Concluding To Kill a Mockingbird and it's themes

In my ending post I'm going to focus on the themes because they best convey the power behind Harper Lee's convictions  and words.
I felt that the primary themes were:

Racism/prejudices
Hypocrisy
Standing for your convictions
Childhood/innocence
Making judgments


Racism plagues every corner of Maycomb County. It twists the truth and disables the conscience of the people. Respected, upright citizens are so rooted in their hatred that they will turn away from the clear evidence of Tom Robinson's innocence and Mr. Ewel's guilt. I'm more inclined to think that the people lack backbone than reason. I think the combined affect of racism and peer pressure was enough for them to vote against their better judgment.

Prejudices span all of the classes. Regardless of status, looking down on someone,anyone gives a person a sense of self worth and pride. Demeaning others places you on higher ground. When Jem figured this out he said it like this,
"The thing about it is, our kind of folks don't like the Cunninghams, the Cunninghams don't like the Ewells, and the Ewells hate and despise the colored folks" (303).

So much of the hatred and evil stems from pride. The people of Maycomb County, being convinced that they are the higher race, struggle with a sense of self-righteousness. This comes out in various ways including hypocrisy. Like Jem, Scout is constantly making discoveries about the inconsistencies and evils in society. Scout says,
“Well, coming out of the courthouse that night Miss Gates was-she goin' down the steps in front of us, you musta not seen her- she was talking with Miss Stephen Crawford. I heard her say it's time somebody taught 'em a lesson, they were gettin' way above themselves, an' the next thing they think they can do is marry us. Jem, how can you hate Hitler so bad an' then turn around and be ugly about folks right at home-” (331).

Though many of these difficult themes pertain mainly to the citizens of Maycomb County, Jem and Scout are guilty themselves of making judgments. They jump to conclusions about the Radleys assuming that Boo is evil incarnate and the house is haunted. They angrily judge Mrs. Dubose for her bitterness and self-centerdness. But both of these assumptions come back to slap them in the face when they discover that Mrs. Dubose was suffering from a morphine addiction and when Scout is rescued by Boo Radley himself.

This book dragged/lead me through the range of emotions. Observing Tom Robinson's trial pained me. Hearing about Dill's strained relationship with his parents was tragic. It was uplifting to see Scout stand up to defend her father in front of a crowd of angry men. I felt pride, fury, pity, joy, and hope. I'm thankful for this book and I suggest that you all read it because it is not only beautiful and tragic, but it's nostalgic and deeply profound.