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Themes concerning injustice Of racial prejudice and the value Of courage and bravery are traversed in great depth through the main characters, Attic’s and Scout Finch, and their correlations with others in turn allow the reader to relate the lessons learnt to their own lives. One of Lee’s most profound themes is the injustice of racial prejudice. Black people were extremely subjugated members of society during the Depression era.
They were forbidden to commingle with white people in public areas, as epitomized in the courthouse, where the physical separation of races was blatant, as well as n the clearly distinct “black” and “white” areas of town. Interbreeding was heavily frowned upon, as shown by Mr. Raymond, a white man who married a black woman and has mixed children, who reveals that he pretends to be an alcoholic by carrying around a paper bag with a bottle of Coca-Cola inside it, in an attempt to let the town condone his choice to marry a black woman.
From the very beginning of the story, the racist nature of Macomb is portrayed through their harsh accusations and emotive language as Attic’s defends a black man. “Attic’s is a Niger lover’; “Scout Finch’s dad defends Geiger”. Lee uses the constant repetition of the disparaging term ‘Niger lover’ as a way of demonstrating the hatred shown towards anyone who supported the African Americans. The most considerable example of racial prejudice, however, is the trial of Tom Robinson, a black man accused of rape of Mr. Else’s daughter.
Lee makes It quite conspicuous that he is guilt-free, through Attic’s case in court, yet he is denied his innocence, purely because of his skin color. The most blatant technique Lee uses to show how racially prejudiced people were is by juxtaposing Tom Robinson, a honest black man, tit Mr. Lowell, the most despised white man of Macomb County. This is highlighted through the statement “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 peg 220”.
Through the use of linguistic features, Lee’s classic portrayal of the injustice Of racial prejudice remains both pertinent and intrinsically powerful. Another one of Lee’s many intricate themes is the value of courage and bravery. Bravery takes several forms in “To kill a mockingbird”. The most obvious is Attic’s defense of Tom Robinson, in the ace of relentless criticism and threats of violence. Gem and Scout also exhibit the utmost bravery, as shown in chapter 1 5, where Attic’s makes his way to the prison to protect Tom.
When the mob arrives at the jail seeking to harm Tom, the children, who’ve been suspecting, come to Attic’s aid. Scout is the one who initiates the charge, but Gem displays bravery as well, when he refuses to leave. If Gem had left, Scout and Dill would have followed. The presence of the children diffuses the situation and Scout’s words thus cause Mr. Cunningham to call off the mob. To Attic’s, withholding violence is one of he highest forms of bravery, and so constantly urges Scout to be brave and avert herself from fighting those who denigrate herself or her family. You might hear some ugly talk about it at school, but do one thing for me if you will: you just hold your head high and keep those fists down”. In Attic’s eyes, Mrs. Dubos is upheld as the ultimate definition of bravery, as she fights against her morphine addiction in order to be free from it before she dies, even when she knows she will die in the process. “… Mrs. Dubos won, all ninety-eight pounds of her. According to her views, she died beholden to thing and nobody. She was the bravest person I ever knew. Boo Raddled also displays a monumental amount of courage, through how he musters up the courage to leave the children little gifts, despite the rampant r Amours about him.