The Themes In To Kill A Mockingbird — страница 2

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rule. Justice will probably never be color-blind in this lifetime. Mob rule is when a large, angry group of people decide the outcome of something, usually using brute force to reach that outcome. Harper Lee is very much against mob rule. In the novel, Atticus is sitting at home one night when a mob comes along, “In Maycomb, grown men stood outside in the front yard for only two reasons: death and politics” (Lee 147). Lee uses Scout as a way of breaking up the mob, and shows her dislike towards mobs and points to “the importance of law and order,” (Magill 1680). Atticus represents the people in this world who see mob justice as an excuse for anarchy. People like Atticus who defend the court systems, want everybody to get a fair trial, whether they be white or black.

“That boy might go to the chair, but he’s not going till the truth’s told” (Lee 148). Atticus is the type of person that people should look up to. The man believes in what is fair and what is right, and that is admirable. “Only a few courageous people, such as Atticus, are willing to do what they know is right” (Magill 1680). Mobs are scared of what they don’t quite understand. Mobs have never solved anything. People are sometimes scared by what they don’t understand. Scout and Jem didn’t understand Boo Radley, so they feared him. They let their imaginations run wild when they thought of him. “Boo was about six and a half feet tall; he dined on raw squirrels and any cats he could catch?and he drooled most of the time (Lee 17). Jem and Dill used to make bets to

see if one of them would touch the house or look through a window, to see the monster within. “Lee points out that to try to overcome our fears, we try to act macho and show off, but that usually just makes things worse” (Bryfonski 342). In actuality, Boo was just a normal guy who just happened to be cooped up in his house for a couple of years. “The monster of neighborhood legend is revealed to be a shy, childish man who saved Scout and Jem by killing Bob Ewell” (Matuz 240). After Boo saves the kids, they realize what he really is. Just like when people are afraid, when they confront their fear, they see that it’s not so bad, and the overcome it. “He was real nice?most people are, Scout, when you finally see them” (Lee 284). Nothing is as bad as it originally

seems. There are a few important messages in To Kill a Mockingbird that carry over into everyday life. Lee’s basic messages are: try not to prejudge people, confront your fears, and don’t join a mob. Follow those rules and you’ll live a long and fruitful life. 34d