How Does Harper Lee Present The Loss Of Innocence In To Kill A Mockingbird

Another way Scout has changed since the beginning of the book is she understands people have both good and bad qualities that coexist within them, as she becomes closer to an adult and encounters evil in the world. 20. Miss Gates’ lesson to the class about Hitler’s prosecution of Jew’s is ironic, because she herself came out of the courthouse after the trial ended and responded by telling Miss Stephanie Crawford that “it was about time that someone taught them a lesson” when referring to the blacks in the town. It reveals that most people during that time where racist and prejudice to some extent in Maycomb. An example that is similar in our current society portrayed in this chapter is how white males get paid the highest salary, but people of other races and women get paid lower salaries for

Throughout the novel both kids learned life lessons from different people in their community. After seeing part of the trial a man said to them, “Cry about the simple hell people give other people- without even thinking. Cry about the hell white people give colored folks, without even stopping to think that they're people too” (Lee 269). This was a major turning point when Scout learned

Scout, Jem and Dill wanted to attend Mr. Robinson’s trial, and they expected for the truth to come out, and they thought the real culprit of beating up Mayella would come out. Although, this experience shattered Scout’s idealistic worldview. Even though Atticus presented enough evidence that proves Tom’s innocence, the racist all-white jury still convicted Tom Robinson. Scout, and Jem, witnessed the injustice of the trial and experienced the harshness of reality. Furthermore, Scout’s aunt Alexandra’s words after the verdict deepened Scout’s disillusionment: “I told you that you should have come to me when Walter got into trouble,”.

The main characters aren’t the only ones who contribute to the innocent perspective of Maycomb. Dill, the best friend of both Scout and Jem uses his emotions and past experiences to relate to the hatred black people like Tom Robinson face on a daily basis. During the Tom Robinson trial, Dill gets upset over the way Tom is treated by Mr. Gilmer: “This was as much as I heard of Mr. Gilmer’s cross examination, because Jem made me take DIll out. For some reason DIll had started crying and couldn’t stop; quietly at first, then his sobs were heard by several people in the balcony” (Lee 265). Dill later tells us that he didn’t appreciate Mr. Gilmer’s attitude toward Tom Robinson.

As Tom testifies, she begins to think he is well-mannered and is being falsely accused. However, since Tom is a black man in a town filled with bigotry, he can not defend himself against a white women like Mayella, he can only try to escape the situation as to not case a bigger commotion. However, by escaping, it only rises suspicion and makes Tom look more guilty. After Scout realizes this, she begins to understand why he is doomed to lose the

Throughout the book Jem grows older which makes him more mature, and becomes more calm and controlled about things just like his father Atticus.

In To Kill a Mockingbird, Scout's perception of the justice system changes as her

The loss of innocence is a difficult experience for many, but it is a challenge we all go through. Jem, Tom, and Boo all relate to the loss of innocence. Boo was labeled as an evil person, Tom was judged by the color of his skin, and Jem was exposed to the adult world. In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee uses a mockingbird to represent innocence in an attempt to portray the cruelty in the world.

Finally, Scout's innocence is contrasted with the experiences of the other characters in the novel, particularly Tom Robinson, who is falsely accused of a crime and ultimately killed. Through Scout's perspective, the reader is able to see the injustice of the situation and the impact that it has on those involved and one particular

Harper Lee, a skillful and well-known novelist in the 1960s, utilizes various life lessons in her writings. In her acclaimed novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, the prominent theme revolves around the loss of innocence and the journey of maturation. Scout, the main character and narrator of the story, discovers how cruel and unfair the world can be as a young child. She develops an awareness of the social inequality in her community by witnessing Tom Robinson’s trial. Scout and Jem faces the bitter reality of racism through the living conditions in Maycomb, Alabama.

While this may not seem like a loss of innocence at first, Scout is being told that the way she grew up acting was completely incorrect and changes her outlook on her life. “Aunt Alexandra was fanatical on the subject of my attire. I could not possibly hope to be a lady if I wore breeches; when I said I could do nothing in a dress, she said I wasn’t supposed to be doing things that required pants. Aunt Alexandra’s vision of my deportment involved playing with small stoves, tea sets, and wearing the Add-A-Pearl necklace she gave me when I was born. . .” (Lee 93).

It is at this moment that Jem and Scout realize that as much as they want the world to be fair, it is never going to be in favor of them. The morals in Maycomb, no matter how unfair and biased they may be, will not change as the racism and prejudice present in the novel have been in Maycomb for as long as the people living there can remember. This incident is another example of a lesson learned for both Jem and Scout as they see that life is not always perfect, but they have to make out of it what they

A Loss of Innocence And A Gain of Maturity Have you ever experienced something that you still think about today? Or have you experienced something that you wish never would have happened? Throughout To Kill A Mockingbird Scout and Jem face many of these things, and at a young age too. During the story and the situations they find themselves in, a loss of innocence is evident.

This shows Scout's growth in understanding others. Also, Scout's experiences with the trial of Tom Robinson help her realize the unfairness inside society. She watches how hate and racism seriously harm the lives of innocent people. She writes of the trial, "It was Jem's turn to cry.

In the novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, Jem Finch goes through change and his innocence of the world is lost as the book progresses. In the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, Jem loses his innocence when he stops playing games with Scout and Dill. As Dill and Scout would play in their tree house, Jem would not want to come play with them. Jem didn’t think they were cool.