Suffering Innocence in to Kill a Mockingbird - 2231 Words

Seryca David Mrs.Hannaberry ENG3U Janurary 19,2011 Suffering Innocence In To Kill A Mockingbird The fascinating story To Kill A Mockingbird takes place in a sleepy, southern county of Maycomb in the 1930s. Although this town has a variety of pleasant and honorable citizens who have set morals, there are also people who live in Maycomb County who are unfair, possibly evil, and lack morals. Maycomb has a visible separation of two societies: the whites and the blacks. Throughout the novel there are numerous innocent characters who could be considered mockingbirds. However, Jem, Boo and Tom Robinson are three characters who are used to symbolize innocence in To Kill A Mockingbird. These three characters can be†¦show more content†¦His father locked Boo up in his house and did not allow anyone to visit him or have the slightest contact with him. Eventually Boos mental state triggers him to stabbed his father with a pair of scissors. Boos fathers causes Boo to suffer innocently by stealing his childhood experiences away from him. This indicates that Boo is a mocking bird because he did very little to deserve this torment and isolation that his father inflicted upon him. Then, Jem and Scout from the beginning of the story never fully understood Boos past life at all, yet they judged him on things they hear about. They suspect he was basically an evil monster that never comes out of his house. Scout starts the stereotyping by creating a nickname â€Å"Boo† for the innocent Arthur Radley. This nickname robs Arthur of his true name and identity, causing him to suffer. Furthermore, Jem and Scout constantly pester Boo in an attempt to discover his actual identity. They tell their best friend Dill that Boo is like a zombie. Jem describes Boo as being: â€Å"About six-and-a-half feet tall, judging from his tracks; he dined on raw squirrels and any cat he could catch, thats why his hands were bloodstained-if you ate an animal raw, you could never wash the blood off. There was a long jagged scar that ran across his face; what teeth he had were yellow and rotten; his eyes popped, and he and he drooled most of the time† (Lee 13). The stereotypical image created by Jem completely robs BooShow MoreRelatedComparing The Grapes of Wrath, by John Steinbeck and To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee1327 Words   |  6 PagesOklahoma are yearning for labor, provisions, and human decency. Similarly in To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee elucidates the concept that people should be treated with inclusive human dignity and be affected by good aspects rather than deleterious behavior. In addition to both novels, â€Å"Suffering with Them†, â€Å"Evil’s Fate†, and â€Å"To Hope† share the same concurrent theme. To Kill a Mockingbird and The Grapes of Wrath and â€Å"Suffering with Them†, â€Å"Evil’s Fate†, and â€Å"To Hope† illustrate a synonymous, thematicRead MoreThe Grapes of Wrath, by John Steinbeck and To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee1413 Words   |  6 Pages yearning for labor, provisions, and human decency. Similarly in To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee elucidates the concept that people should be treated with inclusive human dignity and be affected and influenced by good aspects rather than deleterious behavior. In addition to both novels, â€Å"Suffering with Them†, â€Å"Evil’s Fate†, and â€Å"To Hope† share the same concurrent theme. To Kill a Mockingbird and The Grapes of Wrath and â€Å"Suffering with Them†, â€Å"Evil’s Fate†, and â€Å"To Hope† illustrate a synonymous, thematicRead MoreHow Does Harper Lee Portray the Themes of Innocence, Maturity and Growing Up in to Kill a Mockingbird ?1053 Words   |  5 PagesIn ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ written by Harper Lee, the author has used numerous different methods to portray the themes of innocence, maturity and growing up. These themes were put in so that the audience could become more empathetic towards the ch aracters, especially the protagonists. She depicts these themes through characters, events, using symbolism, imagery and contrast located throughout the book. Firstly, Harper Lee shows the themes of innocence, maturity and growing up through the mainRead MoreThematic Message: Good vs. Evil1546 Words   |  7 PagesOklahoma are yearning for labor, provisions, and human decency. Similarly in To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee elucidates the concept that people should be treated with inclusive human dignity and be affected by good aspects rather than deleterious behavior. In addition to both novels, â€Å"Suffering with Them†, â€Å"Evil’s Fate†, and â€Å"To Hope† share the same concurrent theme. To Kill a Mockingbird and The Grapes of Wrath and â€Å"Suffering with Them†, â€Å"Evil’s Fate†, and â€Å"To Hope† illustrate a synonymous, thematicRead MoreTheme Of Nature In To Kill A Mockingbird1394 Words   |  6 PagesOften times, nature and the organic things of life come together to form a representation or symbolic message to life. As shown in To Kill a Mockingbird, nature and variou s aspects of humanity are associated in the form of a mockingbird. As it relates to the novel, A mockingbird represents a commonality of an understood sin. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is well known, classic novel originally published in 1960. Though the novel was written in a different time span, its plot vividly detailsRead Moreâ€Å"Shoot All The Blue Jays If You Want, If You Can Hit’Em,1224 Words   |  5 Pagesâ€Å"Shoot all the blue jays if you want, if you can hit’em, but remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird,† ( Lee pg 90) In Harper Lee’s famous novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, the author emphasizes the major issue of justice representing the symbol of a mockingbird. Taking place in the 1930s in the Deep South, a time when racial inequality and great intolerance were highly prevalent. The novel comes out as an injustice to the most gracious and thoughtful but unjustly accused citizens from the townRead MoreLiterary Criticism In To Kill A Mockingbird And A Separate Peace By Harper Lee1506 Words   |  7 Pagesfictitious novel To Kill A Mockingbird, and the historical fiction novel A Separate Peace by John Knowles, the authors take advantage of intertextual criticism to identify universal themes and symbols within their work. Both novels display similarities when they incorporate a tree as a symbol of friendship, the child archetype and the loss of innocence. The tree as a symbol for commanderie is exemplified by both novels. Friendship is symbolized through the tree in To Kill A Mockingbird, when Boo RadleyRead MoreRacial Prejudice in the Bluest Eye and to Kill a Mockingbird1416 Words   |  6 PagesIn Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, the reader is introduced to the theme of racial prejudice through the experiences of the characters Scout and Jem Finch. The story is told from the perspective of Scout. In Toni Morrison’s novel, The Bluest Eye, the reader is also introduced to the theme of racial prejudice through the experiences of Pecola Breedlove and Claudia MacTeer. The story is told through the perspective of Pecola Breedlove, and Claudia MacTeer. Both of the novels show differentRead MoreA Playground for Innocence Essay1526 Words   |  7 Pagesgoing back to a time where social injustice was commonplace and slander was the norm. Harper Lee wrote in her novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, a story that captures this bashing of dogma in the spotlight and sheds light onto the duel between innocence and maturity that was almost unbefitting of the time. With the story of Scout and Jem Finch, we must ask ourselves: is the innocence of children something worth treasuring and preserving, or should it be cast out like a vile demon from the body to be replacedRead MoreTo Kill A Mockingbird Theme Essay1095 Words   |  5 Pages â€Å"To Kill a Mockingbird† Based on a best-selling novel by Harper Lee has the theme of the constant fight between different sides. It is realistic, good and bad, oppression and the law versus justice. The novel mirrored life back then and in a way can still resemble some things in modern time. People could relate and understand this book on personal levels, that why it was such a hit, now it is used as a life lesson or for educational purposes. The plot lies on the trial that Atticus