'To Kill a Mockingbird' is a novel that was written in the 1960s, but Harper Lee decided to set the novel in the Depression era of the 1930s in a small town in Alabama. Lee provided her readers with a historical background for the affairs of that time and in doing so she exposed the deeply entrenched history of the civil rights in South America. Like the main characters in this novel, Lee grew up in Alabama; this made it easier for her to relate to the characters in the novel as she would have understood what they would have experienced during the period when racism, discrimination and inequality was on the increase within the American society. Even though, this novel was set in the depression era, Scout goes through times in her life …show more content…
Furthermore, as Atticus is seen as a role model he is challenged by Scout. Atticus is challenged as Scout is determined to find out if he is a good father who doesn’t only do things for the well-being of Maycomb County, but also does things for her by being an ideal father. At times, this has an effect on both Atticus and Scout, as Atticus starts being honest with his daughter. This honesty also leads to Scout having faith and trust in her father. The qualities and characteristics that Atticus and Scout have, enhances’ the relationship between them as they both learn that they need each other’s support to overcome difficulties and hardships. In chapter 3, the relationship between Scout and Atticus is presented through the way Scout has been taught. As Scout is educated by Atticus empathy is shown from Scout as her father explains to her why she should show empathy towards others. By Atticus saying “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view ... Until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it.” (Page 33) Scout realises that she should try to see things from other people’s point of view to understand what they are going through. This significant part of conversation from chapter 3 shows Atticus giving Scout moral advice that takes control of her development for the rest of the novel. Lee tries to develop the character of Scout as he feels like she should be mature when facing the trial
a. Atticus is a wise man, committed to justice and equality, and his parenting style is based on fostering these virtues in his children—he even encourages Jem and Scout to call him “Atticus” so that they can interact on terms as equal as possible. Throughout the novel, Atticus works to develop Scout’s and Jem’s respective consciences, through both teaching, as when he tells Scout to put herself in a person’s shoes before she judges them.
To KIll a Mockingbird, a novel written by Harper Lee, is set in a small fictional town of Maycomb Alabama in the 1930’s. The story emphasizes the horrors of prejudiced and its impact on a small southern community. In this novel, Harper Lee introduces the reader to many themes, one of them being that courage is doing what’s right even when the odds of succeeding are poor.
When Scout realizes her father does not view African Americans like he used to and how she thought he did, this causes her to change. At the moment when she realizes that her father has changed, it hits her hard, “She felt sick. Her stomach shut, she began to tremble.” (Lee 111). This is huge to Scout, who felt betrayed by her father and everything he ever told and taught her. Scout felt as if she no longer knew he father. Since her Atticus had been the only one there for her the most and the longest, she lost her sense of trust and admiration towards. “She did not stand alone, but what stood behind her, the most potent moral force in her life, was the love of her father. She never questioned it, never thought about it, never even realized that before she made any decision of importance, the reflex, “What would Atticus do?” passed through her unconscious...she did not know that she worshipped him.” (Lee 118). As much as Scout had reverence for her father, it all started to crumble once she put the pieces together and realized who he was. Atticus was no longer the wise and thoughtful father to Scout as he lost all value in her mind, causing a bit change in how Scout saw and admired him; a total change of character. “His use of her childhood name crushed on her ears. Don’t ever call me that again. You who call me Scout are dead and in your grave.” (Lee
Harper Lee was born and raised in a small town in Alabama called Monroeville. She is very passionate about southern traditions and issues. She was so passionate about this topic that she decided to write a novel about it. Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird is set in Maycomb (Modern day Monroeville), Alabama. The time period of the novel is the early 1930s. During this era, the Jim Crow laws which promoted segregation were in effect. Atticus Finch, one of the main characters, is a white lawyer with two young children Jean Louise “Scout” Finch and Jeremy Atticus “Jem” Finch. Atticus was selected by the town Judge to defend a black man named Tom Robinson. Prejudice is a common practice among the residents of Maycomb. Some of Maycomb’s
1) Atticus is an empathetic person who tries to make sure people are treated equally, and in the case of his children, that people should grow up and make a positive difference. Atticus shows his empathy by telling Scout to try to understand what Miss Caroline is going through. Harper Lee is trying to show that with empathy, everyone benefits, and there would be less hate and injustice. Atticus says, “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.” (Lee 39). Atticus is telling Scout to look at the world through Miss Caroline’s eyes, to see why Miss Caroline reacts the way that she does. Atticus believes that if Scout can see how scared Miss Caroline is, with teaching a new school in a new way, then Scout can understand what makes Miss Caroline act the way that she does. When Scout asks Atticus why he is angering the town by defending Tom Robinson, he says that he must, or else he would no longer be reputable. Atticus says, “Simply because we were licked a hundred years before we started is no reason for us not to try to win.” (Lee 101) Atticus leads by example, and that if he did not hold himself to the same standard that he wants Scout and Jem to be at, then he is no better than the rest of the town. He knows that he is going to lose, but wants to show his children that it is important to do the right thing no matter the consequences or result, and
As Harper Lee indirectly characterizes him, Atticus Finch is a man of prevalent intelligence, serene wisdom, progressive politics, and admirable behavior. He guides his children with these qualities as they face the harsh realities of racism in the people they have grown to know and trust. When Atticus gives Scout crucial moral advice concerning her fellow classmates, he tells her, “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view … until you climb into his skin and walk in it.” (Chapter 3). Atticus’ moral teachings such as this one not only governs the development of Scout’s character but it clearly stipulates his wisdom and reflects the straightforward manner in which he leads by his principles. His
Throughout the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Jem and Scout come to understand and admire their father Atticus. He taught them courage through many different lessons. They came in situations that caused them to see him in a better light. Such as when Atticus shoots a rabid dog, Mrs. Dubose dying free of morphine addiction, and perhaps most importantly defending Tom Robinson.
Scouts father, Atticus, is always teaching her what is right from wrong. He is always there nurturing and directing her on her journey towards growing up into a good person. Atticus does this by helping to teach how to see things from another person's perspective. After Scouts first day of school, she gets into a fight and gets scolded by her teacher,
Harper Lee in his novel To Kill a Mockingbird, takes place in the United States unjust, racist, and discriminatory 1930’s. Introducing us to a character of Jem Finch and several other characters living in Maycomb, Alabama. Harper shows us a character who appears young, innocent, and trusting of his peers. And shows us how people of theses attributes can adult into mature men. Seen in the novel how he believes his friends that Mrs. Dubose is a vicious woman and evil due to the rumors that his friends. As well as he was fascinated by his neighbor Boo Radley for his mysteriousness and their lack of knowledge of who he is.
Atticus is a wise man, committed to justice and equality, and his parenting style is based on fostering these virtues in his children—he even encourages Jem and Scout to call him “Atticus” so that they can interact on terms as equal as possible. Throughout the novel, Atticus works to develop Scout’s and Jem’s respective consciences, through both teaching, as when he tells Scout to put herself in a person’s shoes before she judges them, and example, as when he takes Tom Robinson’s case, living up to his own moral standards despite the harsh consequences he knows he will face. Atticus is a kind and loving
Learning from Scout, we can ruminate about how her life slowly changed as a result of the people she was around. With this information to apply to our life, choosing who we want to hang out with would be represented through our personality and how we choose to carry ourselves. After listening to advice from Atticus, she exhibits development when she later in the future recalls Atticus’s advice and applies it to her life. She also shows a negative development when she decides it is better to lie to her father when she understood how grand her punishment could be, exhibiting that her situation was something that an adult should have handled and not something she should have interfered with if it was
To Kill a Mockingbird was a 1960’s novel written by the author Harper Lee from Alabama during the Civil Rights Movement which inspired the theme of her book; racism. The book is set in the 1930’s in Maycomb which is a very poor town. The book is written in the view of Jean-Louise ‘Scout’ Finch a 6 year old girl who is the son of lawyer Atticus Finch and has a brother called Jem. They are close neighbours to the dreaded Radley family and especially Boo Radley the son who they are terrified of. Boo has been judged unfairly by the whole town of Maycomb because no one had seen him in years, people were just going along with old wives tales about him stabbing his mother in the leg. This unfair judgement links in with the racial prejudice that occurs in Maycomb when black people are treated poorly just because of their colour.
Initially written as a simple love story, To Kill a Mockingbird is regarded by many to be one of the finest examples of classical American literature; it is a compassionate, dramatic, and deeply moving tale. This novel delves deep into the readers thoughts and paradigms, for it exposes such ingrained aspects of human behavior and consciousness - ideals/themes of innocence and experience, love and hatred, justice and racism, courage and cowardice, and many more. Nonetheless, at it's core To Kill a Mockingbird is, as the author Harper Lee puts it, a "love story, pure and simple". There are many diverse yet interconnected love stories in To Kill a Mockingbird. However, the most prominent one is the relationship between Atticus, a righteous
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee has become a mainstay in American high-schools. This is a classic novel that has inspired many people of all ages. It had a big impact on how people viewed and treated each other. This is a story that teaches everyone about the value of honesty, love, friendship and trust. Every word written in this book has a truly deep meaning to it. The time period that the book was written in was during the Great Depression in the 1930’s. This setting was in a small town in Maycomb, Alabama with people who did not get along. During this time there was a lot of segregation within America and different races. To Kill a Mockingbird is about a family who believes in doing the right thing and being honest. There was a
While Harper Lee included several memorable characters throughout her novel, Atticus prominently stands out as its focal point. Although Scout narrates the story, she learns valuable lessons and ideal characteristics about life primarily from Atticus. Without him, Scout would not have matured or grown as well as she did. Even from the very first chapters, Atticus already teaches Scout a valuable lesson about his fundamental principles. After she acts negatively towards a poorer student due to his unfamiliar habits, Atticus points out that “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” (Lee, 39). By stating this, he instills a foundational standard of morality that Scout would