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  • Essay / The Complex Themes of To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee

    The award-winning novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, may seem like a simple story about childhood and life in a southern town. Alabama, but she is truly a complex novel dealing with themes of education, moral courage and tolerance. Through the eyes of Scout Finch, the narrator, Harper Lee teaches the reader the importance of moral education, bravery and courage, as well as prejudice and tolerance. The first theme exposed by Harper Lee in her novel is education. At the beginning of the novel, Scout accompanies her brother Jem to school. She has looked forward to going to school since she was little. Her first day was a disappointment when Jem tells Scout they can't play together at recess, and when Scout gets in trouble for telling her teacher about another student, Walter Cunningham. Walter Cunningham belongs to a family that does not take other people's money for their own benefit. Scout's worst disappointment is when her teacher, Miss Caroline, tells Scout that Atticus taught her to read the wrong way. Instead of rewarding Scout for her intelligence, she is forced to feel ashamed. Scout tells her father that she will not return to school, but he compromises with her and tells her that if she goes to school, they will continue reading like they always have. The good education Scout receives from Atticus is unlike anything she will ever learn in school. In addition to the theme of education, Lee explores the idea of ​​bravery and courage. Scout, Jem, and their friend Dill tend to define courage by the risks people are willing to take, and accepting a challenge is the true test of courage. Jem accepts the challenge to touch Arthur "Boo" Radley's dangerous front door. Jem sees too... middle of paper... right?'" (Lee 276). She understands that like a mockingbird, Boo Radley had not harmed anyone and did not deserve L The other very important lesson that Atticus teaches Scout is empathy After Scout gets in trouble for making fun of Walter Cunningham for pouring syrup on her food, Atticus tells her that she will get along great. life better if she learns to put herself in other people's shoes It's a lesson that takes Scout time, but by the end of the novel, it's clear that Scout is learning empathy. a true classic because it teaches the reader about themes that are still relevant today: the importance of education, courage and the need to show tolerance towards others. These are the life lessons that. Scout learns as a child and those we, readers, learn while reading the novel..