To Kill a Mockingbird

Growing up comprises various challenges which confront those through varied experiences; how someone reacts to such experiences outlines their identity either positively or negatively. In Harper Lee's coming of age novel, she positions the reader to see the unique challenges of growing up in Maycomb, a small southern town in America, during the 1950's. Lee wrote her novel during the 1950's in America when the African-American civil rights movement was developing. The thematic purpose inherent in her novel then hinges upon having the courage to stand up for ones beliefs in a time of political strife.

Harper Lee uses the theme of prejudice to define the challenges of growing up in Maycomb. Lee intuitively positions the reader to view Jem and Scout's ignorance towards the fact that a black man's word against a white man's has absolutely no effect in the judicial system of Maycomb, therefore resulting in lapsed justice. Scout sees that the prejudicial values in her town are so centred that, in reality, a black man could never be acquitted by a white jury. Scout eavesdrops in her father's and uncle's discussion and overhears Atticus tell her uncle that, "the jury couldn't possibly be expected to take Tom Robinson's word against the Ewell's." The contradictory nature of prejudice is foreshadowed by Lee as Scout realizes that justice is not ever quite honest, even if all evidence points towards the other direction or even before a case trial. Prejudice is a very common thing for the 1950's and so most of the time, people either accidentally or purposely de-humanize the Negroes. While the Finch family is having breakfast with Dill and Aunt Alexandra, Atticus says that "Braxton Underwood despises Negroes" in front of Calpurnia. Then Alexandra replies, "Don't talk like that in front of them." 'Them' clearly refers to and de-humanizes the Negroes as Aunt Alexandra should have said 'her' to show some sort of respect, which also displays that most of the white people back then did not think of Negroes to have an ability to be great beings like themselves.

Lee wisely uses her diction to explore the technique of fear to emphasize the reality of ignorant minds in children. In Maycomb, everything is very centred and simple so when one thing is said, it spreads and soon everyone thinks it. For example, when Scout and Jem find a rabid Tim Johnson wandering around, Scout and Jem are very afraid at it. Scout states, "I thought mad dogs foamed at the mouth, galloped, leaped and lunged at throats. And I thought they did it in August. Had Tim Johnson behaved thus, I would have been less frightened." The fact that Tim doesn't behave like this makes Scout and Jem see that if it what they're told doesn't fit in exact detail, then it mustn't be or is worse because the way they are brought up is also very simple and