Words: 1307
These are Important lessons, and therefore I completely agree with this statement. Firstly, conflict can teach us about society and the world around us. In To Kill a Mockingbird, there is a prominent theme of discrimination, and therefore constant conflict. The main event in the book, Tom Robinsons trial, shows this discrimination when he is convicted of a crime when it is evident that he is innocent: “… They couldn’t be fair If they tried. When It’s a white man’s word against a black man’s, the white man always wins. Here, Tactics Is saying that the Jury Is so prejudiced that, sugarless of a man’s innocence or guilt, the black man will always be in the wrong. There are also many instances before the trial itself where racial conflict is shown. “Niger-lover” is regularly used as an insult, by both adults and children, and Tactics is at one point described as . ” No better than the black trash he works for. ” California is another example, as one of the many black women who served as housekeepers to white American families In this time period.
She Is obviously considered to be of a lower social standing than the Finches, and she Is seen as a ad influence on Scout by Aunt Alexandra, who, in an attempt to have California fired, says, “Tactics, it’s all right to be soft hearted, you’re an easy man, but you have a daughter to think of. A daughter who&s growing up. ” We also discover that the majority of the clouded community cannot read nor write, because they were not given the opportunity to learn as they were seen as unintelligent. Only white people were given this right, which Is again an example of racial delimitation.
However there are other types of conflict portrayed In To Kill a Mockingbird, namely, the scarification against Boo Raddled, who is ostracizes for his non-conformity to society’s norms. Many false ideas are formed about Boo and they are passed down as he is not there to defend himself. He is thought of as a crazy man, perhaps slightly violent and Ill Intentioned: “Inside the house lived a malevolent phantom. People said he existed, but Gem and I had never seen him. People said he went out at night when the moon was down and peeped Into windows. This quote shows us that any differences a person might have can be seen as a negative thing by others, even if it s not, and that our views on people may not always be right, as later in the book we find out that Boo is a good man. There are many instances which show his kindness, such as when he puts a blanket over Scout’s shoulders: muff… Didn’t notice when [Boo] put a blanket around you”, or when Tactics says, “Thank you for my children, Arthur” after Boo saves them. Through Boo Raddled, the reader learns that we cannot a Mockingbird helps us to see the discrimination in our own society.
It makes us realist how wrong discrimination is and makes us want to do something about it. Harper Lee wanted the book to challenge our idea of discrimination and society beliefs and values, and to make us think for ourselves what is right and wrong instead of doing what everyone else does. Secondly, conflict can teach us about ourselves, as we think about times when we have gone through similar experiences as the characters, forcing ourselves to explore our actions and emotions. Characters facing conflicts with themselves mirror our own internal conflicts, which makes them and the lessons they learn more relatable.
Scout starts the book as a young, naive girl who has been quite protected from the world, UT once she starts school she is more exposed to the harsh environment and the realities and unfairness of life. These experiences force her to choose between what she wants to do and what she knows is right. One example of this is when she is being made fun of by one of her schoolmates. Her first reaction is to want to fight, but as she “remembered what Tactics had said, [she] dropped [her] fists and walked away. Afterwards, she was further taunted for walking away from a fight, but even though she had to face negative consequences, she had done the right thing which is cost important. Another large conflict she has with herself is to do with the Raddled house. She is scared of it, as she was taught to be by the rumors and the reputation of Boo Raddled, but at the same time she is curious about it and she is pressured by Gem and Dill to get up close and play tricks on him: “Gem, you and me can play and Scout can watch if she’s scared. ” Scout doesn’t want to be seen as afraid so she goes along with them.
Scout is not the only one who faces internal conflict in To Kill a Mockingbird. Tactics must have known it would be difficult to defend a Negro during such prejudiced times, but he chose to because he knew it was right and that everyone should be given a chance to receive Justice, because even if he knew he would lose the case he still hoped that the people of Macomb would see the truth and do the right thing. He says, “The one thing that doesn’t abide by majority rule is a person’s conscience” and Mimi rarely win, but sometimes you do. Although these quotes were not meant for this context, and there is no direct evidence of how Tactics feels about the trial, we can still gather enough about him that we can guess his conflicts. These quotes show that he will choose what is right above society values. Male Lowell is also conflicted when she testifies at the trial. As with Tactics, these conflicts are not directly stated but by the way she acts in court, we can tell that she seems quite uncomfortable with the lies she is telling.
She cries a lot – “Male stared at him and burst into tears” – which implies this discomfort and also fear of her lies being discovered. When Tactics asks her if her father is good to her, she replies, “He does tolerable, ‘accept when -” and then refuses to make further negative comments on Bob. This is an example of her fear – she is afraid of her dad because, as we, the readers know, he beats her, and she doesn’t want to give him a reason to do so. She also seems to have trouble lying, unlike her father, which could also show her internal conflict: “No, I don’t recollect if he hit me.
I mean yes I do, he hit me. ” The internal conflicts in To Kill a Mockingbird teaches us a lot about making the right wrong. They show us that we should learn and form opinions for ourselves, instead of conforming to everyone else’s beliefs and values, which I found to be a very valuable lesson. The statement “Conflict is at the heart of all good writing; without conflict, stories would go nowhere and they would teach us nothing” is proven through the characters in To Kill a Mockingbird.
The external conflict, between the white and black population of Macomb County, and between the community and Boo Raddled, shows us the importance of understanding and acknowledging the discrimination today, and the internal conflict of various characters teaches us about the fight between right and wrong, and helps us to make better decisions about how we act towards other people. This is why conflict plays such an important part in a story.