T
the kid from sd
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Unfortunately, everyone lives in a intolerant society. People have intolerance for each other just because of small differences, or because they are not equal on the social ladder. And when someone gets hurt, it always seems to be the mockingbirds in this society; the ones who try to make a difference and make this world a better place. In To Kill A Mockingbird, this is exactly what happens. This novel takes place in the 1930s in a county in Alabama called Maycomb County. It was a typical twentieth-century southern racist town with many other problems. Many different themes are hidden in Harper Lee’s novel, but the three that seemed to stand out the most are social inequality, prejudice of differences, and the symbolism of the mockingbird.
At the beginning of the story we are almost immediately introduced to the different social statuses and the social inequality of Maycomb County. An example of social inequality are the Cunninghams. An example of this is when Scout befriends Walter Cunningham and asks Aunt Alexandra if he could come over for dinner. Aunt Alexandra diapproves,”Jean Louise, there is no doubt in my mind that they’re not good folks. But they’re not our kinds of folks”(Lee 224). This shows that Aunt Alexandra does not believe that Scout should be interacting with the Cunninghams, mainly because they do not fall on the same social level as Scout and her family do. If Scout and others are brainwashed with the idea that you cannot interact with others on lower social levels, it could be damaging to Maycomb. Social inequality would live on in Maycomb for generations to come. Aunt Alexandra later states that the Cunninghams are trash. The Finches, on the other hand, are on the upper end of Maycomb’s social ladder. For example, when Scout asks Atticus if they are poor,” Are we poor, Atticus? Atticus nodded. “We are indeed….”Are we as poor as the Cunninghams?” “Not exactly. The Cunninghams are country folks…”(Lee 21). This proves that there are different social levels in Maycomb. While the Finches are still poor, the Cunninghams still fall below them on the ladder, Therefore, according to Aunt Alexandra and many others, Finches are not supposed to interact with people below them on the ladder. These are just a couple of examples of the social inequalities that exist in Maycomb County.
The symbolism of the mockingbird is another important theme. The idea that a mockingbird does no evil, but does only good is an important concept in this story. This metaphor is mentioned many times. There are some characters that represent the mockingbird. An example of this is Tom Robinson,” Not after she offered me a nickel the first time. I was glad to do it, Mr. Ewell didn’t seem to help her none, and neither did the chillun…”(Lee 191). This quote shows that Tom did not accept Mayella’s money. He wanted to help her because it was the right thing to do. He saw that no one helped her, so he made her life better by helping with her chores. Another example of a mockingbird is Boo Radley. After Boo kills Mr. Ewell, Mr. Tate says, “To my way of thinkin’, Mr. Finch, taking the one man who’s done you and this town a great service an’ draggin’ him with his shy ways into the limelight--to me, that’s a sin”(Lee 276). Boo is a shy person and he does not like crowds. Scout later infers that making Boo go to court and testify would be like killing a mockingbird. Boo did no harm, in fact, he took a burden off the Maycomb and made life better for some by killing Bob Ewell. These are the two main examples of how the metaphor realates to characters in the novel.
One of the most obvious themes in To Kill a Mockingbird, is the prejudice of differences. This is displayed many times throughout the novel. In Maycomb, if one thing is different, then that person is strange. Boo Radley is a great example. At the beginning of the book Jem makes believe an image of Boo Radley, “Boo was about six-and-a-half feet tall, judging by his tracks; he dined on raw squirrels and any cats he could catch, that’s why his hands were bloodstained….There was a long jagged scar that ran across his face; what teeth he had were yellow and rotten; his eyes popped, and he drooled most of the time”(Lee 13). Jem, who has never actually met Boo, gives this horrific description based off of other rumors and stories. Later, Scout finds out that Boo is a actually a nice person. He leaves things for the children, and he later even saves their lives. This is one example of the prejudice of differences. Another example of this is when Calpurnia takes Jem and Scout to her church Lula says,”I wants to know why you bringin’ white chillun to ****** church”(Lee 119). This shows that prejudice also existed towards white people. Lula wasn’t happy that Calpurnia brought white people to their church. Even though the black people are more accepting towards the whites, there is still prejudice between the two. These are two of the many examples of prejudice in this novel.
There are many lessons people can learn in To Kill A Mockingbird, but if there is one people can hold on to, it should be having tolerance. People should never be prejudice towards someone based on their differences or their place on the social ladder. People should also protect and cherish all the mockingbirds in their society and never hurt one.
At the beginning of the story we are almost immediately introduced to the different social statuses and the social inequality of Maycomb County. An example of social inequality are the Cunninghams. An example of this is when Scout befriends Walter Cunningham and asks Aunt Alexandra if he could come over for dinner. Aunt Alexandra diapproves,”Jean Louise, there is no doubt in my mind that they’re not good folks. But they’re not our kinds of folks”(Lee 224). This shows that Aunt Alexandra does not believe that Scout should be interacting with the Cunninghams, mainly because they do not fall on the same social level as Scout and her family do. If Scout and others are brainwashed with the idea that you cannot interact with others on lower social levels, it could be damaging to Maycomb. Social inequality would live on in Maycomb for generations to come. Aunt Alexandra later states that the Cunninghams are trash. The Finches, on the other hand, are on the upper end of Maycomb’s social ladder. For example, when Scout asks Atticus if they are poor,” Are we poor, Atticus? Atticus nodded. “We are indeed….”Are we as poor as the Cunninghams?” “Not exactly. The Cunninghams are country folks…”(Lee 21). This proves that there are different social levels in Maycomb. While the Finches are still poor, the Cunninghams still fall below them on the ladder, Therefore, according to Aunt Alexandra and many others, Finches are not supposed to interact with people below them on the ladder. These are just a couple of examples of the social inequalities that exist in Maycomb County.
The symbolism of the mockingbird is another important theme. The idea that a mockingbird does no evil, but does only good is an important concept in this story. This metaphor is mentioned many times. There are some characters that represent the mockingbird. An example of this is Tom Robinson,” Not after she offered me a nickel the first time. I was glad to do it, Mr. Ewell didn’t seem to help her none, and neither did the chillun…”(Lee 191). This quote shows that Tom did not accept Mayella’s money. He wanted to help her because it was the right thing to do. He saw that no one helped her, so he made her life better by helping with her chores. Another example of a mockingbird is Boo Radley. After Boo kills Mr. Ewell, Mr. Tate says, “To my way of thinkin’, Mr. Finch, taking the one man who’s done you and this town a great service an’ draggin’ him with his shy ways into the limelight--to me, that’s a sin”(Lee 276). Boo is a shy person and he does not like crowds. Scout later infers that making Boo go to court and testify would be like killing a mockingbird. Boo did no harm, in fact, he took a burden off the Maycomb and made life better for some by killing Bob Ewell. These are the two main examples of how the metaphor realates to characters in the novel.
One of the most obvious themes in To Kill a Mockingbird, is the prejudice of differences. This is displayed many times throughout the novel. In Maycomb, if one thing is different, then that person is strange. Boo Radley is a great example. At the beginning of the book Jem makes believe an image of Boo Radley, “Boo was about six-and-a-half feet tall, judging by his tracks; he dined on raw squirrels and any cats he could catch, that’s why his hands were bloodstained….There was a long jagged scar that ran across his face; what teeth he had were yellow and rotten; his eyes popped, and he drooled most of the time”(Lee 13). Jem, who has never actually met Boo, gives this horrific description based off of other rumors and stories. Later, Scout finds out that Boo is a actually a nice person. He leaves things for the children, and he later even saves their lives. This is one example of the prejudice of differences. Another example of this is when Calpurnia takes Jem and Scout to her church Lula says,”I wants to know why you bringin’ white chillun to ****** church”(Lee 119). This shows that prejudice also existed towards white people. Lula wasn’t happy that Calpurnia brought white people to their church. Even though the black people are more accepting towards the whites, there is still prejudice between the two. These are two of the many examples of prejudice in this novel.
There are many lessons people can learn in To Kill A Mockingbird, but if there is one people can hold on to, it should be having tolerance. People should never be prejudice towards someone based on their differences or their place on the social ladder. People should also protect and cherish all the mockingbirds in their society and never hurt one.