Journal #9: To Kill A Mockingbird

To Kill A Mockingbird is broken up into two parts. The first section is dominated entirely by childhood. Scout, Jem, and their friend Dill play with one another. Life is easy. Their only obligation is school and respecting their elders. The second part of the book is far more intense. It primarily revolves around the case and trial of Tom Robinson, a black man who was accused of raping a young white female. Atticus is the defense attourney on the case. The events revolving the case demonstrate the distinguishment between childhood and adulthood. Scout and Jem each represent the two contrasting stages of life.

Because Atticus is tied up with the case, in the beginning of the second half of the novel Atticus’s sister, Alexandra, comes to live with the Finches so the children are properly cared for. Alexandra’s attitude towards Scout’s upbringing shows Scout as a figure of childhood. Alexandra believes that Scout is too childish and must be turned into a lady. However, Alexandra still treats Scout like a child by keeping extremely tight reigns on her where-abouts. For instance, Alexandra will not let Scout visit Calpurnia’s house, because she doesn’t want to expose her to another way of living. Scout also serves as a symbol of childhood when defending her father. In this portion of the book, Atticus’s intentions of defending a black man pose him many problems. At one point, he is challenged by a lynch mob; Scout defends her father and ultimately turns the lynch mob away with her innocence. This scene also depicts Jem as a symbol of adulthood. When first arriving at the scene of the lynch mob, Atticus commands Jem to leave; Jem, however, stands his ground like a man and refuses to leave.

Finally, the trial’s topic shows the level of maturity of each child. Jem understands and is able to watch the trial because he is older and therefore more mature than Scout and can handle the topic of rape. Scout, on the other hand, is far too young and innocent to comprehend the trial.

This portion of the book reveals the extreme racism of the majority of Southern society. Aunt Alexandra, for instance, does not allow Scout to visit Calpurnia’s house. By sitting in the black section of the courtroom, the Finch children demonstrate that they are immune to racism. The verdict of the trial, however, reveals the extremes of Southern racism: although Atticus’s defense for Tom Robinson is flawless, Tom still loses the case, because a white Southern jury would never ever side with a black man, no matter how innocent he is.