Comparison Essay Assignment
The book “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee is a highly relatable novel about a girl named Jean Louise Finch (A.K.A. Scout). In the novel Scout must undergo a series of new and recurring learning experiences in order to grow; only at the end of the novel do we see the full change in Scout and her newfound maturity. The novel is set in the 1930’s and deals with a myriad of social, ethical, and political issues such as prejudice, gender roles, and morals. This essay will elaborate on these issues and compare, as well as contrast them to the community and environment that I myself was raised in.
Prejudice is the main motif within this novel. The idea of prejudice is by far the most important lesson to be taken from this novel as it is seen a multitude of times throughout the book. In the novel we see that the children, because they have not yet been taught much about prejudice, don’t really understand it. We see in chapter 26 that Scouts teacher seems to be oblivious to the Prejudice right under her nose, she can…show more content… Scout is a tomboy who likes to play in the mud and get her hands dirty. Her father Atticus is okay with that, but her Aunt Alexandra has a very different idea of how a lady should act. Her Aunt tries to force her influence upon Scout, as seen here “Aunt Alexandra was fanatical on the subject of my attire. I could not possibly hope to be a lady if I wore breeches; when I said I could do nothing in a dress, she said I wasn't supposed to be doing things that required pants.” (Lee, 89). Scouts brother Jem also says things that influence the way scout feels about being a girl such as “shut your trap or go home-I declare to the lord you’re gettin’ more like a girl every day!” (Lee, 59). This just goes to show that Scout is under tremendous pressure to meet expectations, a concept that can definitely be found relatable to many boys and girls alike in today’s