s pants are symbolic of her independent personality. Besides her boyishness, Scout is extremely intelligent. For instance, she reads at an advanced level at home with the help of Atticus, which is disallowed once discovered by Ms. Caroline. However, she has an apparent lack of empathy when she fails to understand the reason for Walter Cunningham’s boorishness at the dining table when she invites him for lunch. She rudely says to Calpurnia, “He would probably have poured it into his milk glass had I not asked what the Sam Hill he was doing.”…

    • 1650 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    In Harper Lee’s book,”To Kill a Mockingbird”, there were social issues like discrimination, lack of equality, and human rights. These issues were really effectively illustrated in the book, and they are important for the world the know. In “To Kill a Mockingbird”, Harper lee explains how people of certain groups were discriminated against, stereotyped, and treated unequally. First, discrimination was very common in the book, For example,”In Lee’s novel of a small town, the Africanist presence is muted in the spite of the trial in which an innocent black man by the name Tom Robinson was accused of rapeing a white woman named Mayella Ewell, (Baeker).…

    • 991 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Superior Essays

    To call something timeless is to say it is never changing. Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird is a prime example, this piece of literature is something that stays with a reader throughout their entire life. To Kill a Mockingbird tackles many of the issues that are present in today’s society, issues, such as classism, and racism. Harper Lee also seamlessly incorporates a coming of age moment for each of the younger characters.…

    • 1283 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The movie I chose to watch for extra credit, is “Kill a Mocking Bird.” I picked this movie because I thought I was really interesting. During the 1930s in the depression, the politics in the south interest in the civil rights movement, the politics also worked on economic problems. The 1930s depression and racial issues in the south organize the historical event this movie. It portrays the unfairness of race and bias against African Americans; besides, doing a statement about civil rights issue that was happening at the same timed.…

    • 951 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays