Lesson Learned

In the book To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, the main character Scout provides a

childs perspective of learning from difficult and complex life situations. Throughout the story,

the author stresses the lessons of segregation and inequality of social classes and that the

presumptive judgements of others causes a harmful ignorance.

As the main characters Scout and Jem grow up, they learn the most important life lesson

of all: the social injustice in society. The story centers around members of the small town

Maycomb, Alabama, where the main characters' lives are changed as their small town is

completely altered by a trial involving the racial views of their society. The trial centered on

accusations made against Tom Robinson, an African American man put on trial for the

accusation of raping a young woman named Mayella. A majority of the town knew that the

accusation was false, but followed along because of their belief in social and racial classes. The

African Americans in their minds were of a different social standing than white men. This

controversial trial consumed the entire town, including the main characters, children of the

defense attorney Atticus Finch. When the trial concludes, the falsely accused Tom Robinson was

found guilty. As this happened, the impressionable children saw the trial as it should have been

seen: unjust. Realizing that justice was not served and that an innocent man was declared guilty,

Jem states, It aint right Atticus, with his fathers reply of No son, its not right (194). The

trial sentenced Tom to prison where he would likely die. Tom put his life into his own hands as

he decided to climb the prison wall and ultimately meet his death.

The reader and the young characters together learn this lesson on the unfairness of life

when Tom dies. Tom, an innocent or mockingbird, gave the hope that humanity would possibly
see the truth in the case, but unfortunately, that was not reality. Tom was also not the only one in

that trial who was seen as an untouchable in society, so were the children of Bob Ewell. The

children of Mr. Ewell were all deprived of an education because of their social class and their

fathers dependence on them to support the family. These kids showed up on the first day of

school and then would skip the rest of the year in order to bring food home to their family. Due

to their poverty, the family was cast out and seen as nothing except people who depend on the

government for their well being. One child however, was treated the worst of all. Mayella Ewell,

the victim in the Tom Robinson case, lied on the stand, her contribution to injustice was a result

of her fathers cruelty. Though she was not a victim in the trial, she was brutally mistreated by

her father and raised to be obedient out of fear. Due to this feeling of being cast out by both her

family and society, she felt left out. In her time of loneliness, she did something unthinkable for a

white woman to do at the time. She kissed a black man. As her father came home she realized

her mistake, but it was not before her father punched her. She was simply lonely and her father

beat her for being lonely and wanting to be loved. Even though she could have admitted the truth

on several occasions, she was forced to think of her family without a father and protect herself.

Both Mayella and Tom did not choose their life, but instead adapted to it. Life is unfair

and Harper Lee illustrates this lesson as she presents examples from the social classes in the Jim

Crow South.

Throughout the book, characters are judged upon first appearances. It is not until they

actually meet the person, that they realize their mistake. A judgment before evidence leads to a

harmful ignorance. Harper Lee teaches us not to judge someone on rumors or first glance, but

rather on their actions. Boo Radley is a perfect example of this. The town thought of him as a

monster, but it was not until he was able to escape the isolation of his house, that people were
able to finally know and understand who he really was. Jem described what Boo was like

without even knowing him, stating:

Boo was about six-and-a-half feet tall, judging from his tracks; he dined on raw squirrels

and any cats he could catch, thats why his hands were blood stainedif you ate an

animal raw, you could never wash the blood out. (16)

Children of the neighborhood had never seen Boo with their own eyes and played games to

imagine what Boo was really like. They let their imagination and rumors form an opinion on the

man they had never met. It was not until they discovered the gum, dolls, and were in the face of

danger that the true Boo appeared.

Boo showed kindness to the society that judged and misunderstood him for so long. He

was able to change their views when he hid gifts for his neighbors in an old tree. Hiding the

lifelike dolls, freshly wrapped gum, and then later fixing the pants of an intruder showed the

caring heart of Boo Radley. The first impression of a monster was also proved wrong as Boo

showed his bravery by pushing Bob off Scout and Jem, saving their lives. She gives another

example of this lesson in the character Dill. Upon first seeing Dill, Scout thinks Dill was a

curiosity. He wore blue linen shorts that buttoned to his shirt, his hair was snow white and stuck

to his head like duck- fluff. (13). When first meeting Dill, Scout saw him as a strange kid, but

after learning more about him they soon became friends. In the beginning, he was an urban

outsider in this small southern town. He was a curiosity, and it was not until Scout decided to

discover his true personality that they became friends. This was a perfect example of the lesson

as the abnormal child next door was realized to be just as adventurous and curious as the main

characters Jem and Scout.

 Harper Lee throughout the story tells one to base opinions on experience. Dill and Boo

were first viewed as outcasts, but upon learning who they truly were, they became friends with

the members of the community. The lesson was shown throughout the entire book and completes

itself at the end as Scout recounts on the porch of her new friend Boo, her thoughts at the

beginning of the year, and her friends at the end.

Every adventure in the book ends in the lessons to not judge someone without experience

and fact and that every community contains inequality. Harper Lee helps the reader grow through

the story as the children learn these difficult lessons. The reader grows as Scout grows and

realizes, that one should not view the world based on the prejudices that society ingrained in us,

but base opinions on life experiences.