To Kill a Mockingbird Themes

COURAGE   Many people, including Jem and Scout when they're young, mix up courage with strength. They think that courage is the ability and willingness to use strength to get your way. But Atticus defines courage as "when you know you're licked before you begin but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what." Courage, in To Kill a Mockingbird, is not about winning or losing. It's about thinking long and hard about what's right instead of relying on personal prejudice or gut reaction, and then doing what's right whether you win or lose. To Kill a Mockingbird is filled with examples of courage, from Mrs. Dubose's fight against her morphine addiction, to Atticus's determination to face down the racism of the town, to Mr. Underwood's willingness to face down his own racist feelings and support what he knows, in the end, is right. -courage used to overcome childish fears like running past the Radley place -Atticus' physical courage in facing the mad dog -Scout shows courage when not retaliating to the taunts of her friends when they call Atticus names -Atticus has the courage to defend Tom Robinson, which he knows will end in failure -Mrs Dubose attempts to rid herself of her drug addiction even though she knows she will die, Atticus calls her "the bravest person" he knows. -Bob Ewell shows no courage, he chooses to strike in the dark, rather than face them in daylight -Boo Radley shows courage rescuing the children

FAMILY -same families have lived in Maycomb for nearly 200 years -this means people believe certain families hold certain characteristics -e.g. a Cunningham can always be trusted or a Ewell is always dishonest -this leads to social division -people are taught to mix with the 'right' kind of people- Aunt Alexandra believes this particularly -Atticus despises social classification and prefers to judge people on their own personal merit -the Cunninghams contrast the Ewells -Mr Cunningham makes the lynch mob leave the jail  -Cunninghams never borrow what they cannot return -Scout makes Mr Cunningham realize that she is treating him as an individual and this breaks up the lynch mob -thanks to another Cunnigham, the jury is delayed at trial and Miss Maudie and Atticus believe this gives optimism for the future of society -Atticus has a close relationship with both Jem and Scout -he and Calpurnia both instill good values into them -this contrasts with the Ewells

JUSTICE -theoretically, American Negroes have had equal rights lawfully since 1865 (end of the Civil War) -however they do not necessarily receive equal justice -the courts verdict against Tom Robinson displays this -Atticus believes the law is satisfactory and it can function, however justice cannot exist until attitudes change and people apply the law justfully.

PREJUDICE AND HATRED -there is deep hatred and fear between Whites and Negroes -the lynch mob is ready to kill and almost succeeds -Bob Ewell's hatred of Atticus nearly results in the death of Jem and Scout -Atticus does not want Jem and Scout to admire violence, despite having to use his gun once -Dolphus Raymond describes 'the simple hell people give other people' -not just racial prejudice but the rigid codes of behavior that people impose on one another -this behavior is depicted as normality -non conformers are persecuted e.g. Boo Radley, Dolphus Raymond, Maudie Atkinson -Tom Robinson is found guilty although his prosecutors lied, because he felt sorry for a white girl. This was unacceptable behavior of a Negro -townspeople do not realize their own hypocrisy -Aunt Alexandra's missionary circle tea depicts this. The group sympathizes with the poor Mruna tribe in Africa, yet condemns the Negroes in their own town -Dolphus Raymond is seen as an oddity in the town as he is white yet chooses to live amongst Negroes. He is sensitive and loathes a segragational  society -the only representative of black prejudice is Lula, but the church tells her to control her behavior (seen as not normal) -the blacks resent Tom's conviction, yet expect is as they have been brought up as second class citizens. BIGOTRY=ANOTHER WORD FOR PREJUDICE 

THE MOCKINGBIRD -children are warned that it is a sin to kill a mockingbird as it does nothing to harm anyone, only sings -Tom Robinson and Boo Radley are both gentle people who have done no harm to anyone else, yet are condemned. They should be looked after, yet people with false courage and shallow pride try and shoot them down, like children do with mockingbirds -Tom and Boo are both persecuted -links to justice and childhood- justice is killed when peoples personal prejudices are followed without accounting for the real evidence presented -childhood innocence dies as Scout, Jem and Dill realise the adult world is a cruel, unjust place to live.

CHILDHOOD INNOCENCE - the story is narrated through Scouts eyes - Jem grasps things long before she does - the reader can piece together bits of the novel before Scout does, adding depth - Scouts incomprehension adds an element of humor - Childrens minds are unprejudiced at first - Childs mind & approach to the telling of the novel- adults are not always right - unprejudiced-develop a mind of your own