Preview

To Kill a Mockingbird

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
836 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
To Kill a Mockingbird
To Kill A Mockingbird Racial comments have been slurred all over the world, but in this particular town called, “ Maycomb” racist would go far beyond. Having to overcome many problems Lee would begin using plot, characterization and character motivation to began to grow . Through the use of plot, characterization and character motivation Lee places these characters in situations that require them to mature. First, direct characterization involves with maturity by how wrong decisions was given at the beginning of the story and by overcoming those problems it helped mature those characters until the end of the story. For Example, In chapter 3 Walter was invited to the Finch’s house for supper and Scout asked him what he was doing when he placed molasses in his food and she gets in trouble for being rude to a guest(24). Scout didn’t know why she had got in trouble at first for asking Walter that, but as Calpurinia explained why, Scout had to understand the concept of being rude and having to grow out of it. Furthermore , the quote “ You just be a gentleman , son” was told by Atticus to Jem about having to become a man(102). Jem had to mature and forgive Mrs. Dubose and it was time to start to finally grow up as a young man. It ties together because it leads up to him maturing. While, “ What’s rape ? ” was asked by Scout to Atticus. He had to come up with a smart response so she wouldn 't know what he meant but still answered her question(135). Scout having to deal with complicated problems to grow would have to undergo maturity in order to understand the meaning. Maturing happened through all characterization in “ To Kill A Mockingbird” and also by plot by what they have done. Now, plot through maturity is how the characters acted during each scene to begin to grow up each time they had to face complicated situations to get out of. Next, Jem and Scout had to ignore comments from school. As an example, when Cecil Jacobs said that their father


Cited: Lee, Harper. To Kill A Mockingbird. Warner Books: New York, 1960
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    How Does Dill Mature In To Kill A Mockingbird
    • 641 Words
    • 3 Pages

    How Does Dill Mature In To Kill A Mockingbird

    As we gets older, we grow up without noticing the changing of our mind and social skills because we learn more about the world and how life actually is. When we are a child, we still think that the world is a peaceful and fun place, but when we grow up we notice that it is actually a cruel and difficult world. We can see in To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, that Jem, Scout, and Dill mature throughout the book. They also grow up and discover a lot of good and bad things about Maycomb.…

    • 641 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Examples Of Jem's Maturation In To Kill A Mockingbird '
    • 965 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Examples Of Jem's Maturation In To Kill A Mockingbird '

    In To Kill a Mockingbird Jem and Scout’s process of maturation is present by describing how both Jem and Scout are affected by different and harsh incidents. An example of this situations would be when Jem does not want to leave his father alone in front of the jail, because he thinks that if he does, the mob is going to harm Atticus; at the same time Scout is trying to talk with Mr. Cunningham to make him reason about the situation. Jem’s maturation is shown when he eventually finds out that Mrs. Dubose’s attitude had a justification. Jem’s changes can be seen after the trial that makes Tom Robinson guilty. This is the main issue in the story that proves how the he changes. Jem and Scout’s maturation is seen along the whole story, but it is mainly demonstrated in these issues: they both defended his father from a fractious mob, Jem learned from an old and ill woman that it is not fair to prejudge people, and Jem realizes that racism is the main fact that controls people in Maycomb.…

    • 965 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    How Does Jem Mature In To Kill A Mockingbird
    • 611 Words
    • 3 Pages

    How Does Jem Mature In To Kill A Mockingbird

    When growing up in today's world, people must face the many challenges of maturing. Whether it is physically, emotionally, or mentally, every person matures individually. In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird, the court trial of Tom Robinson matures three main characters in the book. They learn what growing up is all about. Jem, Scout, and Dill are the most affected by the trial and all matures throughout the book.…

    • 611 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Theme Of Maturity In To Kill A Mockingbird
    • 254 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Theme Of Maturity In To Kill A Mockingbird

    In the book “To Kill a Mockingbird” there are many lessons and themes. One of the best themes is how Scout and Jem mature. They start to see that the world around them isn’t all sweet and kind. The see that there is bad in the world and that sometimes the guy who did the right thing is wrong. That is a theme of the story, how Scout and Jem change from a child’s perspective and go to an adult perspective.…

    • 254 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    To Kill A Mockingbird Maturation Analysis
    • 729 Words
    • 3 Pages

    To Kill A Mockingbird Maturation Analysis

    The process of maturing is an ongoing part of a person’s life. Maturing is the only thing that affects how the way a person acts, feels or does something. The more one matures, the more aware he or she becomes how she acts, feels or behaves. Maturation is an action or process of growing up and is the physical, intellectual, or emotional process of development. Harper Lee is a really talented author and has written this fantastic book named ToKillAMockingbird. Harper Lee demonstrates the process of maturing in ToKillAMockingbird in many ways. Many characters in the book go through maturation but the three characters who exemplify this topic are Jem, Scout and Boo Radley. Each mature in their own ways thorough their own experiences.…

    • 729 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Literary Analysis Of To Kill A Mockingbird
    • 1008 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Literary Analysis Of To Kill A Mockingbird

    As most people have read the novel “To Kill A Mockingbird” by Harper Lee, many have wondered, what contributes most to the story’s themes? Well, throughout the novel, there are three main literary elements that come into play. In the passage “‘It ain’t right, Atticus…”’(pg.284) to “I looked up, and his face was vehement”(pg.296), Harper Lee uses the literary element character, setting, and tone to develop the theme that recognizing perspectives contributes to coming of age. As many other themes in the novel, the theme will show a change in how Jem starts to view the world, and the major roles included in it, such as racism. But his perspective comes mostly from the kind of character he is.…

    • 1008 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Coming Of Age Quotes
    • 1085 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Coming Of Age Quotes

    In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, the character Jem was able to grow in maturity from the experiences that helped shape his understanding of Boo Radley. As…

    • 1085 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Coming Of Age Experiences In To Kill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee
    • 977 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Coming Of Age Experiences In To Kill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee

    We all need to grow up someday to continue life. To Kill a Mockingbird shows coming of age experiences as an enormous part of this novel. It shows how things cause situations and feelings, how young adults face the reality of first-hand conflicts, and how these situations affect them. Scout and Jem undergo conditions to help them mature in the book. The encounters help them bloom throughout the novel with noticing the components and point of views involved in the situation.…

    • 977 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    To Kill A Mockingbird
    • 540 Words
    • 3 Pages

    To Kill A Mockingbird

    In To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee illustrates determination through Atticus Finch’s ability to do what is right at all costs because he wants to set good examples. First of all, Atticus defends those who aren’t able to speak for themselves or for those who aren’t understood. Evidence of this assertion from the book is, “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.”- (pg. 39) Atticus defended Miss Caroline when Scout told him about Burris Ewell; Atticus told Scout to look at things from Miss Caroline’s perspective. Atticus knew that people shouldn’t tease Arthur Radley, so Atticus made sure his children didn’t make fun of Arthur. Atticus defended Mrs. Dubose and explained to Jem how she was the bravest person he ever knew. Second of all, Atticus accepts the trial of Tom Robinson even though the town is against him. Evidence of this second assertion is, “This case, Tom Robinson’s case, is something that goes to the essence of a man’s conscience-Scout, I couldn’t go to church and worship God if I didn’t try to help that man.”- (pg. 139) Although Atticus knew that Tom Robinson was going to be guilty, Atticus still wanted to defend him. If Atticus couldn’t hold up his head in town, Atticus couldn’t represent this county in the legislature. He couldn’t even tell Scout or Jem not to do something again because Atticus could never ask them to mind him again. The town was against Atticus for defending a black man, but Atticus didn’t cave into the negative comments they were saying about him. When taking the case of Tom Robinson, Atticus took the responsibilities of protecting Tom. One of the times when Atticus protected Tom was when Atticus sat outside the jail late at night with a gun to protect Tom. Last of all, Atticus makes wise choices in regards to his children. Here are two evidences of this last assertion. “You might hear some ugly talk about it at school, but do one…

    • 540 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Theme Of Coming Of Age In To Kill A Mockingbird
    • 798 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Theme Of Coming Of Age In To Kill A Mockingbird

    Jem, in To Kill a Mockingbird represents maturity. Jem looked at scout and told her "I think I’m beginning to understand why Boo Radley’s stayed shut up in the house all this time… it’s because he wants to stay inside” (Lee 193). Boo Radley has always stayed shut away in his house, and the town and the kids noticed it. He’s showing maturity because he finally understands why Boo Radley is wanting to stay in his house and not come outside. Scout had been worrying a lot about Jem lately and Scout thought to herself “he was inconsistent, and moody.…

    • 798 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    To Kill a Mockingbird
    • 834 Words
    • 4 Pages

    To Kill a Mockingbird

    Everyone makes judgments about others, there is no way around it, what a person should work on though is not to “snap” judge other people. To Kill a Mockingbird by Haper Lee demonstrates how being quick to judge is wrong. To Kill a Mockingbird is globally known, winning the Pulitzer Prize in 1961 and selling over fifteen million copies. To Kill a Mockingbird shows how judging a person before you get to know them generates a hateful, prejudice environment based on false pretenses.…

    • 834 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Theme Of Growing Up In To Kill A Mockingbird
    • 1486 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Theme Of Growing Up In To Kill A Mockingbird

    Anne Frank said “Parents can only give good advice or put them on the right paths, but the final forming of a person’s character lies in their own hands.” This relates strongly to To Kill a Mockingbird because Atticus keeps trying to set his children on the right path, Atticus tries his best but in the end it is up to Jem and Scout how they end up. To Kill a Mockingbird is about children Jem and Scout Finch growing up in Maycomb, Alabama hanging out with their new best friend Dill, and trying to figure out the mystery of their neighbor Boo Radley, but their lives get turned upside down when their father, Atticus Finch, decides to defend a black man named Tom Robinson when a girl says that he raped her. Growing up is a major theme in To Kill a Mockingbird with Jem and Scout coming of age and being influenced by the people and situations around them. There are many characters in To Kill a Mockingbird, Scout, Jem, and Atticus are the main characters but there are a lot of interesting side characters as well such as their friend Dill, their neighbours Boo Radley and Miss Maudie, their nanny Calpurnia and their aunt Alexandra, the defendant Tom Robinson and his accusers Bob and Mayella Ewell.…

    • 1486 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    To Kill a Mckingbird
    • 1104 Words
    • 5 Pages

    To Kill a Mckingbird

    It's interesting to see the ways different authors depict how a character matures, a stage that many of us have been through. In Harper Lee's novel, To Kill a Mocking Bird we can easily see how she chose to do it. The novel is set in Alabama in the 1930's, while black vs. white racism was a big issue and problem for many. Atticus is the father of Scout and Jem, young children who witness the discrimination first hand when their father, a white man, defends a black man in court. Lee does a great job developing the characters; especially the narrator, Jean Louise Finch (Scout). Scout's thoughts, conversations, and actions, illustrate that she's emotionally maturing from the innocent child that she was.…

    • 1104 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    To Kill A Mockingbird Coming Of Age Analysis
    • 1572 Words
    • 7 Pages

    To Kill A Mockingbird Coming Of Age Analysis

    One of the ways he matures is he learns to protect his sister and do what’s best for her. An example of this is “[…] But when I was rubbing his nose in the dirt Jem came by and told me to stop “You're bigger'n he is” he said.”This quote shows that Jem is standing up for his sister. He sees that Scout is being inappropriate so he comes over to stop her. He is making the right choices and helping out his sister very much. He wants his sister to make better choices so he is trying to help her out more. Jem wants to do what he can do to make Scout make the right choices and do what is best for her. Jem is being a very good brother in the novel and becomes an even better one towards the end of the story. Jem also matures throughout the book because he realizes that people of different races are treated unfairly. An example of how Jem matures through this is, “It was Jem's turn to cry. His face was streaked with tears as we made our way through the cheerful crowd. “It ain't right,” muttered […]” This quote shows that as Jem, Scout, and Dill are attending the court they see that people of different race and colour are treated completely different and much ruder. But Jem is the one that realizes this the most, compared to the other two children. Jem did not understand this when he was younger but now as he attends the court he starts to notice that they are treated completely different. Jem notices…

    • 1572 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    To Kill a Mockingbird
    • 531 Words
    • 3 Pages

    To Kill a Mockingbird

    In “To Kill a Mockingbird,” Atticus Finch included many themes in his closing speech to the jury. Some of the themes were loneliness, racism, human nature, and equality. The theme loneliness was demonstrated in the speech when Atticus attacked Mayella’s loneliness and blamed her for her child – like decision to accuse Tom Robinson for her unhappiness. “She did something every child has done – she tried to put the evidence of her offence away from her. But in this case she was no child hiding stolen contraband: she struck out at her victim …” Another theme of Atticus’s speech was racism, which was shown when the jury did not believe the word of Tom Robinson, a black man, over the word of “white trash” like the Ewells. Atticus attempted his point that Tom had been exploited and unjustly accused. “And so a quiet, respectable, humble Negro who had the unmitigated temerity to ‘feel sorry' for a white woman has had to put his word against two white people's.” Racism was also demonstrated throughout the story by how Tom Robinson was convicted purely because he was a black man and his accuser was white. The evidence was so powerfully in his favor, that race was clearly the single defining factor in the jury's decision. Human nature was one of the themes shown in Atticus’s speech. It was shown when Atticus reminded the jury that not all Negroes lie, not all are immoral, and not all can be trusted around women – black or white, and that blackness does not necessarily associate to evil. “… some Negroes lie, some Negroes are immoral, some Negro men are not to be trusted around women – black or white …” Atticus then further appealed to the jury the honest of nature. “… this is a truth that applies to the human race and to no particular race of men. There is not a person in this courtroom who has never told a lie, who has never done an immoral thing, and there is no man living who has never looked upon a woman without desire.” Lastly,…

    • 531 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More

Related Topics