To Kill A Mocking Bird

Kirandeep Dhillon

Ms. Darweesh

English 1

January 25, 2007

Lessons Within The Story

Characters and drama in a story makes a novel interesting, but themes and

morals is what really get readers involved, it allows for the reader to form there own assumptions and opinions. The novel To Kill A Mocking Bird, by , by Harper Lee, deals with many primal and basic lessons in human nature. Scout, the main character is one of the most affected by these lessons. She learns many lessons from her loving father, who always teaches the rights and wrongs of life to his children.. The themes and morals of this story are it is wrong to be racist, do not underestimate children, and do not harm a person who trys to bring joy to others.

Do not define people by their skin color. For instance, during Tom Robinson's

trial Atticus asks Tom "why were you scared? '[and Tom replies] 'Mr. Finch if you

where me you 'd be scared too" (195). Tom knows it is a colored man's word against a

white girl's, he would be judged by the color of his skin. In addition, in this one part of

the trial the judge asks Tom why he dose those nice things for Mayella and he says he

"felt right sorry for her'... nobody liked Tom Robinson's answer" (197). Maycomb believes that just because Tom is a colored man he is not allowed to feel sorry for Mayella. Tom is never given a fair chance in the trial, even though the evidence is proving him innocent. Maycomb citizens are so use to their traditions of racism. Like Dolphus Raymond's children "Colored folk won't have 'em because their half white; white folk won't have 'em 'cause their colored" (161). These two communities of Maycomb are both unable to except each other. Colored folk judge the white folk as being cruel, and white folk think the colored folk are dishonest.

Do not underestimate the power of children. For example, when the mob of drunk

men come to kill Tom, the seven-year- old Scout shows tremendous courage, and her childhood innocence gets Mr. Cunningham to do "a peculiar thing. He squatted down and took [her] by both shoulders" (154). She brings a grown man to his knees. If Scout had not been there the angry bunch of men could have done what they come to do. Furthermore, Jem, another courageous child in this story, even understands everything going on around him, he says he feels "scared about Atticus, somebody might try to hurt him" (147). Jem is very mature for his age, he knows his surroundings and what his father is going through. Jem in his own way feels as if it is his responsibility to look after Atticus because nobody else will. When the three kids go look for him that one