Theme Of Loss Of Innocence In To Kill A Mockingbird

“The knowledge that makes us cherish innocence makes innocence unattainable.” -Irving Howe Everyone is born innocent, but like Irving Howe said, experiences and knowledge take that innocence away piece by piece. Scout, Jem, and Boo Radley from the book To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee all started at the beginning of the story with innocence in them. As the book progresses, events unfold that pick apart their innocence and changes the characters. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee uses characterization to show the loss of innocence. Lee shows the loss of innocence in Jem, Scout's older brother, through his character development and the challenges he faces. Jem and Scout lost their mother when they were both young, but only Jem remembers her. Scout said that “sometimes in the middle of a game, he would sigh at length and then go
Boo Radley is the town recluse and his character is symbolized as a mockingbird. His character is similar because each mind their own business and are innocent. He doesn't socialize much with others, but that changes when he leaves Scout and Jem messages in a knothole in a tree. But one day Jem noticed that “Someone had filled out knothole with cement.” (Lee #) Boo showed his innocence through his interactions with the kids and lost that when Nathan filled the hole. On the night of the Halloween pageant, Boo protected the children when Bob Ewell attacks them. He saved the kids, killing Bob in the process. (Need quote) Boo lost the innocence of being innocent; by taking a man’s life, he lost his child-like innocence. The novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee shows the loss of innocence through characterization. We see this in Scout, Jem, and Boo Radley, because all three gradually change in the way they act and see the world. These changes formed them into more mature people with more advanced opinions about their