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The theme loss of innocence in to kill a mockingbird
What does the mockingbird represent in the novel
The theme loss of innocence in to kill a mockingbird
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In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird the little girl, Scout, and her older brother, Jem are told that it is a sin to kill a mockingbird by their father, Atticus. Later the kids ask Miss Maudie, one of their kind neighbors who is motherly to them, about the mockingbird. She says, “They don’t eat up peoples gardens, don’t rest in corncribs, 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.” (Lee, 119) A mockingbird is a symbol for innocence in the story. Scout is considered a mockingbird because she is young and naïve, however the events she witnesses and experiences kill her innocence. Also, she tries to do things to please others. Scout is a mockingbird because she is young and naïve. For example, “Calpernia marched us home:’-skin every one of you alive, the very idea you children listenin’ to all that! Mister Jem, don’t you know better’n to take your little sister to a trial?’” (Lee, 277) This shows that Scout witnesses a trial which is something children shouldn’t see. This also shows that scout seeing the trial is one of the things that kill her innocence. Another example is, “But at super that evening when I asked him to pass the damn ham, please, Uncle Jack pointed at me. ‘See me afterwards, young lady,’ he said.” (Lee, 105) This shows that Scout used inappropriate language which means she is becoming less innocent. This also shows that due to her environment and the things happening around her it changes her language and innocence. Because of the events around Scout, she is losing her For instance, “I drew a bead on him, remembered what Atticus had said, then dropped my fists and walked away,’ Scout’s a cow-ward!’ ringing in my ears. It was the first time I ever walked away from a fight.” (Lee, 102) This shows that Atticus asked Scout to not fight back even though she was just defending herself and Atticus. This also demonstrates that Scout tries to please Atticus and stick up for him against others including herself. “’ Don’t you touch him!’ I kicked the man swiftly, barefooted; I was surprised to see him fall back in real pain.” (Lee, 204) This shows that Scout will do anything to defend and protect her father. This also shows that Scout did this with good intentions, not to hurt the man but to keep him away from her family. Scout defends her family because she wants to please them. In conclusion, in the novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, the author uses the mockingbird to symbolize innocence. The main character in the book is a girl named, Scout who represents the innocent mockingbird. Scout is like a mockingbird who tries her best to please others the way a mockingbird sings for others. Also she is a naïve child whose innocence is killed by the events and experiences she witnesses throughout the
In To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Scout Finch tries to please her father, but living with no mother it’s hard to know how to act. It’s natural to follow Jem, her brother, when that is her only friend through out the years. Imagine hearing gossip about your father from friends, neighbors, and even your own cousin. Scout had to push through all of the gossip and believe in her father. Throughout the novel Scout shows how social she can be. To Kill a Mockingbird is a great novel that keeps you reading. Scout has a positive effect on events such as at the jail, she was the reason that the mob left. She also always curious so she is more mature than most kids her age. Through the journey of the trial she shows how hot-tempered, tomboyish, and mature she can be.
Scout is a young girl growing up in the south, she is intelligent, thoughtful, and good natured. Her identity is somewhat uncommon during the time she lives in. She is characterized as a tomboy, who doesn’t always act “lady like” or proper by southern standards. Scout most likely became the type of person she is by the care of her father, Atticus. He shapes her mind, while trying to protect her from a dangerous world and preserving her childhood.
In the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus is an ideal father, who sets a great example for his kids. A picture of Atticus is important to Scout because Atticus teaches Scout many important life lessons about life. Firstly, as Atticus talks to Scout about Miss. Stephanie, he states “if you can learn a simple trick, Scout, you’ll get along a lot better with all kinds of folks. You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view-until you climb into his skin and walk around in it” (Lee,30). Scout realizes that one can never feel someone’s pain, happiness, or glory until she looks at their point of view of things; she learns to consider other people’s situation and feelings. She also understands that she will never know what goes in other people’s lives, and therefore she cannot judge anyone. Scout matures as she learns to apply Atticus’ wise advice to understand Mrs. Dubose and Boo Radley, who are individuals that are misunderstood by the community. Furthermore, as Miss Maudie talks to Scout, she states “Atticus Finch is the same in his house as he is on the public streets” (Lee, 46). Miss Maudie knows about Atticus’ personality quite well. Miss Maudie explains to Scout Atticus is a man with moral principles, he does what he believes is right even if others are not there to praise him. Through Atticus’ exemplary role, Scout understands the importance of integrity, and strong moral values. Finally, when Scout questions her father about the possible outcome of the trial, Atticus states “simply because we were licked a hundred years before we started is no reason for us to try to win” (Lee, 76). Atticus teaches Scout toleration, determination and moral courage. He already knows he is going to los...
Loss of Innocence is portrayed very well throughout the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird. To Kill a Mockingbird demonstrates how the characters think they’re equal but eventually lose their innocence very quickly. To Kill a Mockingbird demonstrates how the son of Atticus and the brother of Scout, Jem witnesses the trail of the only black man, Tom Robinson. From then on out, Jem realizes that the world and his town isn’t anything what he thought it was. Jem also knew that people turned out to be nothing what he thought in the beginning. Jem thought everyone was good and innocent just like his father Atticus, but that slowly started to change. Atticus once said, “ You never really understand the person until you consider things from his point of view.” (31) Little did he know the theme, Loss of Innocence would hit in the town in Maycomb, which was supposed to be a wonderful place. Jem realizes that Tom is punished for something that he didn’t even do. It was also brave of Jem to side with a black man, because no one in Maycomb, Alabama sides with a black person or an African American. That...
In To Kill a Mockingbird there are many instances of losing one’s innocence because of Scout and Jem. These two young kids don’t really have a care in the world and they think nothing bad will ever happen but these two don’t have a good enough grasp of how the real world really is yet. Since Jem is a couple years older than Scout he understands most things better than she does just because he’s been exposed to the world a little more than Scout has. During the story of To Kill a Mockingbird these two young kids start viewing everything slightly different in their small county called Maycomb such as how they view their father, racism, Boo Radley, and the people in the place they live.
It is then stated that killing a mockingbird is a sin, therefore meaning that killing innocent people is also a sin. Lee’s eye-opening novel reminds the reader that one should protect the beauty of the innocence by not allowing the society to promote their downfall. First of all, mockingbirds constantly reappear throughout the novel, as they are significant symbols. Mockingbirds are beautiful birds that are known for their remarkable voices. These birds are first introduced when Atticus instructs the children on how to use the toy riffles.
Many of the scouts learning experiences are in clearly insignificant scenes. Ultimately she must learn to respect the difference in behavior between vastly different people, especially when the behavior differs from the normal as radically as in the cases of Boo Radley, Mrs. Dubose, and the Cunninghams. So early in the novel, Scout in the novel, Scout is faced with some confusing experiences at school, where she confronts a teacher who doesn’t understand why she can read and where she meets Walter Cunningham. Later, Atticus explains to her that to judge a person, you must try to see things from that person’s point of view. You must learn to walk around in his skin.
Scout learned a number of things in the book, but most of them all refer back to a statement that Atticus and Calpurnia said, which goes, “It’s a sin to kill a mockingbird because all they do is sing their hearts our for us.” (Lee, pg. 90). Scout learned that about people, too. She learned that some people don’t do anything to you, so it would be a sin to do something mean in return. Over the course of the story Scout becomes more mature and learns the most important facts of life. She was living through a very difficult time and most of that helped her get through.
...birds are one of the main symbols. Mockingbirds are innocent they do not harm anyone but makes beautiful music. However, they get killed by people every day. There are many innocent person present in this novel; three main characters that are Tom Robinson, Boo Radley, and Mr. Dolphus Raymond, and they symbolize the Mockingbirds. Tom was a wrongly accused of rape, and he was brutally killed because he was black. Boo Radley did not do any harm to anyone, he was innocent, but people in the Maycomb County were thinking him as a monster which hurt him mentally. Lastly, Mr. Raymond symbolized the Mockingbird because he was innocent, however only because he thought different than others, he was looked down by the people in Maycomb County. Mockingbirds in this novel symbolized the innocent people who are getting wrongly accused and their innocence getting destroyed by evil.
= = Mocking birds are used throughout the novel to represent innocence. Miss Maudie explains this to Scout. Scout is surprised to hear non-judgemental Atticus calling anything a sin.
At the beginning of the book, Scout was not a nice child. She had hard times controlling herself, and usually she was not able to. She knew Atticus wouldn't like it if he heard of her fighting, but still she fought a lot, like the time she got angry to Cecil Jacobs and fought him (pg. 99). She was also mean and rude, which can easily be seen as she got angry and protested it when Walter poured syrup all over his dinner (pg. 32). As she was young, she also was not able to look at things from other people's perspective. This could easily be seen in her first day of school, as she only saw things from her point of view, never caring about her teacher's perspective (pg. 26). Her youth also ...
There are two types of innocence, the youthful innocence of a child and the innocence of those who are without sin. The end of a carefree childhood isn’t determined on age, but rather when the responsibilities, reality, and hard facts of life come crashing down on a child’s innocence. In Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird, the children of Maycomb witness their racially unjust community. Scout, the narrator, and her brother Jem live in a town where corruption, racism, and social class are centered around. Their father, Atticus Finch, influences their views on these issues. He values teaching his children empathy, tolerance, courage, and equity. Although Atticus attempts to protect his children through morals, they are exposed to inhumaneness
Hearing the phrase to kill a mockingbird might make you think a variety of different ideas or topics. Maybe you think of the best-selling book To Kill A Mockingbird or maybe you think of that song Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels sing about a mockingbird in Dumb and Dumber or you might simply think of a tutorial on how to shoot and kill the bird known as a mockingbird. It may seem like a simple quote from the novel but it actually goes much deeper. The expression to kill a mockingbird almost goes hand in hand with the theme of loss of innocence that this book displays so eloquently.
It was not until Atticus had told Scout not to fight on his behalf, that Scout found the courage inside her to walk away. Her actions here show her respect for Atticus, and her dignity. She realizes now that fighting is not always the best way for her to solve her problems. Even after all the kids were calling her a coward, she had enough dignity to follow her father’s wishes and not fight.
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.