To Kill A Mockingbird 35 Essay, Research Paper

To Kill a Mockingbird

To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee is an ageless

classic that takes place during the 1930s. In the

fictional town of Maycomb, Alabama, there was a deadly

racial attitude towards the people who were different

then the general public. In a town of tunnel vision

and hatred, Atticus and Scout stood out with open

minds.

Atticus was the anchor of reason in Maycomb. He

understood many people in town and taught his children

how to understand other people’s feeling as well.

Atticus believed that if you knew what someone had

been through, then you would understand them better.

Atticus also made Jem and Scout realize that no one is

pure evil; meaning that if you look hard enough, you

would find that there is good in every person you

meet. Mrs. Dubose, who was perceived as an “old

witch” by Jem and Scout, showed great bravery in her

fight against drug addiction. Atticus believed Jem

would change his opinions of Mrs. Dubose if he spends

some time with her. Only after Mrs. Dubose’s death

did Jem begin to perceive Mrs. Dubose the same way his

father did. Likewise Atticus defended Tom Robinson

when no other lawyer would. He was one of the few

respectable people who were not blinded by the racial

injustice Tom Robinson faced. Not only did Atticus

defend Tom in the courthouse, he defended him at jail

on one occasion too. It happened when an angry mob

was trying to kill Tom Robinson, but Atticus risked

his life to save him from that mob. If only the

people of Maycomb were willing to listen to Atticus’

wise advice, then the town would be free of racism.

Scout, symbolizing the leaders of tomorrow, began to

see how other people perceived things. She started to

understand the meaning of “to kill a mockingbird.” At

first Scout couldn’t comprehend what Atticus meant

when he said, “It was a sin to kill a mockingbird.”

As the novel progressed, Scout begun to realize how

people contributed to the community without harming

others. For example when Boo Radley (the shy neighbor

who never went outside) killed Bob Ewell to save Jem

and Scout, the sheriff of Maycomb County tried to

cover it up. Heck Tate, who was the sheriff, believed

that “…taking the one man who’s done you and this

town a great service an’ draggin’ him with his shy

ways into the limelight” (279) was a sin. Tate

reasoned that Boo would have hated being praised a

hero by the townspeople because he was so shy.

Because she had a child-like innocence and believed

that racism is wrong, she could have been the perfect

role model for people of all ages.

Atticus and Scout, the few people in Maycomb who had

enough senses to see the injustice of discrimination.

Some people may ask how a whole town could be consumed

by hatred. But even today our world continues to deal

with racism. If people like Atticus and Scout did not

exist in our world, then mankind would be in forever

war until we completely destroy each other.