The characters in To Kill a Mockingbird - Essay Example

The characters in To Kill a Mockingbird There are a few novels that have successfully reflected humanity and the issue of racial inequality. One of the most famous novels is ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’. The all time classic of American literature, ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ was written by Harper Lee and was published in 1960. Lee has brilliantly written the novel and its overall plot. The aim of this essay is to exhibit data and an in-depth analysis regarding the characters and the overall novel. Furthermore, the essay will answer the mentioned questions with the help of passages from the novel. The social hierarchy of the town of Maycomb was extremely complex and there was a lot of imbalance. The racial discrimination in the town and social complexities were extremely high that was causing disturbance for the children in a variety of ways. According to the author, being human and to feel humanity is the most important thing on earth. For this reason Atticus Finch, told his children that killing a mockingbird is a sin. It was done as to develop a theme in the novel. Tom Robinson is a mockingbird in the novel as he tried to help Mayella Ewell. However, Tom Robinson was later found guilty which he was sentenced for and then was killed for it. Despite being proved innocent in the court, Tom was sent to jail just because the small town was racially discriminative and that Tom was a black guy. After Tom was killed Helen Robinson faced numerous challenges in order to survive in the town. It was almost impossible for her to find a job however with the help another characters Reverend Sykes and Link Deas she was able to support her family (Lee). Maycomb was an old town, but it was a tired old town when I first knew it … nothing to buy and no money to buy it, nothing to see outside the boundaries (Lee 3). This quotation tells about the culture and lifestyle of Maycomb that was a small and old town that has nothing to do. People in the city did not have enough money to buy things, the men of the city used to wear collars and women used to wear talcum powders. The streets were filled with dirt and individuals did not have any money to go or do something. This shows the lifestyle, clothing and routine of the people. It demonstrates about the culture of the city and their economical status (Lee). ‘nigger-lover is just one of those terms that don’t mean anything – like snot nos. Its hard to explain ignorant, trashy people use it when they think somebody’s favouring..” (Lee 59). This quote of Scout reflects that even if any individual admired a black person he had no meaning or respect in the city. Any people who were inclined toward back people (mockingbird) in the city were actually running behind nothing. They were actually after a trash that actually had no meaning and justification to acquire. Here it shall be observed that a person who had black color were represented through a word ‘negga’ and did not have any respect in the society (Lee). ‘While gentlemen, we know is in itself a lie as black as Tom Robinson’s skin, a lie I don’t have to point out to you. You know that truth, and the truth is this: Some Negroes lie, some Negroes are immoral, some Negro men are not to be trusted around women (Lee 47-48).’ Analyzing this quotation it shall be noted that because Tom Robinson was black he was considered to be a liar in the society. His skin color ‘Black’ is considered to be an indication of evil and wrong due to which he was not trusted in the society. The skin color is represented as a main cause of the betrayal, deceive, immoral and sinful thing due to which they do not have any positivity in the society. It shall be also be noted that the women have no associated with the black man as they are deceivers and cannot be trusted at all. Therefore, women that see men with a black color man should stray (Lee). 2- Jean Louise ‘Scout’ Finch is the narrator and the female protagonist of the novel. She lives in a small town of Maycomb with her father Atticus. Her brother Jem, and her black cook Calpurnia also lives with them. According to Lee, Scout is intelligent and sharp and has a bond with her people and community. However, with the trial of Tom Robinson, the faith and bond was replaced with hatred (Lee). Jeremy Atticus ‘Jem’ Finch is the brother of Jean Scout. He has been portrayed as a classic American boy who loves football. He is also greatly disturbed after the trial of Tom Robinson as his perspective of good and evil is badly shaken (Lee). Bob Ewell has been shown as a drunken, unemployed father. He has been highlighted an evil person as he wrongfully accuses Tom Robinson for raping her daughter (Lee). Tom Robinson is the unfortunate black guy who is wrongfully accused of raping Mayella Ewell. He is one of the mockingbirds in the novel as he has been shown as a symbol of innocence that has been shattered by evil (Lee). Atticus Finch is the father of Scout and Jem. He is also a lawyer in the town of Maycomb. He has always been committed to racial equality. He is the backbone of the novel (Lee). Arthur Boo Radley has been shown as symbol goodness however he never comes out of his home (Lee). Calpurnia is the black cook of Scout Finch (Lee). Walter Cunningham has also been portrayed as a symbol of goodness in the novel as he lynches Tom in the jail (Lee). The racial equality of Atticus can be evidenced with the help of this quote, ‘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 30). Lee’s intentions were quite clear and sound as she wanted to reflect the idea of humanity and racial equality by highlighting the injustice and discrimination being done in the small towns of the South. All the characters were effectively placed in the novel (Lee). 3 Atticus was a man of right who went against the society to provide justice to Tom. Even in the court he said ‘They couldn’t be fair if they tried. In our courts, when it’s a white man’s word against a black man’s, the white man always win” (Lee 117). Here, it shall be noted that the Atticus claims against the whole judicial system through implying that the white man word’s are preferred against a black man (Lee). In the novel, the economic status have been illustrated throughout the text, as Maycomb was a small town people who had a better cart, vehicles, wear stylish cloths were the rich people. Whereas, poor people were mainly the African Americans who had almost more than five children, skin color black, small houses and living in sluggish areas. Loving a negga was considered to be a sinful act, a person who admires devil and immoral things. Atticus was perceived as a negga lover because he fought for the allegations of Tom. He tried to assess people through convening and providing justice to him due to which he was perceived as N-Lover (Lee). Besides the fact that the people in Maycomb dislike black people, every individual was in favor of white people even the court. He did not give up striving hard and providing justice to Tom though he was dead. In claiming this allegation he could have been jailed, but he still fought for the justice and proved Tom innocent. As Atticus says that ‘The one place where a man ought to get a square deal is in a courtroom, be he any color of the rainbow, but people have a way of carrying their resentments right into a jury box’ show that Atticus was a true lawyer, he was not biased, neither his acts depicts him as a biased person. He fought for justice without considering the racial background; this shows Atticus was a true lawyer who was concerned about humanity and justice (Lee). 4- Since Calpurnia was the cook of the house and has been with Finch family for a very long time, therefore, Atticus trusted Calpurnia for raising her children. According to the novel, it can be said that she was a true member of the family regardless of being black. She was a teacher to both children as they did not have a mother. Atticus gifted his son a watch and his daughter some pearls because they were the only hope in his life and the only beam of sunshine. Atticus Finch has been presented as the backbone of the novel because of his liberal and neutral thoughts regarding race and equality. However, after the trial of the Mockingbird, (Tom) he could not stand the test. One thing that we learn from the novel is that how racial discrimination and injustice and destroy innocence of someone. We can learn great lessons from the courage of Atticus and his compassion towards class role in the South of the country (Lee). Work Cited Lee, Harper. To Kill a Mockingbird. New York: Penguin Books, 1960. Print. Read More