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

The book, To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, is a timeless classic about the coming of age of a small southern town and it’s people. The book follows Jem and Scout, two siblings living in the 1930’s in a small southern town. Their father, 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, some 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 â€Å"racism†, â€Å"hypocrisy†, and â€Å"the world of adults†. The main theme in To Kill A Mockingbird is â€Å"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 woman comes out and says, â€Å"You Ain’t 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 didn’t commit, he is still found guilty because of his skin color. It is stated in the book, â€Å"In our courts, when its white man’s word against a black man’s, the white always wins. They’re ugly, but those are the facts of life.† (Pg. 220) However not all of the white people agree with this. Most 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 â€Å"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, â€Å"At least we have the deceit to say to ‘em yes you’re as good as we are but stay away from us. Down here we just say you live your way and we’ll live ours.† (Pg. 234) But for the Mrunas she says, â€Å"I made a pledge in my heart. I said to myself, when I go home I’m going to give a course on the Mrunas†¦to Maycomb and that’s just what I’m doing.