To Kill a Mockingbird Literary Analysis
Anoushka Divekar
May 28th, 2013
English 9 Honors
Mr. Hartwig
To Kill a Mockingbird Literary Analysis
Is a difficult life defined by another person’s perceptions about a character, or a conflict within the character? People with difficult lives are explored in Harper Lee’s Pulitzer Prize winning To Kill a Mockingbird which takes place during the Great Depression. Scout Finch, a young Alabaman girl, learns many life lessons through an eventful few years of her young life including school, a mysterious man, and a rape trial, while trying to find herself in a town segregated by race and class. Atticus Finch, a well-known, white lawyer, and Mayella Ewell, the daughter of a poor, uneducated white man, are two characters with very difficult lives. Both characters are stereotyped and discriminated against due to whom they associate themselves with. Atticus Finch is looked down upon for associating with African American people, while Mayella Ewell is stereotyped because of her social class. Both characters have family and public ties that are important to them. However, Atticus Finch is surrounded by family members whom he must set an example for, while Mayella Ewell is surrounded by family members that live in the same, if not worse conditions that she does. Atticus Finch is in a higher position of power than Mayella, and therefore must live the way the public sees him in order to be known as an honest man. Atticus Finch has a more difficult life than Mayella Ewell because Atticus faces a constant internal struggle to stay true to his values while being continually stereotyped, while Mayella lives the way the rest of her family lives, and the way she is expected to live by others.
Both Atticus Finch and Mayella Ewell are stereotyped and discriminated against because of whom they associate themselves with. Mayella Ewell is the daughter of a poor and very dirty man, Bob Ewell. With her many siblings, she lives in a repulsive dump. As a nineteen-year-old girl, Mayella yearns for cleanliness, and therefore has a row of well-kept geraniums in her unwelcoming home. This shows that Mayella cannot do anything about the conditions in which she lives in, but try to make them better for herself. Mayella is looked down upon because of the unfortunate conditions she lives in, and her social class categorized as a poor, uncivilized white. Atticus Finch, meanwhile, is looked down upon because of his affiliation with African Americans. In To Kill a Mockingbird Mayella Ewell wrongly accuses Tom Robinson, an African American man, of rape and Atticus Finch is called upon to defend him. Atticus agrees so he can stand by his morals and values. Atticus explains, “[…] I couldn’t do go church and worship God if I didn’t try to help that man” (Lee 139). While Atticus is not received well by racists in the city, he realizes the morally correct thing to do is to defend Tom Robinson. Harper Lee’s story is set during the Great Depression in the South, when racial segregation is the most prominent form of discrimination. Because African Americans and those in affiliation with them are more hindered from prosperity than poor whites are in this time period, Atticus has a more difficult and disadvantaged life than Mayella Ewell has.
Both Atticus and Mayella have family and public ties that are important to them. Mayella lives with her very large family. She is constantly working around the house, trying to help her family out. However, living in a dump with many siblings, often nobody helps her with the chores. Tom Robinson points this out during his testimony during his trial. “‘Yes, suh. I felt right sorry for her, she seemed to try more’n the rest of ‘em-’” (Lee 264). Here, Harper Lee shows how Mayella feels about her family. Though she lives in very unfavorable conditions, she still helps out around the house to make life better. While she has an unfortunate life, the rest of her family lives in worse self-inflicted conditions. Because of this, townspeople see Mayella as better off than her family, and do not see her quite as badly as the rest of them. On the contrary, Atticus Finch lives a very public life. It would have been extremely easy for Atticus to not defend Tom Robinson, and therefore not be ridiculed by racists. However, Atticus is a father to two young children, Scout and Jem, and wants them to see what is right, not what is easy. Another situation in which Atticus feels he must be truthful occurs towards the end of To Kill a Mockingbird. Atticus believes his almost thirteen-year-old son has killed Bob Ewell. Though Atticus is mistaken, Atticus wants to take Jem to court because he believes even his own son should not be able to cheat the law. Harper Lee writes, “‘I’m sorry if I spoke sharply, Heck,” Atticus simply, ‘but nobody’s hushing this up. I don’t live that way’” (365). This shows that Atticus is conscious of his behavior in his family and in public, and does not want to live two separate lives. While Mayella may visibly live in worse conditions than Atticus, Atticus must live in a manner in which he can stay true to himself and be seen as an honest man. Atticus Finch lives a more difficult life than Mayella Ewell because he must set a positive example for those around him while Mayella already lives in a better fashion than the rest of her family.
To Kill a Mockingbird is a novel with many very complex characters all with difficult lives. Mayella Ewell is a character with a seemingly unbearable life. She is stereotyped, discriminated against for being around poor whites, and neglected around the house. On the surface, Mayella lives a difficult life. However, Atticus Finch lives a more difficult life on the inside. Atticus is discriminated against for associating with African Americans, and must be very conscious of his behavior both in and outside the house. Because Atticus must come to terms with what is easy and what is right, a problem which causes him inner conflict, he lives a more difficult life. Atticus must deal with his conscience and live according to his morals and values in more than one place during a troubled time. Harper Lee creates very complex characters which she develops well, such as Atticus, who may on the surface appear to live a comfortable life, but live a very hard and confusing life deeper down.
May 28th, 2013
English 9 Honors
Mr. Hartwig
To Kill a Mockingbird Literary Analysis
Is a difficult life defined by another person’s perceptions about a character, or a conflict within the character? People with difficult lives are explored in Harper Lee’s Pulitzer Prize winning To Kill a Mockingbird which takes place during the Great Depression. Scout Finch, a young Alabaman girl, learns many life lessons through an eventful few years of her young life including school, a mysterious man, and a rape trial, while trying to find herself in a town segregated by race and class. Atticus Finch, a well-known, white lawyer, and Mayella Ewell, the daughter of a poor, uneducated white man, are two characters with very difficult lives. Both characters are stereotyped and discriminated against due to whom they associate themselves with. Atticus Finch is looked down upon for associating with African American people, while Mayella Ewell is stereotyped because of her social class. Both characters have family and public ties that are important to them. However, Atticus Finch is surrounded by family members whom he must set an example for, while Mayella Ewell is surrounded by family members that live in the same, if not worse conditions that she does. Atticus Finch is in a higher position of power than Mayella, and therefore must live the way the public sees him in order to be known as an honest man. Atticus Finch has a more difficult life than Mayella Ewell because Atticus faces a constant internal struggle to stay true to his values while being continually stereotyped, while Mayella lives the way the rest of her family lives, and the way she is expected to live by others.
Both Atticus Finch and Mayella Ewell are stereotyped and discriminated against because of whom they associate themselves with. Mayella Ewell is the daughter of a poor and very dirty man, Bob Ewell. With her many siblings, she lives in a repulsive dump. As a nineteen-year-old girl, Mayella yearns for cleanliness, and therefore has a row of well-kept geraniums in her unwelcoming home. This shows that Mayella cannot do anything about the conditions in which she lives in, but try to make them better for herself. Mayella is looked down upon because of the unfortunate conditions she lives in, and her social class categorized as a poor, uncivilized white. Atticus Finch, meanwhile, is looked down upon because of his affiliation with African Americans. In To Kill a Mockingbird Mayella Ewell wrongly accuses Tom Robinson, an African American man, of rape and Atticus Finch is called upon to defend him. Atticus agrees so he can stand by his morals and values. Atticus explains, “[…] I couldn’t do go church and worship God if I didn’t try to help that man” (Lee 139). While Atticus is not received well by racists in the city, he realizes the morally correct thing to do is to defend Tom Robinson. Harper Lee’s story is set during the Great Depression in the South, when racial segregation is the most prominent form of discrimination. Because African Americans and those in affiliation with them are more hindered from prosperity than poor whites are in this time period, Atticus has a more difficult and disadvantaged life than Mayella Ewell has.
Both Atticus and Mayella have family and public ties that are important to them. Mayella lives with her very large family. She is constantly working around the house, trying to help her family out. However, living in a dump with many siblings, often nobody helps her with the chores. Tom Robinson points this out during his testimony during his trial. “‘Yes, suh. I felt right sorry for her, she seemed to try more’n the rest of ‘em-’” (Lee 264). Here, Harper Lee shows how Mayella feels about her family. Though she lives in very unfavorable conditions, she still helps out around the house to make life better. While she has an unfortunate life, the rest of her family lives in worse self-inflicted conditions. Because of this, townspeople see Mayella as better off than her family, and do not see her quite as badly as the rest of them. On the contrary, Atticus Finch lives a very public life. It would have been extremely easy for Atticus to not defend Tom Robinson, and therefore not be ridiculed by racists. However, Atticus is a father to two young children, Scout and Jem, and wants them to see what is right, not what is easy. Another situation in which Atticus feels he must be truthful occurs towards the end of To Kill a Mockingbird. Atticus believes his almost thirteen-year-old son has killed Bob Ewell. Though Atticus is mistaken, Atticus wants to take Jem to court because he believes even his own son should not be able to cheat the law. Harper Lee writes, “‘I’m sorry if I spoke sharply, Heck,” Atticus simply, ‘but nobody’s hushing this up. I don’t live that way’” (365). This shows that Atticus is conscious of his behavior in his family and in public, and does not want to live two separate lives. While Mayella may visibly live in worse conditions than Atticus, Atticus must live in a manner in which he can stay true to himself and be seen as an honest man. Atticus Finch lives a more difficult life than Mayella Ewell because he must set a positive example for those around him while Mayella already lives in a better fashion than the rest of her family.
To Kill a Mockingbird is a novel with many very complex characters all with difficult lives. Mayella Ewell is a character with a seemingly unbearable life. She is stereotyped, discriminated against for being around poor whites, and neglected around the house. On the surface, Mayella lives a difficult life. However, Atticus Finch lives a more difficult life on the inside. Atticus is discriminated against for associating with African Americans, and must be very conscious of his behavior both in and outside the house. Because Atticus must come to terms with what is easy and what is right, a problem which causes him inner conflict, he lives a more difficult life. Atticus must deal with his conscience and live according to his morals and values in more than one place during a troubled time. Harper Lee creates very complex characters which she develops well, such as Atticus, who may on the surface appear to live a comfortable life, but live a very hard and confusing life deeper down.
To Kill a Mockingbird Self Reflection
Title of the Piece
To Kill a Mockingbird Literary Analysis
Content
This essay is written on Harper Lee's novel, To Kill a Mockingbird. It demonstrates how a man with a seemingly easy life on the surface may face the most turmoil at a deeper level. This essay is written in a compare and contrast format, and shows differences and similarities between Atticus Finch and Mayella Ewell.
What Do You Feel is Good in this Writing?
I think I was finally in this essay able to write a decent thesis. All my other theses has the elements on needed but they 'lacked punch'. I think because I added "because" to the thesis, it was more persuasive and it explained by point better. I now see how a simple thesis is a lot more boring to read than one with more explanation.
I think I did a good job with choosing my quotes. In the past on some essays, I know that I didn't spend as much time as I could or should have finding quotes, I just used ones that kind of worked, and then tried to use this evidence to make an argument. This time, I found my quotes after constructing my argument. I realized that this makes the explanation very easy; if my quote can easily back up my argument, it is easy to explain why.
I really liked the end of my second paragraph. I spent a lot of time trying to word it correctly. It explains how the circumstances in which the characters are in makes one character more vulnerable than the other. I think it is important to use all the evidence that is already laid out for you, because then you don't have to stretch your thesis to make the rest of your argument work.
Overall, I really liked and had fun writing this essay. I also finally liked the book we were writing about. I also personally agreed with my supporting points. It is a huge advantage in writing when you wholeheartedly believe what you are writing, and when you are not just writing to finish the assignment.
What Do You Feel is Poor in this Essay, and How Would You Change It?
My attention-getter, along with some other sentences were kind of poorly worded. I may have avoided using passive voice, but they are hard to read. At some point I need to learn how to keep my writing away from passive voice, and yet make my writing readable. In some places in this essay I ended up using passive voice to not make my writing sound awkward. I definitely need to work on this, and make sure I find a fine line between the two.
I think the biggest flaws in this essay were not writing wise, but grammar wise. I need to watch for ambiguous pronouns, especially while defending my evidence. There are some things I haven't understood yet, but clearly (after them appearing in many essays) need to fix. In the third paragraph, "While she has an unfortunate life [...]," apparently was a sentence fragment. I don't really know how to fix this yet, but I'll watch for it in future essays, so I learn from my mistakes.
I think I am doing better with comma placement, but it still needs work. For example, in the last paragraph after the word "behavior" I needed a comma. I still need a more efficient way to catch mistakes with commas, but I think I will improve with more experience and time.
This is one of my better essays overall, but I still need to watch for grammatical errors, and not making my sentences too awkward.
To Kill a Mockingbird Literary Analysis
Content
This essay is written on Harper Lee's novel, To Kill a Mockingbird. It demonstrates how a man with a seemingly easy life on the surface may face the most turmoil at a deeper level. This essay is written in a compare and contrast format, and shows differences and similarities between Atticus Finch and Mayella Ewell.
What Do You Feel is Good in this Writing?
I think I was finally in this essay able to write a decent thesis. All my other theses has the elements on needed but they 'lacked punch'. I think because I added "because" to the thesis, it was more persuasive and it explained by point better. I now see how a simple thesis is a lot more boring to read than one with more explanation.
I think I did a good job with choosing my quotes. In the past on some essays, I know that I didn't spend as much time as I could or should have finding quotes, I just used ones that kind of worked, and then tried to use this evidence to make an argument. This time, I found my quotes after constructing my argument. I realized that this makes the explanation very easy; if my quote can easily back up my argument, it is easy to explain why.
I really liked the end of my second paragraph. I spent a lot of time trying to word it correctly. It explains how the circumstances in which the characters are in makes one character more vulnerable than the other. I think it is important to use all the evidence that is already laid out for you, because then you don't have to stretch your thesis to make the rest of your argument work.
Overall, I really liked and had fun writing this essay. I also finally liked the book we were writing about. I also personally agreed with my supporting points. It is a huge advantage in writing when you wholeheartedly believe what you are writing, and when you are not just writing to finish the assignment.
What Do You Feel is Poor in this Essay, and How Would You Change It?
My attention-getter, along with some other sentences were kind of poorly worded. I may have avoided using passive voice, but they are hard to read. At some point I need to learn how to keep my writing away from passive voice, and yet make my writing readable. In some places in this essay I ended up using passive voice to not make my writing sound awkward. I definitely need to work on this, and make sure I find a fine line between the two.
I think the biggest flaws in this essay were not writing wise, but grammar wise. I need to watch for ambiguous pronouns, especially while defending my evidence. There are some things I haven't understood yet, but clearly (after them appearing in many essays) need to fix. In the third paragraph, "While she has an unfortunate life [...]," apparently was a sentence fragment. I don't really know how to fix this yet, but I'll watch for it in future essays, so I learn from my mistakes.
I think I am doing better with comma placement, but it still needs work. For example, in the last paragraph after the word "behavior" I needed a comma. I still need a more efficient way to catch mistakes with commas, but I think I will improve with more experience and time.
This is one of my better essays overall, but I still need to watch for grammatical errors, and not making my sentences too awkward.