In To Kill a Mockingbird, the novel explains greatly about a famous phrase that starts with “Don’t judge a book by its cover. People aren’t who they seem to be because most people have qualities that they hide/fake about. This theme is the most significant aspect in the novel. Boo Radley is a character that does a perfect example of hiding his lifestyle the people in Maycomb heard rumors about him being a monster. Atticus is also another great example. In the beginning of the book, Jem refuses to eat dinner until his dad, Atticus, promises him to play football. When Atticus does not tolerate to do that promise, Jem calls/consider him a boring dad. Mrs. Dubose is considered to be a cranky lady, but she is a whole different person. Out of all …show more content…
Raymond. Mr. Raymond drinks with a plastic bag to hide from his wife and his chances. “He’s got Co-Cola bottle full of whiskey in there.”(pg. 214). He’s purposely gets drunk just to hide his personality because he is afraid he will lose his friendship and love from his wife and friends. Mr. Raymond acts like he is drunk so he can hide his personal lifestyle from his friends and his wife. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Mr. Raymond explains that he feels he has to give the population some reason for his odd behavior. He acts friendly toward black people. Mr. Raymond believes it 's easier for people to handle strangeness when they have a reason to explain it. He thinks children that haven 't lost the instinct that tells them that it 's wrong for white people to give hell to black people without consideration for basic humanity of humankind. Mr. Raymond tells the children because they are not racist and they will understand. Mr. Raymond is unlike most people in Maycomb because he is not a racist. Since people have a hard time believing he could love a Negro wife and half-breed children, he lets the town believe he is …show more content…
Although Atticus would play keep away in football, he wouldn’t allow Jem to tackle him. Jem felt that his dad should allow him to tackle him, but Atticus responded with the statement that he was too old. "Jem was football crazy. Atticus was never too tired to play keep-away, but when Jem wanted to tackle him, Atticus would say, I 'm too old for that, son."(pg.118). As the story progresses, they begin to see their dad in a different view. After Atticus shoots the rabid dog, Scout and Jem starts to respect and admiration for him increased dramatically. They gain a new respect for him as the novel closes. Both Jem and Scout realize what a great man Atticus is. They realize that he is a good person who works hard to defend Tom Robinson and overall on his job as well. They soon have a great amount of respect for their father when he was defending Tom Robinson. He sets a good example and cares about his
...reinforcing the idea that the roles are now switched. Atticus keeps calm during most of the situations, but lets others boss him around and take control while he mainly sits and waits nearby. Scout and Jem begin to stand up for their father when he will not stand up for himself and act caring as if they were in charge of Atticus’ actions, protecting him from the evils of others. Scout supports this idea when she begins to talk very adult-like with Mr. Cunningham, especially showing her thoughtful wisdom when speaking of “entailments”. Atticus later shows that he is proud of his children for sticking up for him when he did not himself by massaging Jem’s hair in his “one gesture of affection.” So while Atticus often is being the best father figure he can to Scout and Jem, they are also very helpful to him by taking control of situations that he would not be able to.
In addition to being a lawyer, Atticus enjoys being a father to Jem and Scout. When Jem and Scout found out that their father would be defending a black person, they knew immediately that there would be much controversy, humiliation from the people of Maycomb and great difficulty keeping Tom alive for the trial. It was not long when Atticus had to leave the house very late to go to jail, where Tom was kept because many white people wanted to kill him. Worrying about their father, Jem and Scout sneak out of the house to find him. A self-appointed lynch mob has gathered on the jail to take justice into their own hands. Scout decides to talk to Walter Cunningham, one of the members of the mob. She talks about how her father Atticus thought that "entailments are bad "(154 ) " and that his boy Walter is a real nice boy and tell him I said hey"(154). Upon hearing this, the mob realized that Atticus cannot be all bad if he has such a nice daughter as Scout. Atticus, with some unexpected help from his children, faces down the mob and cause them to break up the potential lynching of the man behind bars. Having gone to a black church earlier, the children found out that Tom is actually a kind person, church-going and a good husband and father to his children.
Childhood is a continuous time of learning, and of seeing mistakes and using them to change your perspectives. In the book To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee illustrates how two children learn from people and their actions to respect everyone no matter what they might look like on the outside. To Kill A Mockingbird tells a story about two young kids named Scout and her older brother Jem Finch growing up in their small, racist town of Maycomb, Alabama. As the years go by they learn how their town and a lot of the people in it aren’t as perfect as they may have seemed before. When Jem and Scout’s father Atticus defends a black man in court, the town’s imperfections begin to show. A sour, little man named Bob Ewell even tries to kill Jem and Scout all because of the help Atticus gave to the black man named Tom Robinson. Throughout the novel, Harper Lee illustrates the central theme that it is wrong to judge someone by their appearance on the outside, or belittle someone because they are different.
Martin Luther King said, “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” Racism is still an issue that can be seen in the twenty-first century. Although, tons of progress has been made over the last century, some still hold on to racist beliefs. The majority of classic American literature demonstrates the racism that was present in the early twentieth century. By looking at the theme of race in the American classic, To Kill a Mockingbird, it is clear that people are quick to judge others based on their own opinions and feelings.
The one major theme that makes this novel not only a great piece of literature but appeals to the adolescents as well is the direct instruction of how to treat others. The novel details examples of moral responsibility through Atticus. Lee, through her use of first person, establishes characters that demonstrate the behavior that she feels is morally necessary for people to show. The characters are role models on many different levels. The author wants the reader to walk away from the book with the same realization as Scout, that people are “real nice . . . once you finally see them.”9 Scout and Jem represent the audience for To Kill a Mockingbird; people that can still see things through the innocence of a child.
Raymond when they leave the courthouse. He explains to them that he is not actually a drunk, and he does the things that he does because that’s what he wants to do that. This shows the children that discrimination can cause people to lie about what they want to do with their life, and people will judge you for almost anything. Mr. Raymond states that he pretends to be a drunk so people have a reason to believe he lives the way he does. He tells Scout that people would not like that he likes the way he
This conversation is a perfect example of social prejudice occurring in the novel. To expound upon this theme, the Raymond family is also a perfect example of class rank; the Raymond's, specifically Mr. Dolphus Raymond, are looked down upon based on the interracial marriage and mixed offspring. The idea of this family is foreign to the residents of Maycomb and is, therefore, shunned by the other citizens. In addition, the Ewell family is also discriminated against; being of a less wealthy status, the Ewells are seen as unworthy. However, their status is partially due to personal choices and Mr. Ewell's habits of drinking; these components all add up to a shunned family. These families express the impacts of social discrimination within the society of Maycomb.
The reader acknowledges Jem Finch as Scout’s older brother from the start of this novel. He is brave and strong. “When he was nearly thirteen, my brother Jem got his arm badly broken at the elbow. When it healed, and Jem’s fears of never being able to play football were assuaged, he was seldom self-conscious about his injury.” The reader understands Jem to be the older and wiser one of the two siblings, but also understands Jem to be brave and not confused by life. The reader expects him to understand the ways of life. When the trial took place, Jem is awakened by the fact Tom Robinson was persecuted only because he was black. Jem does not understand this even though he thought he was old enough to understand. The reader starts to realize Jem does not have life figured out and he is still a kid. Jem shows his bravery throughout the book with Cecil, Burris Ewell, Bob Ewell and even Mrs. Dubose. Jem matures throughout the book as well. The reader notices this while he is comforting Scout and when he is comforting to ...
In the beginning section of To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, the relationship of Atticus and Jem is simple. Jem sees Atticus as older and less active then the fathers of his friends at school. For example, Scout states, "Jem was football crazy. Atticus was never too tired to play keep-away, but when Jem wanted to tackle him Atticus would say, `I'm too old for that, son (89).'" As the story line began to progress, Jem started to admire his father. After the episode with the mad dog, Jem had said, " ` `d you see him, Scout? `d you see him just standin' there?...'n' all of a sudden he just relaxed all over, an' it looked like that gun was a part of him...an' he did it so quick, like...I hafta aim for ten minutes `fore I can hit somethin'...(97).'" Jem no longer felt that his father was useless.
Jem is also constantly searching for loopholes in Atticus’s rules, convinced that he could avoid punishment, proving that he is still very much in a child’s world. As the story progresses, Jem starts to distance himself from Scout’s games and becomes more of an authority figure, treating Dill and her as young children to establish himself as an adult. Jem does not always take the most popular route, but he always does the most moral and righteous thing.
What is the best way to become a good person? To become a good person, one must experience life lessons, rather than being taught them, to know how to apply them in real life. In “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee, the main characters Scout, and Jem, experienced life lessons throughout the novel, which contributed to them becoming good people.Throughout the story the children experienced life lessons from the tale of Boo Radley, their father Atticus Finch, and the case of Tom Robinson as they teach about false judgement due to rumors, what true bravery is, and how the world is unfair.
Jem Finch demonstrates growing maturity throughout the novel. After Tom Robinson’s trial, Scout reveals Jem’s feelings. “It was Jem’s turn to cry.” Scout uncovers, “His face was streaked with angry tears as we made our way through the cheerful crowd,” (TKAM 284). Jem understands the trial is not fair because of race. He is mature enough to realize this while Scout is not. Another example of Jem’s maturity is exemplified when he is fulfilling his obligation to read to Mrs. Dubose. Scout describes, “ ‘So you brought that dirty little sister of yours did you?’ was her greeting… ‘My sister ain’t dirty and I ain’t scared of you’, although I noticed his knees shaking,” (TKAM 141). Rather than Jem replying to Mrs. Dubose with an insult, he dismisses her comment. Furthermore, this showcases his patience and tolerance, which comes with maturity. Finally, Jem validates his maturity when the Finch children find Dill under Scout’s bed. “You oughta let your mother know where you are.” announced Jem, “You oughta let her know you are here…”(TKAM 187). At this point Jem knows the right way to handle this situation is to let an adult know where Dill is. Even though Scout believes she can keep him under her bed forever, Jem recognizes the reality. When Jem’s maturity is put to the test he demonstrates good judgment and decision-making.
Mr. Dolphus Raymond is another character who suffered from Maycomb’s racism. He was a respected, wealthy member of the community, but then he chose to live with the black community. This was considered a felony by the inhabitants of Maycomb. He knew they would never be able to understand his choice, so he made it easier for them by pretending to be the town drunk.
Raymond is the town's “drunk”. In his case he pretends to be drunk so people can explain why he's married to a black woman and lives with her. Coming into town rarely and pretending to be a drunk every time is how Raymond keeps his legacy going. Scout, Jem and Dill soon find out why he does this “Secretly Miss Finch, I’m not much of a drinker, but you see they could never, never understand that I live like I do because that’s the way I want to live.”(Lee pg 268) In spite of what others say Raymond acts drunk so people don't judge him further than they already do. Later, Scout and Dill find out that Mr. Raymond does care about what other people think, but not in the way they would of thought. The paper bag he carries around turns out to be hiding not whisky, but Coke, and his drunkenness is but a show. "When I come to town, […] if I weave a little and drink out of this sack, folks can say Dolphus Raymond's in the clutches of whiskey—that's why he won't change his ways. He can't help himself, that's why he lives the way he does" (Lee pg 268) Raymond chooses to act like a drunk and have the townspeople believe that's the reason why he lives the way he does instead of him just wanting to live normally. In a way he is bullied, bullied by the people of Maycomb and he’s not the only
As Jem transitions into adulthood, he also learns to care less about what people think of him, and to do what he believes is right. After Atticus takes the family car downtown late at night, Jem and Scout are suspicious of their father’s activities. He never drove the car for short distances, only for business trips and other long drives. They follow him downtown to his office, along with their friend Dill, but find him sitting at the venerable Maycomb county jail. When a group of the town’s prejudice white males drives up in a line of cars, Atticus pleads with Jem to take the rest of the children home. Atticus doesn’t want Jem, Scout, and Dill to get caught in the altercation that is about to occur. Jem however, refuses to leave his father at the mercy of the men, some of whom he recognized like Mr. Ewell and Mr. Cunningham. One again Atticus pleads with Jem, but Jem still refuses to return