To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee :: To Kill a Mockingbird Essays

The book, To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, is a timeless authoritative close the coming of age of a small southern town and its people. The book follows Jem and Scout, two siblings living in the 1930s in a small southern town. Their father, genus Atticus, is a lawyer who is hired to defend a black man who is accused of rape. The children watch the town and the trial change and grow. Atticus loses the trial and Tom Robinson, the man who is being accused of rape gets killed by prison guards. The whole town is in an uproar. Some people are furious, slightly are pleased, and others see it as no big deal. But for Jem and Scout it is a time for them to grow up and face the harsh realities of life. The three main themes in To Kill A Mockingbird are racism, hypocrisy, and the world of adults.The main theme in To Kill A Mockingbird is racism. Maycomb has both a black and white community. Both sides have racial views against the other. When Jem and Scout go to the black church a wom an comes out and says, You aint got no business bringin white chillun here they got their church, we out ours. (Pg. 119) Both communities are hostile towards each other. When a black man is accused of a crime he didnt commit, he is still found guilty because of his skin color. It is stated in the book, In our courts, when its white mans playscript against a black mans, the white always wins. Theyre ugly, but those are the facts of life. (Pg. 220) However not all of the white people agree with this. virtually of them think that Tom Robinson is guilty just because of the color of his skin.The second main theme in To Kill A Mockingbird is hypocrisy. Mrs. Merriweather talks about saving the poor Mrunas from Africa, but she thinks the black people in her community are a disgrace. She states, At least we have the deceit to say to em yes youre as good as we are but stay away from us. Down here we just say you continue your way and well live ours. (Pg. 234) But for the Mrunas she says, I made a pledge in my heart. I said to myself, when I go home Im going to ready a course on the Mrunasto Maycomb and thats just what Im doing.