How to kill a Mockingbird:Triumph of Tolerance and Understanding
The book ‘How to kill a Mockingbird’ presents a society full of racism, pride and foul judgement. It presents the conflict between the individual and the community. However, even though the Maycomb society is full of injustice, the story still presents the triumph of tolerance and understanding over ignorance and hatred.
At first, Scout and her brother Jem think that Boo is a bad man; an impression that has been maintained by the whole town. The children are scared of him because of the scary imagination they have of him. They play pranks on him in attempt to make him come out of the house to no avail. Although people think that Boo is a psychopath, he turns out to be a nice person. He leaves small treats for Scout and Jem in a tree hole until his brother covers it with cement. Furthermore, in the night of the fire, Boo noticed that Scout was shivering in the cold and he covered her with a blanket. Moreover, Boo defends Scout and Jem from Mr. Ewell who wants to kill them as revenge against their father who defended a black man in a case against him. At the end of the story, Scout learns that Boo is actually a compassionate and caring man rather than vile and incomprehensible as she thought before her encounter with him. She learns not to judge other people before she understands the situation they are in, rather, she should take her time and get to know them first.
Similarly, Scout learns take care of the weak in the society. Through the analogy of the mocking bird, she learns that it is wrong to take advantage of the defenseless in the society. She learns this from her dad who defends a black man against a rape claim although he knows he is going to lose. The Maycomb society is racist and when a white person brings a case against a black person, the black person will be convicted guilty even if they are innocent. Even though the society is racist and laden with injustice, Scout eventually learns that the defenseless should be defended rather that exploited. In addition, just like her dad, Scout learns the virtue of fighting for what is right regardless of the majority thinks.
In summation, although the book portrays a racist and unjust community, valuable lessons can be picked from the story. Rather than ignorance and hatred, the book portrays the triumph of tolerance and understanding.