To Kill A Mockingbird 35 Essay, Research Paper
To Kill a Mockingbird
To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee is an ageless
classic that takes place during the 1930s. In the
fictional town of Maycomb, Alabama, there was a deadly
racial attitude towards the people who were different
then the general public. In a town of tunnel vision
and hatred, Atticus and Scout stood out with open
minds.
Atticus was the anchor of reason in Maycomb. He
understood many people in town and taught his children
how to understand other people’s feeling as well.
Atticus believed that if you knew what someone had
been through, then you would understand them better.
Atticus also made Jem and Scout realize that no one is
pure evil; meaning that if you look hard enough, you
would find that there is good in every person you
meet. Mrs. Dubose, who was perceived as an “old
witch” by Jem and Scout, showed great bravery in her
fight against drug addiction. Atticus believed Jem
would change his opinions of Mrs. Dubose if he spends
some time with her. Only after Mrs. Dubose’s death
did Jem begin to perceive Mrs. Dubose the same way his
father did. Likewise Atticus defended Tom Robinson
when no other lawyer would. He was one of the few
respectable people who were not blinded by the racial
injustice Tom Robinson faced. Not only did Atticus
defend Tom in the courthouse, he defended him at jail
on one occasion too. It happened when an angry mob
was trying to kill Tom Robinson, but Atticus risked
his life to save him from that mob. If only the
people of Maycomb were willing to listen to Atticus’
wise advice, then the town would be free of racism.
Scout, symbolizing the leaders of tomorrow, began to
see how other people perceived things. She started to
understand the meaning of “to kill a mockingbird.” At
first Scout couldn’t comprehend what Atticus meant
when he said, “It was a sin to kill a mockingbird.”
As the novel progressed, Scout begun to realize how
people contributed to the community without harming
others. For example when Boo Radley (the shy neighbor
who never went outside) killed Bob Ewell to save Jem
and Scout, the sheriff of Maycomb County tried to
cover it up. Heck Tate, who was the sheriff, believed
that “…taking the one man who’s done you and this
town a great service an’ draggin’ him with his shy
ways into the limelight” (279) was a sin. Tate
reasoned that Boo would have hated being praised a
hero by the townspeople because he was so shy.
Because she had a child-like innocence and believed
that racism is wrong, she could have been the perfect
role model for people of all ages.
Atticus and Scout, the few people in Maycomb who had
enough senses to see the injustice of discrimination.
Some people may ask how a whole town could be consumed
by hatred. But even today our world continues to deal
with racism. If people like Atticus and Scout did not
exist in our world, then mankind would be in forever
war until we completely destroy each other.