To Kill A Mockingbird And Richard Wright's Eight Men

The novel “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee conveys injustice and racism through the eyes of a young curious girl is trying to understand the world. The narrator Scout gets caught in many situations and also witnesses the trial of Tom Robinson which changes the way she thinks. While Richard Wright’s “Eight Men” shares eight short stories in one book about different African American men who each face a problem with the white society. Each of these men is open to a realization about themselves or their society at the end of each story. “To Kill a Mockingbird” and “Eight Men” both demonstrate similar themes throughout each book. The books express prejudice, innocence, and coming of age. These three themes communicate with the reader by sending messages about life. One main conflict in each book is focused around the issue of prejudice between the characters. Prejudice can be a theme for both “To Kill a Mockingbird” and “Eight Men” because it appears throughout both stories and conveys a message about life. In “To Kill A Mockingbird” Tom Robison is falsely accused of raping a white woman because he is black. Most of the people do not respect him or try to hear what
he has to say because they assume that he would do something like this. In “Eight Men” prejudice is seen in a majority of the short stories. In the story “The Man Who Lived Underground” it is also made known that the narrator who is black is also accused of raping a white woman and the narrator tries to tell the police he is not guilty. Also in the short story “The Big Black Good Man” a black man is judged as a bad person by a white man before he can get to know him. In both stories, some characters are judged by other based off of what they think. Prejudice is a theme for both “To Kill a Mockingbird” and “Eight Men” .
Innocence exists in both books and is an important role.The characters in both stories try to piece together of what they think innocence is to them. In “To Kill A Mockingbird” the title is a symbol of losing your innocence. The text states, “Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy . . . but sing their hearts out for us”. In “Eight Men” Fred Daniels from the story “The Man Who Lived Underground” tries to hold on to his innocence for as long as he can. The text states, “Though innocent, he felt guilty, condemned”. When the police began to persuade him and get into his head, the narrator tries to believe that he is innocence. Both characters in the stories struggle with the concept of innocence. They start to want innocence and not let anyone take it anyway from
them Another theme found in both books is growing up or coming of age. The characters in both stories are growing up and learning new things from their mistakes. In “To Kill A Mockingbird” the story is told through her eyes and the reader sees how over time she matures.“When we were small, Jem and I confined our activities to the southern neighborhood… but Jem said I had to grow up some time”. Scout makes new realizations after going through experiences and events such as Tom Robison’s trial and getting into Boo Radley’s business. In “Eight Men” the first story, “The Man Who was Almost a Man” Dave is eager to grow up and become a man. The text states, “Ahead the long rails were glinting in the moonlight, stretching away, away to somewhere, somewhere where he could be a man”. He learns that he should not strive so hard to grow up. Dave also learns that one day he would be a man and gain respect. In both stories, the characters mature and grow up throughout the story. The two books “To Kill a Mocking Bird” and “Eight Men” both share some of the same themes.