Throughout To Kill a Mockingbird there were many different themes that came up continuously. These themes related directly to what was happening in the story at that time and also gave foreshadowing of events that could happen later. A recurring theme in this book was maturity. Every character, whether it was large or small scale, matured in some was as the book progressed. Since this book was over the course of three years Jem and Scout matured the most since they were in their late childhood years. Although they both grew physically the biggest change from the start of the book to the end was their perspective of Maycomb and the way they perceived what was going on in their life. An example of this was Boo Radley. At the beginning of the book he was the subject of their childhood games, Scout and Jem’s biggest fear. “Boo was about six and a half feet tall, judging from his tracks he dined on raw squirrels…and he drooled most of the time” (16) The way he is described is monster like, and even though this is all imagination and rumors that they heard, this is the naive way they perceived Boo Radley. As the book progressed Scout and Jem did not have as much time to play games and to meet Boo, they had other things to deal with. They began to face reality with the Tom Robinson case and they started to see the real monsters. After the climax Scout realizes that Boo is the one who saved her and Jem. She understands that Boo is a real person, and not only is he not a monster, he is the exact opposite. Scout looked at Boo with respect and no fear.
This ties into the theme of no one is truly as they seem and people can be completely different than what they are expected to be. Boo is an example of this, instead of being a monster like figure, he is innocent and respectable. The reason many think of Boo as a monster is because of the rumors. Rumors are what can make people seem like something else. What other characters fall under the theme of no one is truly as they seem? Who matured in this book besides Jem and Scout? In what ways?
I agree with Alex that there were a lot of major themes throughout To Kill a Mockingbird, and that maturity was a theme that was present in every single part of the book. I also think that the theme of rumors and people not being who they appear to be is as big a theme, it is just not as apparent throughout the entire book. In response to Alex's question i believe that towards the end of the book, Atticus begins to change, and shows more of himself to his children. So in effect Atticus is no longer the same to the town as he is to Scout and Jem. A question I have is, do you think it is significant that Jem's injury is to his left arm, and it stunts the growth of that arm? Why?
ReplyDeleteI agree with all of the themes Julie and Alex listed. Another big theme in the novel is the idea of Good versus Evil, which ties into the theme of maturity because good and evil become evident as Scout and Jem grow older. A big example of this, as we have discussed in class is that Boo Radley was considered the "evil monster" at the start of the book, but at the end of the novel, it is evident that Bob Ewell is the REAL evil, and Boo Radley is a mockingbird, which Scout understands. Did anyone else turn out to be "good" or "evil" or just contradictory to what was believed?
ReplyDeleteIn response to Alex's question of who else matured in the novel, I believe Aunt Alexandra matured, though perhaps not as significantly as Scout and Jem. At the start of the novel we all see her as an uptight Southern woman trying to change Scout and Atticus and their ways. Towards the end of the novel we see real emotion and compassion from her. She symbolically hands Scout the overalls, showing her acceptance of the family for who they are.
A character who is not as they seem is Mr. Dolphus Raymond. He pretends to be a drunkard to give Maycomb an excuse for his preference of the black community. Another character who is arguably not as they seem is Calpurnia, as we see from her revealing her "double-life" after the visit to her church.
Some questions I have are, is the last scene of the novel significant? Why did Harper Lee end with Atticus tucking Scout into bed after reading to her? Does it show anything about Atticus? Has Atticus really changed from the start of the novel?
In response to Amy's question "Has Atticus really changed from the start of the novel?" I do not think that he has. He as always been a moral person and he always will be. He has found a way to not let anything in his life affect the way that he thinks. He always it optimistic about other people's personalities even when they are mean like Bob Ewell. In a way this is not necessarily the best way to look at things because of what happened to Scout and Jem. Although he will not change maybe he needs to change in order to keep his family safe. Do you think that he needs to change?
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