... Secondly, Atticus's daughter Scout, the protagonist, who also comes across to learning of what will be, to what is when demonstrating courage. Lastly, Boo Radley, a man who manages to continue good manner even though he has been gossiped and judged about in Maycomb. Therefore, Harper Lee conveys courage as a theme in To Kill a Mockingbird with three important characters. Firstly, it is evident that Atticus ... obtains courage and uses his knowledge to further educate his children of what courage truly is. Atticus responds to Scouts question as to why he decides to defend an African-Ameri...

• Word Count: 1350
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

... the most engaging ways for a reader to spend time and reflect upon issues the author presents. In To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee describes the concerns that arose in her life, which taught her lessons about life in general. These lessons develop into her themes. In To Kill A Mockingbird, one of the major theme statements is, "hypocrisy and prejudice are hard to detect in one's own behavior." An ... additional theme reflects back to the title of the novel, "it is a sin to kill a mockingbird." The final theme, which Atticus Finch uses as the basis for his life, " the best way ... to u...

• Word Count: 673
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

... the racial prejudices of the town. The central symbol of the novel, the mockingbird, further develops the theme of racial prejudice. For Christmas, Scout and Jem are given air rifles by their father, who warns that, although he considers it fair to shoot other birds, he views it a "sin to kill a mockingbird" because they "don't do one thing but sing their hearts out ... for us." The mockingbird represents victims of oppression in general, and the African-American ... narrates much of the novel. Critical reception of the book has primarily centered around its messages concerning issues ...

• Word Count: 2287
• Approx Pages: 9
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... up people's gardens, don't nest in corncribs, they don't do but one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That's why it's a sin to kill a mockingbird." In the beginning of the story, Boo was unknown by most people. The children, (Scout, Jem and Dill) wondered about Boo and his strange way of ... happy to help Mayella Ewell with her chores, not because she was white, but because he was a genuinely kind person. Tom was not however, able to accept Mayella's affections for him, as he knew what trouble could erupt being a black man and dating a white woman. In keeping with the theme of the c...

• Word Count: 816
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

The idea of the "journey" is a recurring theme within American literature. The novel "To Kill A Mockingbird" by Harper Lee is a piece of literature that addresses the theme of the journey (though it is more of a psychological and emotional journey than a physical one). In "To Kill a Mockingbird", the journey takes the form of a young girl's ... time period, the 1930's) of what he is doing. Scout even faces ridicule from family. At Christmas, Scout, Jem, and Atticus go to Finch's Landing to spend it with Aunt Alexandra, Atticus" sister. It is there that Scout finds that even her own family dis...

• Word Count: 1070
• Approx Pages: 4
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... and actions towards a person, are based on their skin color, who they are, and their personal image. This is shown through the characters Tom, Jem, and Scout. The theme of fairness in To Kill a Mockingbird broadens to a further extent than just the situation of racial discrimination between the blacks and the whites. Although, the racial discrimination mainly towards the blacks is the most prominent occurrence ... as said by Atticus, "Shoot all the blue jays you want, if you can hit 'em, but remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird" (Lee 90). Tom Robinson's trial is definitely the...

• Word Count: 1230
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

Paper on a Theme from TKAM In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, the actions and thoughts of the children show the uncorrupted innocence of a child's mind. One of the three children mentioned frequently in the novel is Jem, who grows out of his childhood innocence once certain factors induce him to see the world as it truly is. The Finch children's young friend, Dill, shows his innocence ... Finch) demonstrates true innocence in her many actions involving both Boo Radley and Tom Robinson. All three of the children have a part in the way that the theme of childhood innocence is portrayed in the ...

• Word Count: 863
• Approx Pages: 3

... girl who is reminiscing on her past from the age of six to the age of ten by the end of the novel. In "To Kill A Mockingbird," by Harper Lee, coming of age and the loss of childhood innocence is an important theme that author Harper Lee develops using two characters. We begin the ... thesis by showing the loss of innocence the children have by noticing the flaws in their society. The children in "To Kill A Mockingbird" seem to be very naive before the awakening of their inner adult that comes out through the growing process in their hometown of ... good. Having this mindset as a child c...

• Word Count: 968
• Approx Pages: 4
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... her life. In life, standing up for what you believe in is an exceptionally difficult task. Like this real life example, this theme can be shown in the novel To Kill A Mockingbird. Through out the novel, the author Harper Lee asserts this theme through an assortment of characters. She clearly exemplifies that true courage is standing up for what one believes even if it means ... risking something precious. Harper Lee asserts this theme through the character of Atticus. When Atticus takes on the task of defending the accused rapist ... on life. She has no idea how her life will be affect...

• Word Count: 1231
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

... topic of maturity arises, it can surely apply to everyone involved. Harper Lee recognized this and emphasized the development of maturity and loss as a dominant theme in her novel, To Kill a Mockingbird. This them can be specifically seen through the main children in the book, Scout and Jem Finch. At the beginning of the novel, it becomes clear to the reader that Scout is not a mature ... girl. For example, she tends to use violence as a way of coping with the ridicule ... 's. Through this action, it is evident that Jem has matured through the early stages of the novel. Even from the ve...

• Word Count: 581
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird" opens with a short chapter where the narrator, whom we later come to know as Scout, takes the reader back to her childhood spent in a small town called Maycomb. She mentions the accident where 'Jem got his arm badly broken at the elbow' and uses it as a device to set the plot in motion. In her conversational, familiar tone, Scout ... families like they were clans with distinct and fixed identities. She says, 'but they were Haverfords', as if the title dictated the actions of the family. This is a recurring theme throughout the novel, and it highl...

• Word Count: 1323
• Approx Pages: 5

To Kill a Mockingbird is narrated by a young lady by the name of Scout Finch. Scout, her brother Jem, and father Atticus live in the town of Maycomb, Alabama, a very quiet Southern town. Scout's father is an attorney and is appointed to defend a black man in court against the charges that he raped a young lady. The ... commotion and appeared just in time to rescue Scout and Jem from danger. Mr. Ewell tripped and the knife he was carrying in his pocket inflicted a fatal wound. Boo Radley helps them back to safety. The story ends with Scout happily sitting on Atticus' lap reading. A theme to th...

• Word Count: 632
• Approx Pages: 3
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

"Catching Walter Cunninghan in the school yard gave me some pleasure, but when I was rubbing his nose in the dirt Jem came by and told me to stop."(27) In the book, To Kill a Mocking Bird, violence is always present. It has a great impact on everyone, but especially Scout. Scout is an ill-tempered child, fighting Walter after being embarrassed by the teacher. "Miss ... I"d do as a matter of course had I not been under Atticus interdict which I assumed included not fighting horrible old ladies."(107) Connecting the past to the present is sometimes a difficult task. However, Harper Lee's litera...

• Word Count: 435
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

... up for what you know is right, even if you"re standing alone. There are many examples of true bravery in the novel To Kill A Mockingbird. Bravery is an important theme shown by many different characters in the novel, like Scout, Atticus, and Mrs. Dubose. "She was. She had her own views ... about things, a lot different from mine, maybe son, I told you that if you hadn't lost your head I"d have made you go read to her. I wanted you to see something about her. I wanted you to ... is extremely racist, curses the children, and denigrates Atticus for representing a black man. Yet her bravery...

• Word Count: 511
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

The End of the Innocence When looking from the mind's eye view of a child, life seems simple and innocent. It is not until a child encounters a traumatic event will the mind set change. Every child is born with such innocence; yet, no person grows or matures until they have lost such innocence. Scout loses her innocence after the trial of Tom Robinson when she realizes how unfair and bias the world can be. Harper Lee uses the character of Scout to develop the theme of innocence in the story. Harper Lee uses Scout's innocence to portray the events of life so that readers may remember ho their a...

• Word Count: 1021
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School