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... Telgen points this out: Mrs. Dubose teaches the children another lesson in courage when Jem is sentenced to spend two hours a day reading to her as repayment for the flowers he damaged (Telgen 293). Atticus Finch is another symbol of courage in this novel.
He stands up for his beliefs and goes against the racist people of Maycomb. The main example and focus of the novel is Atticus courage during the Tom Robinson trial. Tom Robinson is a Negro man accused of raping a white lady, Mayella Ewell. Atticus does everything he can to prove Tom innocent against a white mans accusations. He is criticized greatly for this, but he does what he thinks is right.
He delivers a soul shattering speech during the hearing addressing the jury to convince them to believe in Tom. Atticus knows this will be a difficult trial and the chances of winning are few, yet he is a respected lawyer and will defend people of any color. Im simply defending a Negro he says (75). At another place Telgen talks about Atticus courage and compares it to the courage of Mrs. Dubose, Atticus shows the same type of bravery in fighting the Robinson case; although he knows it would be nearly impossible for a white jury to return a verdict of not guilty, he nonetheless argues the case to the best of his ability (Telgen 294). Scout relates the trial to the dog incident by saying it was like watching Atticus walk into the street, raise a rifle to his shoulder and pull the trigger, but watching all the time knowing that the gun was empty (211).
This points out to the reader that while Atticus knows he is not going to win the trial, he goes through with it, and tries his hardest, courageously giving it all that he had. The most important theme of this novel is the notion of prejudice in all of it forms. Racial prejudice is discrimination based on the color of ones skin. Lees characters deal with racial prejudice head on with the Tom Robinson case. Black men are called niggers and boys throughout the whole novel. Black people occupy the lowest class level of Maycomb, and the whites of Maycomb waste no time in reinforcing their rigid class rules.
Atticus even realizes that he will not win the case because Tom is black. This shows how racism is so deeply rooted in Maycomb's society. Another kind of prejudice is social prejudice. Social prejudice is discrimination based on ones status in society. The town's people are more respected and on a higher social class than a farmer because of their wealth and occupation. Both the farmer and townspeople usually work equally as hard and are both probably very respectable people, but the average towns person is respected more because they live in fine homes and drive nice cars.
Jem and Scouts Aunt Alexandra says that poor people like the Cunningham's are the lower class, so low that if they were related to the Finches, they would never be known to be their relatives. Their Aunt Alexandra is proud of herself and her family background. Jem and Scout find out later that family background has nothing to do with making people respectable, as long as ones family has been educated, that is the key. Another victim of prejudice in the novel is Boo Radley.
He is a perfect example of a person completely misunderstood by all. Jem, Scout and Dill think, Hell kill us each and everyone. They have the misconception that Boo is some sort of demon who eats squirrels and cats. All these theories are based on the stories they hear from the people around them when they have not even seen him once.
The title of this novel is in fact a reference to something that Atticus Finch tells his children. He says that it is a sin to kill a mockingbird because they dont do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. The children are taught that it is a sin to kill mockingbirds because they only harbor good intents. This is a sort of symbolism that can be applied towards many characters in the novel. First of all, Tom Robinson is such a good and kind-hearted person that he has never hurt anyone in his life. On the contrary, though, racism and hatred become the reason for his murder.
Boo Radley is another instance in which the author applies this metaphor. After Bob Ewell attacks Jem and Scout, Boo saves their lives by stabbing Bob in his ribs and killing him. When the childrens father, Atticus, and the Sheriff find out that Boo only killed Bob to save Jem and Scout, they forgive him. Sheriff Tate writes a phony report and keeps Boo Radley away from the whole situation.
When Atticus tries to explain to Scout why they did not punish Boo, she already understood. She says, taking Boo to trial would be like killing a mockingbird. She meant that it would be unfair to punish Boo for saving their lives and being a good person. R.
A. Dave says, The mockingbird symbol in the novel acquires a profound moral significance. For, unlike the world of tender love and longing of Walt Whitman's Alabama birds, Harper Lees Alabama presents a bleak picture of a narrow world torn by hatred, injustice, violence and cruelty, and we lament to see what man has made of man. It brings out forcefully the condition of Negro subculture in the white world where a Negro, as dark as a mockingbird, is accepted largely as a servant or at best as an entertainer (Dave 245). In conclusion, there are various themes in the book. The theme of education is evident from the beginning to the end of the novel.
Atticus Finch stresses the need for education to his children and also to the people of Maycomb during the trial of Tom Robinson. The theme of courage is also an important part of this novel. The children learn from Atticus and Mrs. Dubose that courage and strength are not necessarily physical, but actually they are present in the hearts and minds of people. The theme of prejudice is present throughout the novel in the first part against Boo Radley and in the second part in the form of racism against Tom Robinson. The understanding of prejudice helps the children change from childhood innocence to a point of maturity and acceptance of people who are different from them.
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