To Kill A Mocking Bird

Themes are important in the development of novels. One such novel which uses themes to develop a particular character is, “To Kill a Mockingbird,” by Harper Lee. The character of Atticus Finch is developed in two key scenes in the novel. They raise the reader’s opinion of him from being an old lawyer with nothing but a desk-job, to a brave and courageous father who is very well respected in his hometown of Maycomb.

The novel is set in the fictional county of Maycomb, Alabama on around the 1930’s. During the decade that followed, there was a great shortage of jobs and a lot of poverty in the south, therefore many blacks moved to the north for work.

Jean-Louise Finch, or “Scout” as she is known throughout the story, narrates the novel. She is the youngest of a family of three: her brother – Jeremy and her father, a lawyer – Atticus Finch. They also have a maid, Calpurnia, or “Cal,” who came every day as Jem and Scout’s mother had died when they were younger.

The main plot of the novel deals with a court case, of which Atticus is representing Tom Robinson; a black man accused of raping Mayella Ewell; a white girl from a poor family. As prejudice rages strongly in the 1930’s, both racial and class-consc

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This also demonstrates how courageous Atticus is. ”

“After all those things she said about you, a lady?”

“… I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. When inside, Tom was out in the exercise yard one day when,

“‘They shot him,’ said Atticus. Harper Lee is illustrating to the reader how Atticus is not just an, “Old man,” but he is just not willing to show the rest of his talents to keep his modesty.

All these incidents give us an opportunity to witness the development of Jem and Scout, as they grow more mature. This is a metaphor for Tom Robinson; a decent law-abiding family man who felt sorry for a poor white girl. ”

Heck Tate came off the porch and approached the dog. He turned to Atticus and said, “You were a little to the right, Mr Finch. After more than a month of reading to her every day, she ended their sessions with,

“That’ll do’… ‘And that’s all. He does not care what Mrs Dubose says to him, or to others about him. Harper Lee has excellently produced a first class novel. It shows that he is a fair-minded man of moral excellence. ”

This is how the children and the reader perceive him. They allow us to understand the novel as a whole and put into perspective the trial that follows.

Approximate Word count = 1978
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page double spaced)

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