Themes
Courage, prejudice, innocence, and growing up are some of the important themes in this novel. According to one of the main characters of TKAM, Atticus, "Courage is when you know you're licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what."(Chapter 11, Page 124) This being said, Harper Lee definitely shows courage as a theme in this novel. Each character has a different view to the definition of courage and they all show it in a different way in their everyday lives.
For example, courage to Scout is a physical act that is usually dangerous. It is hard for young children to see the other aspects of courage because they only see it as bravery in a physical situation. She sees courage in Atticus when Atticus shoots the mad dog. Another example is Atticus during the Tom Robinson case. In this case, Atticus shows the true meaning of courage. I believe the definition of courage is to fight for what is right no matter what. Atticus wanted to defend Tom regardless of what people thought about him. He knew it was the right thing to do. Atticus shows numerous examples of courage and bravery in this novel.
In the early 1900's prejudice was a common act going around and this book definitely displays numerous acts of discrimination because of a person's color or race. This novel was set in the 1930's when racism was extensive. An example is Calpurnia, the black housekeeper for the Finch family. She is treated lower than the rest. Like when she has to sit in the back of Atticus's car or when she isn't allowed to eat at the same table as the Finch family. These all show the act of prejudice. In some cases, we see how some characters realize that racism is wrong. For example, when Aunt Alexandra sees that Walter is human, too. She finally comes to Atticus to admit to her wrong doings. Another great example is in the Tom Robinson case you see a black man being accused of something he didn't do.
Innocence is another...