Narrative Structure In To Kill A Mockin

Narrative Structure in To Kill a Mockingbird
The structure of any novel reveals the author’s purpose, theme and motif which aid the readers’ comprehension. Without a defining structure, a novel is loosely bound and readers become easily confused. Harper Lee clearly expresses the themes of injustice and maturation in the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird. The narrative structure, which includes point of view, setting, symbolism, and language, outlines the story of the young girl Scout and her experiences that allow her to grow to become a young adult. Jean Louise Finch, also known as Scout, matures throughout the story from the influence of her father Atticus, her brother Jem and her neighbors in the town of Maycomb, Alabama. Lee’s purpose is to show how peoples’ realization of different perspectives contributes to understanding, knowledge, and maturity. Harper Lee evokes reactions and emotions from the reader that correspond to the novel’s theme because of the narrative structure of To Kill a Mockingbird.
The plot is one of the most important parts of the structure of To Kill a Mockingbird. The novel is of a genre called bildungsroman, or novel of maturation. Scout matures from a child to a young woman through her experiences. Harper Lee uses the process of Scout’s maturation as a method of showing how innocent a child is and how adult life contains horrors, difficulties, and flaws. It also demonstrates how children eventually have to grow out of their innocence to acclimatize to the adult world. Although Scout and Jem both face difficulties, they learn from their father, Atticus. Atticus does not change dramatically throughout the novel and therefore can be relied upon as a charismatic person. His influence on Scout causes her to grow up understanding the imperfections of society but keeping an optimistic view about the human condition. “Scout's encounter with Boo Radley makes Atticus's lessons about tolerance tangible and personal; Tom Robinson's trial teaches her about intolerance on a social level” (Felty 300). The chronology of the plot emphasizes the theme of killing or hurting something that is innocent. The novel could be broken up into two plot lines: the trial of Tom Robinson and the encounters with Boo Radley. Boo appears in both the beginning and the ending of the novel indicating that he is an important part of the story. He symbolizes the people that are discriminated because of prejudice in the eyes of society. Harper Lee uses two plot lines to exemplify the theme in two different ways. Tom Robinson is a victim of discrimination because of his race and Boo Radley is a victim of discrimination because of his lifestyle. Tom Robinson dies while Boo Radley is saved from being exposed to society by Scout and Sheriff Heck Tate. Scout finally understood what Atticus meant when he said, “Remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird” (Lee 98). The presence of Boo Radley is also an important aspect of the novel. Boo Radley is in the beginning of the novel instead of the conflict involving Tom Robinson because Boo was the spark of Scout’s maturation. Scout’s revelation at the end of the novel is proof that she learned from her experiences, especially the ones with Boo Radley. The trial of Tom Robinson is only 15% of the novel but is a major part of the sequence of events. Because Lee has kept the conflict of the story within a small section of the novel, it is reasonable to conclude that racism is not the only conflict (Schuster 10). Boo Radley and the rest of the book cover the topic of prejudice in general and the goal of Scout and Jem to pursue knowledge and overcome prejudice. “In the three years covered by the novel, Scout and Jem abandon their superstitions about Boo Radley, learn to value townspeople as individuals, develop moral courage in the face of the town’s hypocrisy, realize that justice should be administered without regard to race and class, and, Atticus’s final lesson, learn that most people are nice when you finally come to understand them. The children develop open minds—unprejudiced and individual” (Gandy). The plot developed by Harper Lee helps readers grasp the meaning of the theme in To Kill a Mockingbird.
Language is a major aspect of literature and Harper Lee uses it to convey theme and to fully engage readers in the story. Harper Lee uses humor in the novel which contributes to the emotions felt by the readers and enhances the readers’ experience by enlivening the characters. Scout recalls hitting Dill, her “fiancé,” when he ignored her and says that, “I [she] beat him up twice but it did no good” (Lee 46). This provides humor in the story to break up the strict tone elsewhere. Humor is also used when Aunt Alexandra explains to Scout her definition of fine folks: "Somewhere, I [Scout] had received the impression that Fine Folks were people who did the best they could with the sense they had, but Aunt Alexandra was of the opinion, obliquely expressed, that the longer a family had been squatting on one patch of land the finer it was" (Lee 141). Jem points out that if Aunt Alexandra’s definition of “Fine Folks” were right then the Ewells were also "Fine Folks" because they had been living in the same dump for generations (Lee 141). The humor in this novel also contributes to making the story seem more real and life like. Harper Lee’s use of humor clearly adds clarity and liveliness to the book. In this way, Lee uses innocent remarks from children to radicalize adult views, perspectives, and beliefs. Harper Lee uses appropriate language with specific characters and scenarios to emphasize the theme and to recreate an accurate representation of life in the mid 1930’s. Scout’s tomboyish ways and her puerile actions also make readers chuckle and cause them to muse about their childhood. Scout fights with her schoolmates and is constantly reprimanded by the women in her neighborhood. Atticus’ dialogue is similarly a very important part of understanding the novel’s theme. Atticus, as previously described, is charismatic and Christ-like. His personality is a role model for all people. When Scout asks Atticus if he "defends niggers," he answers, "Of course I do," and immediately corrects her, adding "Don't say nigger. Scout. That's common.” Neil Heims states that Scout interprets the word “common” as widespread and in large quantity but Atticus is “referring to the character of a person with an undeveloped sense of humanity. He is relating it to a person who has not achieved himself or herself truly as a person” (????).This statement made by Atticus reveals his knowledge and allows his character to gain respect from the readers. Atticus’ speech is very clear and sophisticated and shows his intelligence and confidence as a lawyer. His closing statements after the trial of Tom Robinson are powerful and meaningful. Harper Lee uses anaphora: the use of the same word or phrase at the beginning of several successive clauses, sentences, lines, or verses, for emphasis or rhetorical effect. The powerful line from Atticus, “You know the truth, and the truth is this: some Negroes lie, some Negroes are immoral, some Negro men are not to be trusted around women—black or white. But this is a truth that applies to the human race and to no particular race of men,” (Lee 204) teaches readers about the theme of equality and justice before the law. The readers are aggravated when they find out that Tom Robinson is convicted when it is obvious that he was innocent and Atticus was correct. Harper Lee also uses language to establish setting. Usage of words such as “Ma’am” and “Sir” indicate the politeness of the typical southern courtliness (Johnson 84). Harper Lee’s use of language invigorates and heartens the theme in To Kill a Mockingbird.
The perspective or point of view in To Kill a Mockingbird is a key aspect that makes it a classic. The first-person point of view is expressed in the first chapter when Jean Louise Finch recalls her childhood in Maycomb County. Jean Louise, known during the time period as Scout, says, “When enough years had gone by to enable us to look back on them, we sometimes discussed the events leading to his [Jem's] accident" (Lee 9). This illustrates that Scout had experiences that were worth remembering and cherishing. It also shows that the adult Scout has learned from these experiences and remembers them as events leading up to her maturity. It represents her growth and the beginning of wisdom in her life (Heims ???). Scout, as an adult narrates the story but assumes the identity of when she was her young self. The point of view is so important because it shows the directness and truthfulness of a child. The adult-as-child perspective projects the image of Scout’s childhood in the eyes of a young girl and with the understanding of a grown adult. “The story, however, is recalled by the adult Scout; this allows her first-person narrative to contain adult language and adult insights yet still maintain the innocent outlook of a child” (“To Kill a Mockingbird” ?????). Scout’s innocence and straightforwardness is also revealed when she asks Atticus about her teacher Miss Gates. She questions the reasoning of adults when she asks, “How can you hate Hitler so bad and then turn around and be so ugly about folks right at home?” (Lee 268). She concludes that the adult way of thinking was incomprehensible and says, "I [Scout] came to the conclusion that people were just peculiar. I withdrew from them and never thought about them unless I was forced to" (Lee 264). This shows that to the eye of a child, adult ways are complicated and confusing. It evokes sympathy from the readers and leads the readers to question their own views and perspectives. Scout’s closeness to her brother Jem, allows the readers to catch a glimpse of the perspective of an adolescent boy. In this way, the story combines the perspectives of a child, adolescent, and a grown adult. Jem experiences difficulties at the time of his puberty and looks to Atticus as a role model and guardian. He is mentally affected by the trial and by Mrs. Dubose’s death more than Scout because he understands things more than she does. This only magnifies Scout’s innocence and indicates how quickly innocence can be lost. One of the morals of the story is to understand that different people have different perspectives and people who realize this achieve peace. “It teaches that perspective plays a major part in seeing and in achieving wisdom. Wisdom comes from having a sense of something beyond oneself to which one is devoted, as Jem is, whether to playing football, to being a gentleman, or to seeing justice prevail; as Atticus is to right action and fairness; as Scout is, also, to fairness, and to making sense of and mapping the world around her” (Heims ????) The main lesson of the novel can be summed up in one statement made by Atticus at the end of the novel, "Most people are [nice] Scout, when you finally see them" (Lee 307).