Preview

To Kill A Mockingbird: Character Analysis

Satisfactory Essays
Open Document
Open Document
305 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
To Kill A Mockingbird: Character Analysis
I believe in judging someone by their actions and character rather than by the color of their skin and sexuality. This I believe because there is good and bad in all of us. The color of our skin does not depict the flaws we have. In the second amendment it states that all men are created equal, but we still do not treat each other equally. Defending Tom Robinson was not easy because I knew that from the minute Mayella opened her mouth Tom was a dead man. But everyone including a black man deserves a second chance. How could I ever tell my own children “You never really understand a person until you consider things from their point of view - until you climb into his skin and walk around in it” if I didn’t pick up Tom’s case because I was afraid of what people would think of me. When people say things about me like “Atticus Finch is the same in his house as he is on the public streets” why would I prove them wrong? You are only as good as you portray yourself to be. But when you are a black man in the town of Maycomb, Alabama you were never dealt the good hand to begin with. Sadly Tom never got a second chance. Tom was a good man but because of the color of his skin he was not treated as fairly as the rest of us.

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Scout is by far an interesting and unordinary child in the novel of To Kill a Mockingbird. She is the main character and narrator of the story. She is the youngest child of Atticus Finch who is a lawyer and Scout also has an older brother named Jem. What makes Scouts character so special is that she changes her qualities throughout the novel. In the beginning of the novel Scout is an innocent and kind-hearted six-year old girl, only because she has not encountered the true evils of the world. As the novel progresses Scout starts to face evil encounters such as racism, and townspeople wanting to hurt her and her family. These evil encounters and Atticus’s wisdom are the reasons to why Scout has unique character traits. Scout is a fascinating character in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird because she possesses traits of intelligence, courage, and compassion.…

    • 874 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    “To Kill A Mockingbird” by Harper Lee is a perfect example of how the plot progression of the story was closely related to the character development. Lee used Jean Louise, also known as “Scout” as a main model of character development, as she grows through her understandings of racism, how to handle social situations and her intelligence . The plot progression throughout the novel was very close in relationship of bildungsroman in the characters personal stories. This book being fiction is not true but it depicts how life was during the time period of the 1930’s. The characters also are very close to portraying common people of the time in Macon County of Alabama.…

    • 203 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Courage is characterized as mental or moral strength to surpass notions of fear. As demonstrated by Atticus Finch and Mrs Dubose in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, the development of courage gives the character’s strength and courage to hold their heads high, while fearing none. Harper Lee depicts the theme of courage incalculable amount of times, detailing courage as “ when you know you’re licked before you being, but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what.” (Chapter 11, Page 124) All of the characters have an alternate kind of perspective of what courage is exactly, which will be examined in depth.…

    • 126 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Through the setting of the story I understand that Atticus’ decision to defend a black man and take a black man’s word over a white man’s was a noble and courageous thing to do. Set in the 1930’s in the Deep South Alabama it was deeply segregated. Racism against blacks was common and legal. Laws such as the Jim Crow laws were put into place to segregate black people from white people in public facilities. It was known that the white race was superior to the black race; the Maycomb community had stereotypical views on blacks labelling them as dirty liars. Despite this Atticus chose to ignore the community’s idea of the black race and follow his own which was to properly defend his client to the best of his ability no matter his colour or position. As a result of Atticus’ decision many people in the community looked down on Atticus and belittle his dignity. An example is Mrs Dubose saying to Jem “Your father’s no better than the niggers and trash he works for”. Despite this Atticus carried on believing that it is wrong to cheat a black man as it is inhumane and goes against the basic human rights that people are entitled to. In doing this Atticus shows courage in the form of fighting evil and prejudice in his community and having the moral courage to go against the expectations of others. As a reader I see Atticus as a strong willed character with strong moral values. He out of…

    • 1128 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    I believe that everyone should have equal rights. The trial got me to think about the equality in our country even more than usual. Another black man was accused of something that he never did. Even though I did not go to the trial, I feet impacted by the verdict. I feel that my beliefs about equal rights were reassured from the trial. Atticus is an excellent lawyer, and so I assume that he made a great case. Tom Robinson was probably clearly innocent, but that is just the unfairness in our country. Hopefully there will be change in the near…

    • 281 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Tom Robinson's case was not one to be easily accepted in a town as prejudice such as Maycomb and although the town is strongly against the idea of defending or believing a black man…

    • 746 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the novel to kill a mockingbird they present Atticus Finch a character who seems Christ like centered. However Maycomb the small town where to kill a mockingbird takes place is racist we will see how Atticus acts upon this. Atticus is a Christ like centered character because he has many similar characteristics to Jesus. This essay talks about three traits; loving, compassionate, caring.…

    • 575 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Prejudice and intolerance towards people because they are of a different race has been notorious in America since the early 1900’s. In Harper Lee’s “ To Kill a Mockingbird”, in a town called Maycomb, intolerance is superabundant against black people and any affiliation with them. In the story Tom Robinson is being indicted of rape and Atticus Finch steps up to defend him. With this situation lingering in Maycomb,of course the town’s people express the intolerance they have towards an innocent black man and a white man helping him. Of course, when it’s revealed that Atticus is going to defend Tom for the rape of Mayella Ewell, the townspeople become infuriated.…

    • 463 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The lesson taught to Scout by Calpurnia was that you if you invite someone over, you let them eat however they want to eat. This arose from the scene where Walter was drowning his dinner with syrup. Scout can use this lesson to be more respectful to her guest. The lesson that Atticus taught Scout is that you must walk around in their skin to fully understand them. This arose from when Scout did not was to go to school and for Atticus to teach her just like how Atticus's father taught him and Uncle Jack. Scout could use this to be more empathic with other…

    • 686 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Justice of Tom Robinson

    • 455 Words
    • 2 Pages

    “Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable... Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals.” (Martin Luther King,Jr.) This famous quote from Martin Luther King, JR. talks about the step towards justice that every human should receive, no matter what the color of their skin is. But, you can ask yourself: what is justice? There are many different definitions for justice and it has become used so loosely in today’s world. Justice is often used interchangeably with the word “fairness.” In any type of situation whether it be in the classroom, at work, or in the courtroom, we want to be treated fairly and not judged by the color of our skin. Justice is a concept of moral rightness based on ethics, rationality, law, religion, and fairness, as well as the administration of the law, the right of all people to equal protection before the law of their civil rights, without discrimination on the basis of race, gender, color, ethnicity, religion, disability, age or other characteristics. In the case of Tom Robinson in How to Kill a Mockingbird he did not receive justice.…

    • 455 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    It's no secret that blacks are viewed as ‘lesser’ by much of the country's inhabitants. This is well illustrated in Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird. Tom Robinson is clearly innocent of the crimes he is accused of, and yet…

    • 586 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    To Kill a Mockingbird

    • 1225 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Prejudice is a foggy window which we all look out of. It impairs not only sight, but our thoughts and actions. When looking through the window, not everyone can see past the fog. Sometimes, we see people with differences; they are what we may not want them to be; whether it be because of color or sex, race or religion. Tom Robinson, a black man, is accused of raping a white woman, Mayella Ewell, and is brought to trial. The townspeople of Maycomb believe in Tom’s guilt whereas Atticus and his children believe likewise. There are distinct views concerning Robinson’s innocence- views influenced by prejudice in Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird. When people rely on prejudice to create authority, they are blinded by ignorance.…

    • 1225 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The beliefs that humans hold so dear, are meaningless without actions to back up them up. For example, in Harper Lee’s Novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, the protagonist’s father Atticus, a lawyer in the town of Maycomb, Alabama took action in defending Tom Robinson an accused black man. Atticus…

    • 846 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee showed how racism can prove detrimental to a society, even costing an innocent man his life. Just like Atticus stated “remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird”(Lee 119), that's essentially what the society did. Tom Robinson's purpose in life was to help others, and did so without expecting anything in return. Unfortunately, society let their clouded judgments and misconceptions do away with an innocent man, whose blood will forever be on their…

    • 615 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    “Don’t judge a book by it’s cover!” My teachers have preached this mantra since we were old enough to read books. Yet, I still found myself breaking this unwritten rule when I was in the eleventh grade.…

    • 1108 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays