The idea of the "journey" is a recurring theme within American literature. The novel "To Kill A Mockingbird" by Harper Lee is a piece of literature that addresses the theme of the journey (though it is more of a psychological and emotional journey than a physical one). In "To Kill a Mockingbird", the journey takes the form of a young girl's (Scout's) realization that the world is not as nice of a place that she thinks it is. .
Scout's self-enlightening journey begins when her father, Atticus takes Tom Robinson's case. Tom Robinson is a black man who has been accused of raping a white girl (Mayella Ewell). Mayella and her family are the outcasts of Maycomb (the small Alabama town where the town takes place) mainly because of the way they live and their unconventional behavior (i.e. the children only attend the first day of school: " "He's one of the Ewells, ma"am, whole school's full of "em. They come first day every year and then leave." (27)") Most of the town knows that Tom didn't really rape Mayella, but they can't admit this to themselves because if they did, they essentially would be admitting that Mayella, a white girl, was lying and that would not have been acceptable. They would rather accuse Tom, a black man, because that is justifiable in their minds (in that that kind of behavior is to be expected from someone like him). Scout's everyday life experiences are at the whim of the town when Atticus takes the case. .
The townspeople are ruthless when it comes to reminding Scout of their opinion of Atticus and what he has done. Scout's first experience with their animosity happens at school. "He[Cecil Jacobs] had announced in the school yard the day before that Scout Finch's daddy defended niggers. I denied it but told Jem. (74)" Scout does not really understand what Atticus is doing or the gravity (during that time period, the 1930's) of what he is doing. Scout even faces ridicule from family.