Theme Of To Kill A Mockingbird

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.
Atticus's case not only affects his daily life but scouts as well. Scout does her best to defend atticus but is still looked down

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    Racism In Tkam

    • 1053 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Racism is unfair and everyone should have equal rights in court, in personal choices, and in society. In Harper Lee's novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus supports an African American man, which is very rare in the society because most white people do not support black people, and they think that they are better than black people. Everybody in Maycomb thought that he was wrong and a disgrace to the family. White people never lose to black people. Even though Atticus knew that a black man would never win over a white, he gave it a shot and tried his best to support Tom Robinson.…

    • 1053 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    There are many themes for the book To Kill a Mockingbird but racism has a bigger role in this book. Racism by definition is: prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against someone of a different race based on the belief that one's own race is superior. In the book To Kill a Mockingbird the race tension plays a big role by saying that Atticus favors niggers, and Atticus is a disgrace because he defended Tom Robinson, and not allowing negroes sit with all of the other people. The theme racism is really big because it has much hate is going around in the book. One big point is that people are prejudice by calling people “niggers” and being disrespectful.…

    • 594 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Our whole lives we are taught don't steal, don't cheat, don’t lie, don’t be ungraceful, keep your promises, and don't judge, for this reason one of the most important themes of To Kill a Mockingbird is the book’s moral nature of human beings. Whether people are evil or good is based on the morals we were taught when we were young. Scout and Jem’s perspective is of childhood innocence, in which they predict that all people are good because evil has never affected them. If the story were told from a more adult view, they have known about the evil of the world. As a result of the change from innocence to experience, one of the most important themes is the hatred between the races.…

    • 830 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Imagine being a six year old child, and watching brutal racism and injustice growing up, while trying to hold on to your innocence and own opinions. That’s the struggle of Jean Louise Finch, who prefers to go by “Scout.” In Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, Scout, friend Dill, and brother Jem, must face friends and family turning on them, as father Atticus makes a life changing decision of defending a black man in court in the 1930’s, a time of racial injustice and segregation. Also the articles Lynching by Mark Twain, and Why I Joined the Klan, by Studs Terkel, corroborate the themes throughout To Kill a Mockingbird. The three most prominent themes in To Kill a Mockingbird and these articles are heartbreak of betrayal, isolationism,…

    • 1580 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    To Kill a Mockingbird Attacks The Novel To Kill a Mockingbird is one of the bestselling novels in the United States, The novel is about a man named Atticus Finch and his kids Scout and Jem. In the novel Atticus is defending a black man, in Macomb Alabama, that is accused of raping a white woman. The novel is based in the 1930’s when the great depression and segregation where active and in play.…

    • 923 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Decent Essays

    There are many effects of racism in the book To Kill A Mockingbird. The biggest victim of racism in this book is Tom Robinson who is accused of raping Mayella Ewell. Mayella used him being a black man as an advantage toward her in court. Tom Robinson is being defended by Atticus Finch, who is white. This was a big uproar in the town of Maycomb.…

    • 334 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Trial of Tom Robinson was pointless “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee is set at a time when racial discrimination against black people was at an all time high. The story follows Scout Finch as she watches her father battle racial discrimination as well as experience her journey through her childhood. A crucial plot point in the story, the trial of Tom Robinson. Tom Robinson is a black man charged with alleged rape against a white woman. Atticus Finch, the father of the protagonist, is appointed to defend Tom.…

    • 1134 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Symbolism The title, To Kill a Mockingbird, has little connection to the actual plot, yet it holds great symbolic weight in the book. The story is based off of innocents destroyed by evil, making the mockingbird the symbol for innocence. A number of characters can be represented by a mockingbird throughout the book, including Tom Robinson, Boo Radley, and the mad dog. The connection made between the title and the main theme of the novel is made explicit in the novel multiple times.…

    • 1368 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Racism is a huge problem all around the world. According to African-Americans, even today, over 30 years after the civil rights movement, are oppressed in many ways, Abdul Malik Mujahid shares. In this book you will see the effects that racism has on communities. To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, is about Scout, who is a young girl facing difficult changes, her brother Jem and her father Atticus, who is a lawyer, living in the county of Maycomb, Alabama, where racism is a big problem. When Scout’s father gets appointed to be put on Tom Robinson’s trial, who is a black guy, to defend him, it shows them the real effect racism has and stereotyping.…

    • 656 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    To Kill A Mockingbird Theme Essay Everyone enters the world with the same mentality. No individual is born hateful nor admirable, since perspectives and morals are shaped by what is taught growing up. Those varying perspectives are capable of creating disagreements in daily life. How does one handle these conflicts when taught at the same time to value everyoneś opinion regardless of differences? Harper Lee’s novel To Kill A Mockingbird follows the journey of the Finch family learning to navigate their traditional hometown in Alabama, where white citizens are treated superior to black citizens.…

    • 903 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    “I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It's when you know you're licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what.” In Harper's compelling story, To Kill a Mockingbird, Jem and Scout grow up in a world full of countless injustices going on around them and they still need to stay strong to what their father has taught them. The three most significant themes in To Kill A Mockingbird are an Illusion of Power, Growing up and the Power of Words.…

    • 1513 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    “Courage is when you know you’re licked before you begin but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what. ”(149) In Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird Jem and Scout learn what it truly means to be courageous. They put up with the racism and the hate they get throughout the story.…

    • 604 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Racism in To Kill a Mockingbird Racism has long been a problem in the United States of America. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Lee addressed the issue of racism in a time when others were too afraid to. This novel was written in 1960. Racism played a big part in the trial of Tom Robinson. Tom Robinson is a hard working black man.…

    • 1664 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    To Kill a Mockingbird Essay In the book To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee there are conflicts in chapters sixteen-nineteen between Mr. Ewells and Atticus. Atticus is defending a black man, Tom Robinson, in court while Tom is being accused of raping Mr. Ewell’s daughter Mayella. There are three main topics in this book. Those topics are racism, poverty, and domestic violence.…

    • 599 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, has many themes, but the most outstanding are racism, bravery, and justice. Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird is set in the deep south, thus racism is the centerpiece of main story of the novel. The south’s racisms is unbelievable harsh that even if the evidence is pointing at the white man the jury would still side the white man over any black man. “ Confident that you gentlemen would go along with them on the assumption-the evil assumption-that all negroes lie, that all negroes are basically immoral beings, that all negro men are not to be trusted around our women, an assumption one associates…

    • 849 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays