Main Themes of To Kill a Mockingbird

The main themes of To kill a Mockingbird would probably be the themes: Discrimination and Growing up, among other themes.

Discrimination is the most obvious theme of all - the Discrimination is seen between the Negroes and the White people, the Ewells and the other residents of Maycomb, as well as the Radleys and the Maycomb residents.

The discrimination against the Negroes can be seen with they are forced to sit in a separate court balcony, forced to live in a separate part of town, and use different facilities, etc.

The Ewells can be seen to be separated from the town - "She [Mayella Ewell] was as sad, I thought, as what Jem called a mixed child: white people wouldn't have anything to do with her because she lived among pigs; Negroes wouldn't have anything to do with her because she was white. (Ref Pg 198)" as well as "Maycomb gave them [The Ewells] Christmas baskets, welfare money, and the back of its hand."

Next, the Radleys are portrayed as being antisocial and thus, the town is somewhat prejudiced against them for being different from everyone else, although more towards Arthur (Boo) Radley. "The Radleys, welcome anywhere in town, kept to themselves, a predilection unforgivable in Maycomb."

Furthermore, Arthur Radley was believed to be a monster. This was further perpetrated by Miss Stephanie Crawford, who spread rumours that Boo Radley "looked at her" while she was sleeping. This shows that any difference which made a person stand out might also cause the town to be prejudiced against them. Furthermore, this prejudice lasted for a long time, as the town was unwilling to let go of their bigoted beliefs.

Quote: "Any stealthy crime committed in Maycomb were his [Arthur Radley] work. Once the town was terrorized by a series of morbid nocturnal events: people's chickens and household pets were found mutilated; although the culprit was Crazy Addie, who eventually drowned himself in Barker's Eddy, people still looked at the Radley Place, unwilling to discard their initial suspicions." (Page 15.)

The second theme, The growth of Scout and Jem, can be seen throughout the story as Jem becomes disillusioned with the town after the trial and subsequent conviction of Tom Robinson. Although Scout does mature nearing the end of the book, she still maintains a slightly childish perspective on life. Furthermore, at the end of the book, Scout realizes how to look at life from some one else's point of view as she stands on the Radley Porch and comments on Boo Radley's life and perspective.