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To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee seems like a complete replica of the lives of people living in a small Southern U. S. town. The themes expressed in this novel are as relevant today as when this novel was written, and also the most significant literary devices used by Lee. The novel brings forward many important themes, such as the importance of education, recognition of inner courage, and the misfortunes of prejudice. This novel was written in the 1930 s.
This was the period of the Great Depression when it was very common to see people without jobs, homes and food. In those days, the rivalry between the whites and the blacks deepened even more due to the competition for the few available jobs. A very famous court case at that time was the Scottsboro trials. These trials were based on the accusation against nine black men for raping two white women. These trials began on March 25, 1931. The Scottsboro trials were very similar to Tom Robinsons trial.
The similarities include the time factor and also the fact that in both cases, white women accused black men. We learn how important it is to Atticus for his children to be educated. We see how he teaches them to read and write at an early age. As it is in a black mans account of slavery, reading and writing are major themes in To Kill a Mockingbird.
Reading is first introduced with Dills announcement that he can read, and Jems counter boast that his sister, Scout, has been reading for years (Teen 301). Atticus reads to the children from newspapers and magazines as if they are adults who can understand issues at his level. By the time Scout attends her first day of school, she is highly literate, far surpassing the other children in the classroom and frustrating her teacher whose task it is to teach her students according to a predetermined plan. It soon becomes clear why Atticus thinks education is so important.
During his closing arguments, Atticus explicitly acknowledges the ignorance blinding people's minds and hearts: The witnesses for the state have presented themselves to you gentlemen in the cynical confidence that their testimony would not be doubted, confident that you gentlemen would go along with them on the evil assumption that all Negroes lie, that all Negroes are basically immoral beings, that all Negro men are not to be trusted around our women, an assumption one associates with minds of their caliber (206). Education is the key to unlocking the ignorance that causes such prejudice. Jem begins to understand this lesson toward the end of the book when he wonders whether family status could be based more on education than on bloodlines. In the novel the children have a slim vision of life. The reality of life to them is the life they have inside the walls of their home, with their father and Calpurnia. Magill and Kohler sate about the mental level of Scout: With her childhood guided by a father in his fifties and a Negro servant, Scout Finch sees the world more with the eyes of an adult than with those of a child (Magill and Kohler 4696).
They see people like Boo Radley and Tom Robinson as demons. They do not realize how harsh and ugly the world outside their home is. The children mature and gain knowledge and understanding about things they did not know before throughout the novel. They especially learn about the ugliness of prejudice and racism. They thought Tom Robinson would not be found guilty, but he was found guilty as charged just because he was black. Atticus proves that Tom could not have raped Mayella because he cannot even use his left arm, but the jury still finds him guilty.
The children learn about injustice and racism from their father. Atticus tells them that a black mans word cannot be taken against a white mans word. Scout is upset when she hears the comment made by Miss Gates when leaving the courtroom that it was good Tom was convicted because it would keep the blacks in their place. In the beginning of the novel the children do not know who Boo Radley is, or what he looks like. Jem and Scout are afraid of Boo, and Dill is curious about him. They never even go up to his house or even walk on his property.
They, like everyone else think that Boo is an outcast, a strange person, and very different from everyone. As the novel progresses, they begin to realize that Boo is very different from what they think. They find that he is friendly and loving when he wraps the blanket around Scout during the fire. The children learn not to prejudge people just because they are different. They mature and become wiser about the way people think and how they act. They become aware of the fact that a black man could not get a fair trial in Maycomb.
They see the racism and the hardships of their society. They see that it takes great courage to defend and befriend someone different. They find this out by watching their father defend Tom Robinson. Scout gains courage at the end when she takes Boo Radley by the hand to Jems bed after the incident with Bob Ewell. Scout tells Boo it is okay to touch Jem and escorts Boo arm in arm to his house.
Jem also learns powerful lessons from his father about bravery and cowardice. Early in the novel, we learn that Atticus does not approve of guns. He believes that guns do not make men brave and that the children's fascination with guns is unfounded. To prove his point, he sends Jem to read for Mrs. Dubose who struggles to beat her morphine addiction before she dies. He wants to show his son one shows true bravery "when you know you " re licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what" (121).
Atticus tells them about her slow and painful fight to die without the use of morphine. They realize that even if she is a weak and frail old lady, she has more courage than an entire army. Scout and Jem see courage in a totally different light to their father. When the two see Atticus shoot a mad dog, they at once think of him as a hero.
Later on, they learn what real courage is when they meet Mrs. Dubose. Jem and Scout learn the difference between physical strength and inner courage...
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