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Now with over 15 million copies in print translated into forty languages, “To Kill a Mockingbird” is highly regarded as a masterpiece of American literature. It stands strong beside bestsellers such as “The Joy Luck Club,” “The Catcher in the Rye,” and “Huckleberry Finn.” But what, one may ask, are the similarities between these chartbusters? A reoccurring theme in these novels is the maturation of children. “To Kill a Mockingbird” we watch Jem and Scout mature into individual beings with a deep understanding of the world. In this book we can observe how personal experiences throughout our childhood mould and shape our being. In “The Joy Luck Club” we can experience the unique background each character has and learn how that background …show more content…
Social issues such as prejudice of African Americans, sexism towards women, the discrimination of Chinese Americans, immigrants, the justice system, religion, poverty, and child abuse, arise. Holden in “The Catcher in the Rye” is an example of how a person often finds it hard to fit in with society. Holden is often afraid of society and social engagements overwhelm him. To avoid his problem he continually isolates himself by insulting others deficiencies and convincing himself he is superior. In “The Joy Luck Club,” the characters are mostly immigrants or children raised by immigrants so fitting in with American society is a common theme. “To Kill a Mockingbird” raises a theme of the importance of fitting in, especially with the character Boo Radley or Mr. Raymond. They both are different from society’s norm in their behaviours and are marginalized through a good portion of the book. “Huckleberry Finn,” follows much the same concept, as Huck is a poor, uneducated boy and society treats him like an …show more content…
“The Joy Luck Club,” expresses the basic complications of the adult world from the pressure to make the most money, be the best at this, care for your family, and on top of that be the best spouse. In “The Catcher in the Rye”, Holden fears the complications and complexities of the adult world and wants to stay a simple kid forever. It is his perception that adults lie, cheat, and steal, and they are all just “big phonies.” In “Huckleberry Finn,” we not only learn adults lie, cheat, and steal, we learn Huck knows more about the world then most of the adults even though he lacks guidance from his father or the community. In “To Kill a Mockingbird,” this same scenario can be found because young Scout develops deep perspectives on adult situations better than the adults. As well she responds to most situations with a maturity most adults’ lack. These books all describe how the adult world is often complicated and difficult, as well as full of lies, deceit, and phoney people. The books also describe how sometimes an innocent child’s opinion can be smarter than a full grown
Most would argue that Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill A Mockingbird is an uplifting story about hope and youth. In reality, it is a sad story about two children, Jem and Scout, losing their innocence through treacherous life experience. To Kill a Mockingbird is a coming of age story about childhood in the deep south during the great depression. It speaks about the concepts of racism, innocence and justice as the protagonists, Scout and Jem, struggle with coming of age. The Finch children lose their innocence throughout the book in many ways, such as being involved with the trial, the lynch mob, and Bob Ewell's death. At it’s core, TKAM is a story about youth, and the loss thereof. When Scout and Jem are involved in the lynch mob, they lose their
Shaw-Thornburg, Angela. “On Reading To Kill a Mockingbird: Fifty Years Later.” Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird: New Essays. Meyer, Michael J. Lanham, Md: Scarecrow Press, 2010. 113-127. Print.
acts mean towards Huck, even though Huck is his own son. Not only is Pap
In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain, many dominant American themes and culture are present. Twain explores these themes through the actions, relationships, and development of different characters in the novel. Freedom, survival of the fittest, and individual conscience are three themes that are explored in individual characters and in society.
Ransomed? Whats that???.. it means that we keep them till they're dead (10). This dialogue reflects Twains witty personality. Mark Twain, a great American novelist, exploits his humor, realism, and satire in his unique writing style in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Mark Twain, born in 1835, wrote numerous books throughout his lifetime. Many of his books include humor; they also contain deep cynicism and satire on society. Mark Twain, the author of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, exemplifies his aspects of writing humor, realism, and satire throughout the characters and situations in his great American novel.
Imagine living in a society where the color of your skin defines who you are. In Harper Lee’s Novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, Maycomb County is surrounded in ignorance because people believe that people of a certain color are not as important as everyone else. An individual, Tom Robinson is attacked, and judged by Maycomb’s society because of false rape accusations and the color of his skin. The power of Atticus’s words show society that they were wrong about Tom because the color of his skin does not define who he is and being black does not make him a rapist. The three most important themes in To Kill a Mockingbird are knowledge versus ignorance, individual versus society, and power of words.
Harper Lee’s only book, To Kill a Mockingbird, is the stereotypical tale of childhood and innocence, yet it successfully incorporates mature themes, like the racism in the South at the time, to create a masterpiece of a work that has enraptured people’s minds and hearts for generations. According to esteemed novelist Wally Lamb, “It was the first time in my life that a book had sort of captured me. That was exciting; I didn’t realize that literature could do that” (111). Scout’s witty narration and brash actions make her the kind of heroine you can’t help but root for, and the events that take place in Maycomb County are small-scale versions of the dilemmas that face our world today. Mockingbird is a fantastically written novel that belongs on the shelves of classic literature that everyone should take the time to read and appreciate for its execution of style and the importance of its content.
The theme of growth and maturity is portrayed heavily throughout The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain which centers on Huck Finn, a rambunctious boy whose adventures with a runaway slave build him into a mature young man. The novel is a bildungsroman because it depicts the development and maturing of a young protagonist. In the first part of the story, Huck is seen as very immature. He struggles between doing what he wants and what society would have him do. On the raft, Huck realizes what his own beliefs are because of the people he meets in his journey. Huck?s biggest transformation is through his relationship with Jim. Although Huck isn?t a wonderful person, by the end of the book he has matured extraordinarily.
...heme of maturation in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, is conveyed through the characters of Scout and Jem, in conjunction with the assistance of their virtuous father Atticus Finch. Early in the novel, Atticus ascertains himself as a major facilitator in the maturation process of Scout and Jem by incessantly providing mature solutions to his children’s predicaments. Moreover, Scout, a major benefactor of the Boo Radley incident and Atticus’ wisdom, has helped her develop into a very tolerant and mature individual. Undeniably, Jem’s remarkable development into a broadminded and compassionate character can be directly attributed to Atticus’ kindness and Jem’s exposure to the Tom Robinson trial. In synopsis, it is evident that the individuals and social circumstances that surround an individual play a major role in defining the type of individual one will become.
Everyone is living in the real world, it is just when someone starts becoming aware of their surroundings that gives them pain the most. The desire to escape is shown throughout the classic book, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Taking place during the Great Depression in the South at a town called Maycomb County, characters in the book go through life and they find it hard to face some of the events that happen around them. Some people become uneasy once they have to face reality or the truth. Dill, Tom Robinson, and Scout have their own way of dealing with pain and the desire to escape reality. The pain that these three characters face is too much to endure which pushes them over the edge, one way or another.
Huck Finn learns from the actions of people around him, what kind of a person he is going to be. He is both part of the society and an outlier of society, and as such he is given the opportunity to make his own decisions about what is right and what is wrong. There are two main groups of characters that help Huck on his journey to moral maturation. The first group consists of Widow Douglas, Miss Watson, and the judge. They portray society and strict adherence to rules laid out by authority. The second group consists of Pap, the King, and the Duke. They represent outliers of society who have chosen to alienate themselves from civilized life and follow no rules. While these characters all extremely important in Huck’s moral development, perhaps the most significant character is Jim, who is both a fatherly figure to Huck as well as his parallel as far as limited power and desire to escape. Even though by the end of the novel, Huck still does not want to be a part of society, he has made a many choices for himself concerning morality. Because Huck is allowed to live a civilized life with the Widow Douglas, he is not alienated like his father, who effectively hates civilization because he cannot be a part of it. He is not treated like a total outsider and does not feel ignorant or left behind. On the other hand, because he does not start out being a true member of the society, he is able to think for himself and dismiss the rules authority figures say are correct. By the end of the novel, Huck is no longer a slave to the rules of authority, nor is he an ignorant outsider who looks out only for himself. This shows Huck’s moral and psychological development, rendering the description of “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” as a picaresq...
Chinese novelist Mo Yan once said the following: “One of the biggest problems in literature is the lack of subtlety.” But trends tend to prove otherwise. In Harper Lee’s novel “To Kill A Mockingbird”, which is often regard the best american novel ever written, subtlety is found rarely throughout. Whether it be in her characterization or allegory she fails to leave the reader with a shred of doubt about what or who she is talking about, through her incessant circumlocution, if it can be called that, she delivers a vivid and redundant recount of events through the eyes of a young Jean Louise “Scout” Finch. If a section of the story (which encompass numerous almost unrelated shorter stories) were to be taken and examined, The Trial (chapters 17-22) would prove the most fruitful, and so it will serve as the subject of this essay.
There are many books in the world that introduce the theme of prejudice using not only the racial standpoint, but also the way society looks at people as a whole. Not many of these books look at this touchy subject through the mind of a child. The book To Kill a Mockingbird takes that theme and runs with it. Harper Lee, the author of the book, decided to put aside all normal writing styles and take on a challenging and touchy subject of predigest and unjust in the norms of society from the eyes of the most innocent, children. The reason Lee decided to take this complicated viewpoint is to show the effects on a child’s behavior and the responses you could get out of such an impressionable mind. Writing in the eyes of a child also lets the reader get a new perspective in a way that the mind of an adult would not be able to understand. There are many examples of predigest in the eyes of a
To Kill a Mockingbird is an exceptional example of a cherished classic. Leif Enger’s marvelous prose and delivery of Peace Like a River will ensure its place in the hallmarks of classic writings. Just as To Kill a Mockingbird has stayed a long-time staple of the classics, will Peace like a River will become an essential part of American literature.
Oscar Wilde mentioned, "Society exists only as a mental concept; in the real world there are only individuals." Wilde states that people may influence your life, but only you can make the decisions. In Mark Twain's book, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, where a teenage boy named Huck, becomes best friend with a runaway slave. Huck runs away from an abusive father, and floats down the river with Jim. They end up together, in Missouri in the late nineteenth century, trying to get freedom for the both of them. During the trip, they are isolated from society. Throught the time together, no one can influence what they think, and judge them for their thoughts. Along the way no one can tell them what