To Kill a Mockingbird Essay

To Kill A Mockingbird Essay

It’s a sin to kill mockingbirds. That’s what Atticus told Jem when he acquired his first weapon. He told him it’s a sin to harm anything that doesn’t commit any wrong, a message the American South needed to hear desperately at the time Harper Lee was writing. In the book, the children have been relentlessly making fun of Boo Radley, but Jem soon realizes that Boo is not what their prejudices had caused them to make him out to be. He learns from this, and begins questioning his beliefs. Lee uses Jem’s experiences with prejudice to introduce the message into the story, which is a message that is also meant to influence the racist American south. During the first part of the novel, Jem, Scout and Dill have a childish obsession with the idea of Boo Radley, the “terrifying” recluse who lives down the street from them. Yet, over time, he commits various acts of kindness towards the children: leaving presents in the tree, sewing Jem’s pants, and eventually giving a blanket to Scout when they were forced to stand in the cold. When Jem pieces this together after the blanket incident, he becomes upset. When Atticus is discussing the matter with him, Jem says, “[...] he’s crazy, I reckon, like they say, but Atticus, I swear to god he ain’t never hurt us, he coulda cut my throat from ear to ear that night but he tried to mend my pants instead...He ain’t ever hurt us, Atticus” (96). Jem is upset because he knows that he has harmed someone unnecessarily, and has learned the “it’s a sin to kill mockingbirds” lesson for himself before Atticus has even properly explained it to him. Jem becomes more self-aware because of this experience, and, in future chapters, seems to want to prevent others from being victims of actions like his. When Atticus must shoot Tim Johnson, the dog with rabies, Jem is clearly disturbed. After he witnessed the shooting, Lee writes, “Jem was paralyzed. I pinched him to get him moving” (128). He had never seen Atticus harm anything. Even though Atticus needed to shoot the sickly dog, Jem is upset that his role model is even capable of committing such acts of violence. This shows personal growth within Jem; he has become more aware of the negative effects of violence, and more aware of how to respect life and power. This is due to new his understanding of the message, which will continue to develop even more, later on in the novel. The second half of the novel sees an even bigger change in Jem. Though he’s already become more aware of the prejudices in his world through his experience with Arthur Radley, he matures and comes to understand these prejudices even more after witnessing the Tom Robinson trial. Tom Robinson, who’s been unfairly tried and convicted, represents the “mockingbird”, who Maycomb has “killed”. Jem, who has already come to somewhat understand the “to kill a mockingbird” lesson through his experiences with Arthur Radley, is horrified when he witnesses the trial, and the racist actions of those involved in it. When speaking with Miss Maudie after becoming upset over the ruling against Tom, he says, “It’s like bein’ a caterpillar in a cocoon, that’s what it is [...] Like somethin’ asleep wrapped up in a warm place. I always thought Maycomb folks were the best folks in the world, least that’s what they seemed like” (288). Seeing the miscarriage of justice caused by racism lead him to question his views, which he’s realized are wrong. By being “wrapped up in a warm place” he’s referring to being ignorant towards prejudices in his town, because it’s easier than facing them. He’s opened his eyes, though, and by doing this he has matured, and finally fully understands the “to kill a mockingbird” lesson. The theme of hurting someone or something unnecessarily being a sin is uncannily similar to the situation in the American south at the time Lee was writing. Racially charged violence was at an unusually pronounced high; just like it was in Maycomb. Blacks were being harmed constantly, although they had done absolutely nothing wrong. The situation between Jem, the kids and Boo, can be viewed as a metaphor for the Civil Rights Movement, and the Tom Robinson trial is something that could have easily happened in real life. Violent acts of prejudice like this could be compared to the murder of Emmett Till, similar in nature to Tom Robinson’s murder. For readers, mainly white southerners, reading about prejudices and racism in a new light would have made them think about and question what is right, just as it had for Jem. Lee sends a message to the still racist south, battling racism in America with writing. Lee creates an image of what it’s like to overcome your prejudices, giving a lesson to readers who still aren’t sure how to do that themselves. By witnessing the injustices brought upon Tom Robinson, Jem has matured, and has the capability to become a less prejudiced person than the rest of his community in the future. Though Lee directed the lessons of TKAM at the racist south during the Civil Rights Movement, they could be applied to any situation where prejudice is present. Reading about Jem’s experiences in Maycomb requires you to question your own way of thinking, and the way you think about other people. As the book says, most people are nice, once you finally learn to see them.