To Kill A Mockingbird, By Harper Lee

In the book To Kill a Mockingbird Harper Lee teaches life lessons that show the unfairness of prejudice, the importance of dignity, and the need for respect. To Kill a Mockingbird is a book about the small town of Maycomb and two children named Scout and Jem. Scout and Jem's father is a lawyer assigned to defend a black man named Tom Robinson. Tom was charged with rape. Just because he is black Tom is found guilty. He was later shot 17 times while trying to climb over a fence and escape. Throughout the story, we are taught many important lessons. The first lesson Harper Lee teaches us is that rumors are like nut grass. Miss Maudie tells us in the story that “one sprig of nut grass can ruin a whole yard” (42). Like nut grass rumors spread fast. One uneducated thing said can ruin someone's entire reputation. People were terrified of Boo Radley because there were rumors of him being very violent and an insane man. People were so scared of him and even his house that “Cecil Jacobs, who lives at the far end of our street next to the post office, walked a total of one mile per school day to avoid the Radley place” (35). It is uncertain what rumors in the book are true about Boo, but we know he was not this evil person the rumors made him out to be. These rumors were blown out of proportion and
spread fast.
The second lesson Harper Lee teaches us is that we should not judge people based on race, background or disability.
Two people that are shown prejudice toward are Boo Radley and Tom Robinson. Because of the racism in the town they would not believe Tom even though he was innocent. They trusted the nasty Cunninghams over the helpful, hard-working black man. People were terrified of Boo Radley because of things they had heard he did. It seems like Boo had some mental disabilities, and no one tried to understand him. He was just a scared man. Scout realized this when boo asked Scout to walk him home, “He almost whispered it, in the voice of a child afraid of the dark”
(278).
The third thing this book teaches us is that humility and dignity will get you much further than hate and revenge. Atticus has a dignity that everyone admires, and even though he defended a black man, he could get his respect back. Mr. Ewell, on the other hand, was hateful and repulsive. To get revenge on Atticus, he tried to kill Jem and Scout. This backfired because when Heck Tate came in he said “Bob Ewell’s lyin’ on the ground under that tree down yonder with a kitchen knife stuck up under his rib cage. He’s dead Mr. Finch” (266). Bob lived an awful person and died an awful person and would never get respect.
So, in the end, we find so many lessons from To Kill a Mockingbird. Rumors are uncontrollable and unfair to the people they affect. Judging people without knowing them is wrong. Humility, dignity, and love with always be better than hate.