Harper Lee's Vision and Depiction of Courage in To Kill a Mockingbird - Book Report/Review Example

What has Harper Lee got to say about courage and what methods does she use to present these themes? Introduction To Kill a Mockingbird is a well penned narration of the racial issues in the South before the Civil Rights era, say published in 1960. The author Harper Lee sketches out the story as a fluent description of the views of Jean Louise Finch, better known as Scout, a young girl. The story runs through lots of action and emotion but the key focus is on the projection of the theme of courage. The story is best told with a list of elegant characters to play unforgettable roles. One would never forget Scout Finch, her brother Jem, and her father Atticus Finch who is the unsung hero of the novel. Harper Lee’s dignified writing style is explicit with the courageous approach she has adopted in giving life to each character she takes for a trial in this Pulitzer Prize winner. The author speaks through the texts wide and aloud, about the need for courage that lies at the bottom of relationships and sustainable integrity that makes life customary even amidst the calls for competitive and destructive deeds of the world. A different observation style is adopted in the detailed narration of each incident in this novel with Scout at centre. This strategy leads the readers through a matter-of-fact reading effect which help them visualise the evidences from every nook of the author’s imagination. Clarity of diversion is another factor to be credited with high grades as Lee’s novelty of appreciating normal happenings is at its best all through the texts. Unparalleled levels of integrity of characters can be felt through the story line as it runs in the progress of extending the effortless attempts to develop into a paragraph. For instance, when the family has Walter Cunningham over there for dinner Calpurnia says “Don’t matter who they are, anybody sets foot in this house’s yo’ comp’ny” (30). The institution of morality is reflected in this story without boundaries. The extract is to tell Scout that she should treat everyone with the same respect and that she has to care for the parity of standards set for the people before they are attended or spoken to. This emphasises the fact of individual concern for each part-player in the book. There are several such extracts to be taken from this wholesome work of Lee. Why should a line be an exemption from this - with Atticus is quote saying, “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”? (p.35). Atticus impresses his ideas of estimating importance of each human being with this very statement. He insists on Scout’s appraisal of things from the opposite person’s point of view. His honour is kept intact all over the spreadsheets of the novel with many such thought provoking examples. Hence one is sure to find it hard to divert him from his significant sense of humanness. Technique is unleashed to demonstrate the elements of courage in the book. As a result a great height of elevation is guaranteed to the character of Jem. In page 62, he returns to the Radley Place alone at two o’clock in the morning. It implies the fact that his courage is never overshadowed by age. Again, he explains his attitude towards the lawyer in his statement to Scout, “Atticus ain’t ever whipped me since I can remember. I wanna keep it that way”. I think this shows Jem’s utmost care for upholding Atticus’ prestige. He emphasises his absolute obedience to him with the key sense to adhere to integrity, which lies at the core of his courage to pursue his own decisions. Sometimes it leaves an impression that reaches us superior to Scout. This fact gives hype in the readability of the text. Her ingenuousness makes us laugh, but it also sits us thinking about the content. This is because the extracts are sometimes so effective that we have to make out from the phrases implying her imaginations. Simple methods are experimented in the presentation of courage in a lighter way by using humour. It is a normal fact that many a writer uses this inverse style of presenting serious moral messages in short funny dialogues between two characters. Readers can experience the flicking that comedy makes at various occasions throughout the book. Lee uses digestible comedy to inflict the moral values of the reader. For instance, the three children are discussing ways of making Boo Radley come out. A series of reference about Dill can be read like this, “Dill said striking a match under a turtle was hateful” “How do you know a match don’t hurt him?” “Were you ever a turtle, huh?” (p.20). These dialogues are surely humorous and they show the sense of righteousness and courage lying in the bottom of Dills attitude. This reference of courage later helps Scout in her advancement of interactive grades. Lee uses this lesson or method of dealing with people in the explanations about the experiences of Scout later in the book. Humour is the best way to convey morals in any story because people usually give deaf ears to long speeches sermonising values and morals. Moreover it eases the mind of the reader without too many things to consider great. Answering a question with a counter question shows the innocence of Dill. The effect of language style is centred with a clear look out for the grammatical inaccuracy of the dialogues which signifies the vagueness of young minds while answering philosophical questions. Examples have no scarcity while you try to find out the author’s use of humour to present morals and courage. Page No.107 is wonderful with a quote that runs from Jem to Scout. Taunting from Mrs Dubose is advised to be treated in a cool way. Jem says to Scout, “Don’t pay any attention to her; just hold your head high and be a gentleman”. How can one deny the fun in this since Scout is obviously a girl yet being told to be a gentleman? But it shows the instrumentation of integrity and courage that the character should show when confronting such difficulties. In fact, the author pays absolute attention to visualised courage with humour all along the book. But sometimes we may feel the comedy running bit out of track. Some lines in pages 159-160, narrates entry of a gang of men with an attempt to try and kill Tom Robinson. In this extract we see Scout trying to talk to Mr Cunningham. She looks really courageous as the situation is truly menacing; she still tries for the tranquillity of the situation. The humorous part of this extract is that she is talking to Mr Cunningham about something she doesn’t really understand, i.e. entailments. We can’t challenge the comedy if we hear somebody speak about something totally irrelevant on being threatened or tormented. She speaks unconnected things to escape the attention of the offender but it leaves a much better relation between courage and integrity that was taught by Atticus. We can surely say it is funny because Scout is at no mood to realise that she was brave; she doesn’t understand the situation. Atticus in the novel is someone like perfection personified. The author attributes all human virtues to him. He is the integration element through out the narration. He is all about to teach Jem and Scout a lesson. The best way to describe him may be “morally firm”. He never fails to set an example for courage when he chooses to defend Tom Robinson with probably no chance to win the case. His uncertainty of the trial is known when he says “Simply because we were licked a hundred years before we started is no reason for us to try not to win” (82). This also shows that his integrity, because he is trying to win a case that he knows he can’t. His courage has a solid back ground with professional ethics adding to it. We can blindly admit the fact that he was committed to his values because doesn’t back down in difficulty but decides to continue with the case even as most people of Maycomb hate him for defending Tom Robinson. The sensibility of Atticus is splendid with his choosing to do what he thinks is right. Such interventions are rare to be seen with anybody else in the book. They imply the professionalism of the lawyer with his in-depth sense to continue with his commitment to perform the trial of a black man amidst the most heinous crime and the frame against him. Harper Lee has an explicit way to bring out the fact of courage across the book. The ways used in the text making it marvellous for Atticus’ outbound concern for Scout and Jem. He injects sense of courage in their minds in many a moment in the book. For that matter, his stability itself is a reference for his fearlessness. A brave heart he is, he never worries about the shackles after the trial. Scout’s question to Atticus as to why he is defending Tom Robinson gives an example from this great work. By such interactions Lee makes an opportunity to let Atticus explain his reasons. “If I didn’t, I couldn’t hold my head up in town, I couldn’t represent this country in the legislature, I couldn’t even tell you or Jem not to do something again”. Robinson’s trial comes heavy on Atticus’ head simply because the client is a black. But the perfection of courage that developed through out his age-old lawyer’s career steers Atticus along and much forward as a great defence to the client. Even when he is denied of respect and love from children for his work ethics, he sticks to his own principles and decides to fight on, also he expects them the least from anybody. Scout is focused much by Atticus for the instrumentation of morality with principles of ethics. This is exemplified by the author in a passage where Cecil Jacobs is referred. Scout says, “If I fought Cecil I would let Atticus down”. Though this quote shows her admission of having gained dignity and values, she is not willing to know the fact that she still has to grow more intellectually. In page 92, when Scout says “I swear before God if I’ll sit there and let him say somethin’ about Atticus” this shows her regards for Atticus that she always pronounced in her family. She never allows anybody, even her cousin to speak a thing bad about Atticus. This is the reflection of her courageous attitude towards something she believes good. The way the sentences are written about her attitude exhibits a greater height of her intellect than her actual age for they show the force of strong feelings behind each statement she speaks in the page. The phrase, “Ill swear before God,” is a quote usually found with elder’s usage and it is too strong an axiom for someone as young as Scout to use. Style plays the best role in any writing in general. Not many things are there to refrain from this idea in this book too. References are taken from various characters with implication of lots of smaller situations and stories where Jem and Scout can learn lessons from., e.g. Mrs Dubose, Tim Johnson, the fire, The Cunninghams etc. There is an interesting interface with the introduction of Mrs Dubose. This part is perhaps, to teach Jem to be a better person sometimes. Atticus is forced through the narration to explain Jem what courage is. Atticus says, “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”. Atticus’ philosophy implies that courage has got nothing material in action or shape. He explains that the imagination about courage itself is wrong when somebody thinks that a man with a gun is brave. Mrs Dubose is placed at lead spot of bravery as she lives her twilight in serious pain without being influenced by pain tranquilisers or drugs. The author imprints this incident and goes vivid with the ailment and resistance of the patient to teach Jem, the sense of courage on being tormented by sickness. Mrs Dubose’ situation enables Lee to reach out to the readers with a real time effect of human pains. The cause for emphasising and amplifying the theme courage may be because the author herself is concerned much about the quantum of aggravation pains give humans. Most people consider a book untraceable with the hardness of the language used in it. Harper Lee suggests the best tip for them with her language in the book – easy to understand and perceptible all through but with some intentional toughness for the high level readers. These variations in the usage of language can be seen when one compares the styles Atticus and Scout use for their conversation in the book. A seasoned lawyer, Atticus speaks in a more sophisticated way while Scout speaks in an amateur way with incomplete and grammatically imperfect manner. Contrasts of ideas among characters sometimes give special enthusiasm to read the text. Atticus is highlighted for his utmost faithfulness to his career. He is a man who chooses to do what he perceives is correct bothering least about what others thinks about him. Each reference about Atticus is given with absolute attention to keep his dignity high and intact till the end of the book. There is no chance to ask why the character of Scout so blunt and naïve. The innocence and immaturity of Scout give elevated energy to the reading mind with the smooth flow of a breeze of originality. Each moment she encounters with strange and unpleasant things is explained with qualitative attribution of courageous elements with integrity. Smart and fluent display of courage is exhibited throughout the book with the hub facet being Atticus defending Tom Robinson. Needless to say, Lee evidently wanted to present values in the book and so fashioned many situations and matching characters to comprehend his demonstrations of attitude with maximum success in the her writing as a result of which it received one of the highest honours for novelists across the globe. Works Cited Lee H. To Kill a Mockingbird. Vintage, Read More