This novel by Harper Lee, is much more than the small town story she meant it to be. She has often said that she doesn't understand why it is so renowned as she never meant it to be. There are many reasons why this book means so much more than that to our society.
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The story has 2 distinct parts to it. The first being the portrayal of the lazy small town in Alabama. Miss Lee portrays the town as being quiet and lazy almost sweet. The second part of the book shows that the town is ignorant and prejudiced. And although you can see the genuinely good and bad people in the story, every character is human. Atticus is the great one, but Miss Lee illustrates Atticus as being old and symbolically weak. Scout is the wise one but is young and innocent. Boo is the savior but he is initially feared. .
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The most important theme in To Kill a Mockingbird is the one of good and evil.
It explores whether people are either good or evil. In the beginning of the story the kids think everyone is good because they have never experienced evil. They then become more adult and lose their childhood innocence as they experience the sub-theme of the danger that hatred and prejudice causes to innocent people like Tom Robinson. Jem loses faith in the human race after witnessing what happens to Tom Robinson as a result of ignorance and racism. .
Atticus Finch poses as the voice of reason in this novel as he has experienced the evils of human nature yet he still he keeps his faith of human goodness. He tries to teach his children the moral lesson of people possessing both good and bad qualities and to appreciate the good ones and try and understand the bad ones. Scout finally learns this lesson towards the end of the book when she finally sees Boo as a person and not a menace. .
Another major theme of the story is education. The book stresses how important it is for children to understand moral education in order to move from childhood to adulthood.