Themes In To Kill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee

A theme is the lesson the author wants the reader understand after reading a book. It is also known as the moral of the story. In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, the author illustrates several themes. One in particular theme that truly highlights the novel’s characters is “don’t judge a person by how he or she looks.” In Lee’s novel, the townspeople of Maycomb County are notorious for judging others by their appearance. Instead of taking the opportunity to understand characters beyond their outer shell, the townspeople let their clouded judgment assume the worst in people. Characters like Arthur “Boo” Radley, Mrs. Henry Lafayette Dubose, and Tom Robinson are regarded as abominable human beings.
Atticus Finch always told his children, Jem and Scout, “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view…until you climb into his skin and walk around in it” (39). The townspeople judged Arthur “Boo” Radley because he was a recluse. They were haste in jumping to conclusions and spread false rumors about Boo Radley. Like all rumors, these speculations that were told about Boo’s mysterious and haunting
discrepancies were made up because no one understood or knew the real reason why he was a recluse. They made these rumors up out of curiosity. Despite what the townspeople thought of Boo Radley, he was considered a kind and polite neighbor to the Finches. He left little gifts like gum, coins, and soap dolls in the knothole of a tree. In addition, Boo risked his well-being to save the Finches siblings. Towards the end of the novel, Bob Ewell is angry and wants revenge for the humiliation he suffered in court, so he attacks Scout and Jem. In order to protect the children, Boo fatally stabs Bob Ewell. Unaware of the details of the daily life of Mrs. Henry Lafayette Dubose, the children thought of her as an old hag that loves to see the children suffer. Because of Mrs. Dubose’s action towards Jem and Scout every time they pass her front porch, they despised her. They thought Mrs. Dubose was a very vicious, grouchy old lady, who sits around and hollers at them. They were oblivious to the fact that Mrs. Dubose was in great pain. She had been a morphine addict for all her life; the drug helped relieve the pain she was in in. When Dr. Reynolds told her she only has a few months left, she said she was going to “leave this world beholden to nothing and nobody” (148). Atticus wanted Jem to understand what courage was, so he sent him to her house and read to her. Eventually, Jem started to understand whom Mrs. Dubose was underneath all that bitterness. Mrs. Dubose died a courageous woman on her own terms. Even with the great pains she dealt with, she still managed to live longer. Another character that suffered the wrath of society’s prejudiced judgment was Tom Robinson.
He was an innocent, hard working black man. Robinson’s only job was to provide for his family, but he was sucked into society’s black hole of discrimination. He was accused of raping Bob Ewell’s daughter, Mayella Ewell. During the trial, Atticus provided intriguing circumstantial evidence that proved Robinson’s innocence. Despite the evidence, the jury found Robinson guilty of the rape charge because of his skin color. The people of Maycomb thought that Tom Robinson must have committed the crime because he was a “nigger,” and in their perspective all “niggers” were to not be trusted. In the end, Tom Robinson took justice into his own hands and attempted to escape prison, so he could return to his family, but he was
shot. Society has a way of judging others simply by their appearances. Judging an individual from their exterior can led to unnecessary false rumors and accusations. One cannot simply know someone’s intentions without stepping in their shoes. Despite the imperfections in this world, objective people continue to go about this world by viewing others from their perspectives. With a newfound outlook of others’ motives for how they look, act, or dress, it will stop the discrimination of innocent individuals.