Innocence and Prejudice in to Kill a Mockingbird Essay

To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee is a beautiful story depicting a family living in the South of the 1930’s, and their struggle against the prejudice which was common to that time. The book centers on Atticus Finch, the father of the family as well as a lawyer, and his fight against prejudice. We see the story unfold through the innocent eyes of his young daughter, Scout, who is free from prejudice and not yet jaded. By viewing events as Scout sees them, the author shows us how to overcome prejudices, and gain tolerance. By seeing the mob scene outside of the jail house through Scouts innocent eyes, we see how to gain understanding for others, instead of having everything be black or white. By talking to Mr. Cunningham the way she†¦show more content†¦Her father was abusive, and she had no one to talk to. Every day, she would do all the work around the house, and take care of the children, with no help. Tom was most likely the only person to ever show her kindness and politeness, the only one to ever stop to help her and talk to her. The black people wouldn’t have anything to do with the Ewells because they were white, and the white people wouldn’t have anything to do with them because they lived like pigs, among the blacks. The prejudices other people held towards them was what caused them to act the way they did in the first place. We see that although what Mayella was doing was horrible, she had reasons to do it. She is a victim of social pressures, of prejudice, and the effects these things have on her family. Scouts inability to understand different occurrences helps us as the reader realize the injustices that are taking place. The main example of this is the overall storyline of the rape trial. She doesn’t understand the charges of rape, let alone the prejudices associated with a black man raping a white woman. Scout is also unable to understand the injustice of Tom Robinson’s conviction. In her eyes he was obviously innocent, and yet he was convicted anyway. She is completely free of prejudices, and in her mind if you didn’t do it, you’re innocent. However in the eyes of the jury, as well as society, Tom was born guilty, simply for being black. Another example of Scout’s incomprehensionShow MoreRelatedA Prejudice Society in To Kill a Mocking Bird by Harper Lee745 Words   |  3 Pages To Kill a Mocking Bird follows Scout through her narration of life and witnesses the events that society produces. As Scouts understanding of the prejudice society she lives in grows her innocence is destroyed in the process. In her novel To Kill a Mocking Bird, Harper Lee symbolically uses Mocking Birds to show the destruction of innocence. A way Harper Lee presented the Mockingbirds role in society, was by asserting in the novel that to destroy its innocence, would be a sin and should notRead MoreTheme Of Symbolism In To Kill A Mockingbird791 Words   |  4 PagesTo Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is a multi-faceted novel which explores the principles and morals of people in the South during the 1930s. Mockingbirds are symbolic of the people that society abuse. Lee narrates the events of the novel using Scout’s voice and uses this technique to add emotional context and develop themes. Themes of racial and classist prejudice are developed by Lee to challenge the reader. These techniques are all powerful ways to alter the views of the reader. MockingbirdsRead MoreInnocence in to Kill a Mockingbird935 Words   |  4 PagesInnocence, or the loss of innocence, is a theme that permeates many great works of literature. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is no exception. 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The novel is very effective in not only revealing prejudice, but in examining the nature of prejudice, how it works, and its consequencesRead MoreThe Figurative Meaning Of A Mockingbird By Harper Lee1473 Words   |  6 PagesWhat is innocence? Some might say innocence is being credulous or possessing a lack of corruption. In a way, mockingbirds are a representation of this magnificent innocence and purity. These harmonious birds live day by day, singing their hearts out, and doing no harm to anyone or anything. The Pulitzer Prize winning novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee explores the figurative meaning of a mockingbird. The narrator, Jean Louise Scout Finch, is a bright, young, and innocent girl from the small