Themes And Issues Of Harper Lee's 'To Kill A Mockingbird'

In the text, To Kill a Mockingbird, the composer, Harper Lee, effectively offers various themes and ideas which critique a prejudiced 20th century southern America. The responder is presented with the impact of social injustice in the community which is further linked with the segregation of the many races due to their different lifestyles and beliefs. The responder is also introduced to the courage present in many of the key characters which help solve these complex dilemmas of society. These issues are subtly communicated, giving the responder an insight into the issues present in the wider community and challenging their personal values and beliefs.

Throughout the text, the issue of social injustice is evidently pointed out by the composer, Harper Lee. She argues her point through the characterisation of many key characters. A significant figure in the text, Boo Radley, is constantly exposed to the injustice shown by the little community of Maycomb. Having been imprisoned inside his own house for fifteen years has enabled the town to spread malicious rumours about him. The responder is given a description of his appearance, a man of 'about six-and-a-half feet tall...a long jagged scar that ran across his face'. This description highlights the ignorance of the town, showing that although many citizens have not seen Boo face-to-face, they still discuss his appearance as though they have, evident in the children's games played by Jem, Scout and Dill. This injustice foreshadows the injustice shown in Part II of the text, where a black man, Tom Robinson, is on trial for the rape of a young woman, Mayella Ewell. Although his lawyer, Atticus Finch, clearly proves to the jury - consisting of twelve white men - that Tom is innocent, he is still proven guilty. 'In the secret courts of men's hearts, Atticus had no case.' The injustice shown towards black people is really emphasised to the responder in this major event of the text, pointing out the link between injustice and racism. And because of this injustice that is present within the fictional society, characters like Boo Radley and Tom Robinson are left vulnerable and unable to fight back. They are symbolised as 'mockingbirds', birds that 'don't do one thing but make music for us to enjoy'. The connection between the symbol and the characters relates the physical hunting of these birds to the social disadvantages brought upon them. Thus, the responder develops feelings of empathy and compassion towards these characters and in turn questions their own morals by which they live. The idea of social injustice in the text is further developed through the theme of social segregation, which also plays a major role in the everyday lives of Maycomb's residents.

The idea of social segregation is effectively communicated to the responder through the significant separation of the different coloured people within the society. This is evident in the use of two churches within one community: one for the whites, one for the blacks. The juxtaposition of the two churches clearly highlights the differences between the two races, although they both believe in the one God. 'Bought with the first earnings of freed slaves', the 'coloured' church is somewhat more modest than the white church, which is basically taken for granted in the town. Not only are blacks and whites separated, but the town in fact has a social hierarchy within the whites and blacks. There are 'four kinds of folks in the world', and as Jem lists them, the responder grasps an idea of the segregation evident. The top class, or called 'the white middle class' are taken up by citizens such as Atticus and Miss Maudie, his neighbour. This is compared to the next level, like the Cunninghams, which 'The crash hit them the hardest',