Criticisms of To Kill a Mockingbird
Harper Lee presents us with a view of racism from a southern town inAlabama. Everything takes place in this town and Lee describes the townand the townspeople with clarity that bring significance to the story.Clearly, there were racial lines that divided the town. Fred Erismanexamines how Harper Lee's a positive view of the South. He points out thatHarper presents us with the notion that the South can indeed move beyondthe archaic social norms "toward the more reasonable, pragmatic, and nativeromanticism of Ralph Waldo Emerson. If the movement can come maturity, sheimplies, the South will have made a major step in becoming truly regionalin its vision" (Erisman 2062). Erisman notes that the towns socialstructures were operating on the on a "taut, well-developed caste systemdesigned to separate the whites from the blacks" (2062). He mentionsseveral examples that back up his point, including the purchase of theAfrican M. E. Church, in which the "Negroes worshipped in it on Sundays andwhite men gambled in it on weekdays" (Lee 118). This scene illustrates howdivided the classes were during that time. Also prevalent in the novel is the issue of sexual taboo and how it
Because the "caste taboo outweighs empirical evidence," Tom isalready condemned before he even faces a jury. BooRadley and Tom Robinson become perfect vehicles for Lee to make her moralcommentary on judging people by how they look. Again, we aredrawn back to the community of Maycomb and its various personalities. The trial allows us to see the true nature of good and bad men. " (Dave 2068) Hepoints out how what happens to the victims of this story is not asimportant as the way their situations effect the community. When Boo savesthe children's lives, Scout begins to understand sacrifice and mercy. Asadult readers, we become more involved with the novel with this technique. He asserts that part of the novel's success is that Lee issuch a remarkable storyteller, we never feel the tension between hercreativity and her social criticism. It is Scout's innocence that saves Tom's life because Scoutdoes not realize why Mr. Goingpoints out that is easy to misunderstand the structure of the novel becauseit is told by a young girl who uses the prose of an adult with aneducation. In conclusion, To Kill a Mockingbird represents an unforgettabletransition from adolescence to adulthood through painful and dramaticlessons. This is illustrated with Tom'strial. Characterization is also important in To Kill a Mockingbird. Daveclaims that Lee has presented us with a memorable portrait gallery.
Common topics in this essay:
Tom Robinson,
Kill Mockingbird,
Freezing Scout,
Church Negroes,
Edgar Shuster,
Atticus Dave,
Similarly Tom,
Waldo Emerson,
Felty Felty,
Harper Lee,
tom robinson,
kill mockingbird,
radley tom robinson,
boo radley tom,
social criticism,
boo radley,
radley tom,
felty lee,
caste system,
harper lee,
eyes child,
dave claims,
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Acceptance Essays
