More handpicked essays just for you.
Theme of the To Kill A Mockingbird
Theme of mockingbird in to kill a mockingbird
Theme esays to kill a mockingbird
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: Theme of the To Kill A Mockingbird
The main theme in ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ was distorted to fit the time limit of the movie, which made the good versus evil theme seem less important and less of a big deal. In the book two main metaphors were given, that were directly linked to characters. On page 122 we as readers get introduced to the mad dog down the street. Tim Johnson, the neighbor’s sick dog, continued run wild down the street until Atticus shoots and kills this dog. Similar to Tom Robinson, in the case that the people of Maycomb continued to accuse him of a crime he did not commit. The second metaphor that compared a mockingbird and Boo Radley, was not as prominent and did not seem as important in the movie. After Jem and Scout’s Uncle Jack gave them air rifles (p. 119), Atticus tells Jem to remember that “it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.” Miss Maudie later explained to Scout that mockingbirds do not harm. (p. 119) “Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy.” Boo Radley was not killed literally, but he was cut off from the outside walls, and he had only ever seen the inside of the same four walls for a long time. …show more content…
Character development is much faster in the movie than the book. In the movie, the character development is not as strong and it definitely takes away from the character. Because movies have a designated time period and books don’t have a “page limit”, I think in most cases, books are better than the movie. In “To Kill A Mockingbird” though, a lot of characters needed time to be developed, and if only the film version had the time to develop their characters, that the book had, the movie would have been just as good as the
The symbolism of the mockingbird plays a huge role in the development of the theme in the novel. The mockingbird symbolizes innocence. In the book, it is believed that it is a sin to kill a man mockingbird because they bring about no harm, only beautiful music to enjoy. In the same sense, killing a mockingbird would be the equivalent of evil defeating good. This is represented multiple times in the novel through characters like Atticus Finch, Boo Radley, and Tom Robinson. All of whom try to bring about the good in people rather than focus on the evil in the community.
Boo Radley and Tom Robinson are both symbolized by the mockingbird. Earlier in the novel Atticus tells the kids “Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit 'em, but remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird” (Lee 103) Miss Maudie is the one to explain to them why he said that. Mockingbirds do not bother anyone; they only make music for us to enjoy. The mockingbird can symbolize Boo Radley in many ways. The first reason is everyone assumes he is a bad and evil person just because of rumors people have spread. Whenever a crime is committed in Maycomb many believe it is the works of Arthur Radley. If the town’s azaleas froze it was because Boo had breathed on them. No child would ever eat the pecans from the Radley tree because they
In real life there are many different types of people, some of them are similar
“Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. That’s why it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.” (p.90) Miss. Maudie, one of the main protagonists in To Kill a Mockingbird, warns the young girl Scout that mockingbirds should not to be killed or hunted down because they represent those who are kind and innocent. So, on a broader spectrum, the term “to kill a mockingbird” symbolizes cruel and improper behavior towards people with good hearts and intentions. In the town of Maycomb, unethical behaviors, such as prejudice and gossip, are most commonly used against the “mockingbirds”. Three of those “mockingbirds” that are featured in this novel are Arthur “Boo” Radley, Tom Robinson, and Atticus Finch. Due to the depiction of the mockingbird symbol in the novel, the reader understands the consequences that immoral attitudes have towards those who are innocent and kindhearted.
Prejudice, a preconceived opinion that is not based on reason nor actual experience, is an exceptionally large dilemma in society today. It is an every day reminder of how uncharitable we, as a human race, can be. Even in the early 1900s, as Harper Lee illustrates in her novel To Kill a Mockingbird, prejudiced assumptions have always been causing predicaments. To Kill a Mockingbird, an award winning novel written by Harper Lee, tells the story of how Scout and Jem Finch grows up in a small Southern town suffering through the Great Depression. In To Kill a Mockingbird Harper Lee expresses the theme of prejudice throughout the majority of her characters. Not only does she have many themes in her novel, but she is also able to incorporate them in many of her characters at once. The theme of prejudice is seen through Atticus Finch and Tom Robinson.
Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird” takes place during the 1930’s in the fictional and quiet town of Maycomb, located in Maycomb County, Alabama. The town of Maycomb is described as a tired old town that moves very slowly and its residents have nothing to fear but fear itself. Being in set in the South during the 1930’s the story does tackle racism and inequality for African Americans as racism was becoming more and more prominent in the 1930’s. The fact that the story takes place in a backwater county in Alabama makes the the injustice even more prevalent. The story goes through the early years of the main characters Jem and Scout so the exact time is always changing, however, the more important and intense parts of the story takes place
To begin with, there are many similarities between the book and movie To Kill A Mockingbird. For example, Tom Robinson died in an attempt to escape from prison in both the book and the movie. In my opinion Tom's death was crucial to the original story, and I believe the movie would have been seen as over-sentimental if the scriptwriters had let him live. Another important similarity between the book and movie, is the mutual fascination between Arthur Radley and the children. Arthur, or Boo as the children called him, left them gifts such as dolls, a watch, and chewing gum in the hollow of a tree in his yard. The children made expeditions to the Radley house to look in the window just so they could catch a glimpse of Boo Radley. I believe this captivation was important to the story line because it was the main foundation of the children's imagination. A big part of the story was imagining Boo to be some kind of freak that came out at night to eat cats and squirrels. An additional similarity between the book and movie is the respect showed to Atticus by the African American community of Maycomb. They respected him for his courage, which by his definition meant, "It's when you know you're licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what. You rarely win, but sometimes you do."(112). I think the mutual respect between the African Americans and Atticus was important not only to Atticus, but also to his children. Their father and the sad story and memories of Tom Robinson taught them the wrongs of racism. I think if the movie producers had taken out the good relationship between Atticus and the African Americans, it would be taking away one of the most important themes of the story. There are many other significant similarities between the book and the movie.
Jill McCorkle's Ferris Beach, a contemporary novel, shares numerous characteristics with Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, a novel written in the 1960's. Like To Kill a Mockingbird, McCorkle's novel documents the life of a young girl in a small southern town. The two narrators, Kate Burns and Scout Finch, endure difficult encounters. A study of these main characters reveals the parallels and differences of the two novels. Jill McCorkle duplicates character similarities and rape from Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird to show the reader how young girls think and develop.
Scout the narrator of the book, goes to school on the first day of school and her teacher Miss Caroline scolds her for being able to read! She has been told that her daddy and Calpurnia are not suppose to be teaching her that stuff and she is not allowed to read or write at home anymore. This is just one of the many ways that shows one of the many themes, education takes place at home and in the community, not only in school that is portrayed throughout the book “To Kill A Mockingbird” by Harper Lee. Imagine a single dad with two children he is raising in the 1930’s. This is right in the middle of the civil rights movements and there is discrimination all over the town! Atticus seems to be the only white person in the town that does not discriminate
In 1960, a novel was written to outline injustices and racism against those who were innocent, though unfairly judged because of social expectations and prejudiced beliefs. This novel not only presented these issues, but is also considered a revolutionary piece of literature, still being read by many people today, more than 50 years later. The novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, has caused some controversy about the intents of the book and the way certain people or groups are presented. Whether To Kill a Mockingbird as a narrative outshines the issue it presents is a debatable argument. However, I believe that the narrative of the novel supports the concerns exhibited for numerous reasons. In what follows, some of these are presented: the historical
In Harper Lee’s novel ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’, symbolism is used rather extensively. Symbolism can be identified in almost every important incident or event which formulates the story line. Right from the start Scout’s character and her attitude towards the behaviour of the people in Maycomb County symbolized a child’s distinct curiosity towards life. It also depicts the intelligence which helped her see beyond what was obvious. The deepest symbolism conveyed is through the use of the mockingbird. The mockingbird is a symbol of everything that is harmless and innocent. “They don't do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That's why it's a sin to kill a mocking bird." (p. 100) Both Boo Radley and Tom Robinson were harmless, innocent individuals,
To Kill a Mockingbird "I simply want to tell you that there are some men in this world who were born to do our unpleasant jobs for us. Your father's one of them." – Miss Maudie The quote above states that Atticus Finch was a man who did unpleasant things, but this quote is false. Miss Maudie had every good intention when she told Jem and Scout this and her point was taken in the way she intended it to be taken by the children. Her point could have been better worded if the portion that reads "our unpleasant jobs" were replaced with "what is right." Atticus did unpleasant things only because he knew that they were the right thing to do. Miss Maudie told the children about their father in this way only to avoid saying that the rest of the town was wrong.
The mockingbird appears multiple times in the novel and represents innocence. When Jem and Scout receive air rifles, Atticus warns them not to shoot mockingbirds. Miss Maudie explains that mockingbirds “don’t do one thing except sing their hearts out for us. That’s why it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird” (74-75). This illustrates what the mockingbird symbolizes in the novel. After Tom’s death, Mr. Underwood writes an editorial about the issues of injustice. He equates Tom’s death to the “senseless slaughter of songbirds”(205). Tom represents the mockingbird because he tries to help the Ewells, and it costs him everything. After Bob Ewell attacks Jem and Scout, Scout talks with Atticus about Boo Radley, the man who saves their lives. She realizes that punishing Boo for what he did to help them would be “ sort of like shootin’ a mockingbird” (234). Lee portrays Boo as the mockingbird because he saves the children from Bob Ewell. The symbols which Lee uses demonstrate that even the innocent characters suffer at the hands of
The mockingbird represents an innocent figure. Near the beginning of the film, Atticus gives Jem and Scout guns and tells them not to shoot mockingbirds because they do anything but sing for others. There are multiple mockingbird figures in the movie, the most significant of which is Tom Robinson. He was falsely accused of raping one of the Ewells. Because the Ewells are a white family, everyone immediately assumed it was true, but Atticus and a few others decided to do what is right and defend
The main symbols discussed and portrayed in the book were Tim Johnson, the Mockingbirds and Boo Radley. Tim Johnson was a neighbourhood dog who appeared down the Finch’s street one day, but looked very ill and was rabid. Calpurnia the black maid working at the Finch’s rang Atticus and he shot it. Tim Johnson could symbolize the prejudice and mob mentality of Maycomb at the time and because Atticus shot Tim this represents Atticus’s morals beliefs about stopping racism and creating equality. The Mockingbird used in the title of ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ is the most important symbol depicted in this novel. One day Atticus told Jem that he’d rather Jem shoot at tin cans, but he knew Jem would go after birds. He gave Jem permission to shoot all the blue jays he felt like, but it was a sin to kill a mockingbird. Jem then went to Miss Maudie to ask about what Atticus had just said, "Your father’s right," she said. "Mockingbirds don’t do one thing except make music for us to enjoy. They don’t eat up people’s gardens, don’t nest in corn cribs, they don’t do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That’s why it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.” This conveys the loss of innocence in ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ and thus killing a Mockingbird is to destroy innocence. A number of characters (Jem, Tom Robinson, Dill, Boo Radley, Mr. Raymond) can be identified as Mockingbirds who have been injured or destroyed through their contact with evil. As the novel progresses, the children’s perspective towards Boo Radley matures and this replicates the development of the children. Boo Radley was once an intelligent child, only to be ruined by his cruel father is one of the most important mockingbirds as his innocence was destroyed. Luckily for Jem and Scout, Boo was merely a source of childhood superstition often leaving presents for them. Despite the pain that Boo