Justice and Goodness in to Kill a Mockingbird Essay

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Kill a Mockingbird is a coming of age tale told from the perspective of a young girl in the Deep South. The perspective of the novel provides the reader with a fresh, innocent view of a world that is eventually stripped away of its gloss: the innocent eyes see a world that is riddled with injustice, lies, hatred, and evil -- yet in spite of the world of fallen nature that opens up before the girl there remains a hidden goodness that emerges to give the reader enough hope to carry on. This to me is the most interesting part of the novel -- that it begins in a state of innocence, watches as wickedness unfolds, and yet does not end on a cynical note or with a tone of despondency. On the contrary, it remains basking in the glory of Atticus Finch, the noble man whose efforts to save Tom, the falsely accused, from conviction earn him the ire of the town -- but not the ire of the few good souls who appreciate the beauty of the transcendent values. The novel is touching in this regard, with the final scene from eyes of child, witnessing her father tending to her brother, keeping vigil over him through the night and there, like a guardian angel, waiting in the morning. There is a touch of the miraculous in such an ending, when so many stories in the modern era are filled with despair (one need only think of the existentialists of the French new wave to draw contrast). To Kill a Mockingbird is uplifting even as it reveals the horror to which humankind can stoop; it is reaffirming of life even as it depicts tragic death.

The theme of maturation is one that is important in the novel: it is important for Scout who narrates from the standpoint of later in life as she reflects on her childhood and the events that shaped her; and it is important for Jem who is a few years older than Scout and therefore more "aware" of what is going on in the neighborhood at the time when the novel is set. There is the awareness of the ugly side of human nature that gradually reveals itself to the little girl, but there is also the awareness of goodness in the face of the bad that makes itself present, particularly in the form of Scout's father Atticus, but also in the form of Boo, who is hidden for much of the novel, though he does leave gifts for the children and even comes to their aid late in the book when the kids are attacked. So the theme of maturation is linked with this idea of gradually understanding the terms of life as they are presented in this town in the Deep South. But even as the story is told by Scout looking back on her childhood, the sense that there is still yet a deeper maturation process at work, prompted by years of reflection.

Nonetheless, the innocence of childhood is captured by Lee as she depicts the children's reaction to the autumn turning to winter and the falling of snow. Scout thinks the world is ending and calls to Atticus to save them. Both Scout and Jem believe that the onset of winter is the result of their fighting, etc., believing the lie that their elders tell them to get them to behave. It is moments like these that give the novel its charm and maintain its character of innocence. The children go out to play in the snow and make all sorts of humorous assertions, like, "We shouldn't walk about in it ... look, every step you take's wasting it" and "Don't eat it, Scout, you're wasting it" (Lee 66). Jem's insistence that the snow not be wasted by being trampled upon or caught on tongues indicates his own innocence and desire to see that amazing snow last as long as possible. This means to him that the humans have to not interfere with nature's course -- they need to stay out of the way, so that what has been given can be preserved. In a deeper sense, there is a profound meditation here: respect for what nature provides is at the root of it, and it can be applied to another main theme of the novel, which is the equality of persons, regardless of race, which is something given us by nature. Jem is touching upon something important and essential to the novel: appreciation for the good that is given us and care to see that it stays pure.

The types of characters in the book are interesting too, as they reveal the variety of human life, from the cloistered Boo to the morally upstanding Atticus to the innocent children to the maid/nanny Calpurnia to the seemingly "unwanted" Dill, who is passed from home to home, to the abusive Bob Ewell to the mistreated Tom Robinson.

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Every character brings a side of life that is important to understand, whether it is good or malicious. In some respect though the characters are types: Atticus is the virtuous type, Bob Ewell represents the evil/wicked type. Boo represents the secret watcher/protector type. Each is based on some aspect of humanity but Lee gives them flesh and bones so as to make them more real and vivid. They become the embodiment of the virtues and/or failing that they are known for: they are neighborliness personified, or wickedness personified, or morality personified, etc. And yet the characters are more than just types

One lesson that can be learned is that it is one's actions that count, regardless of the outcome in this world. For instance, Atticus does the morally right thing in defending Tom because he believes Tom is innocent (as well as the fact that everyone is entitled to a defense). And yet Tom is still convicted in the end. Not only is he convicted but he is also shot an insane amount of times in his alleged escape attempt from prison. This incident would be enough to make a lesser man into a cynic and have contempt for the whole world and the judicial system as well as society in general. It would certainly cause me to feel jaded. Yet because Lee situates the story in the context of the young girl's eyes, who still loves her father and is young enough to still cherish the good without being dispossessed of it by the bad, the story retains a fair sense of proportion: so Atticus did not win and was not able to save Tom -- he still did what was right and that is what counts as a lesson for the young girl and for us. So Jem got his arm broken in the attack: Atticus is still there tended to Jem, by his side day and night out of love and respect for his child who has come of age during this episode and shown that he is willing to fight for what his right and his father's honor. These things matter even if failure is the result because the world is overwhelmingly against truth and justice. Does this mean that one should reject the world? No -- it just means that one should try extra hard to be on the side of the right and to strive towards that which is noble, to set an example for the world, without cursing or bitterness. This is what it means to shine a light in a Christian context, and I think that within this story, Atticus gives the best example of what it means to be a Christian, who does not see with the eyes of prejudice or hatred, but with the eyes of truth and mercy.

So that is one lesson that can be learned from this story. Another lesson is this: hatred is something that can do significant damage to the person who harbors it. Take Bob Ewell for instance. The man is so possessed by hatred that he abuses and attacks those who should be closest to him. This is not how a normal good man should behave -- not a father or a member of a community. But Bob is full of hatred: it is, ultimately, self-hatred but it is directed at others, his daughter, Tom, the children of Atticus. Bob cannot do anything but direct his spite for that which is good and inflict it on every living creature. Bob ends up dying by the knife (those who live by the sword, die by the sword) and it is likely that Boo kills Bob while defending the children from him. But it is never explicitly stated because the girl Scout does not really know for sure -- which is actually good for the reader because it allows us to maintain our sense of innocence and wonder: sometimes mystery is a good thing to have to remind us to refrain from judgment and condemnation. In a story centered on….....

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